Spanish authorities have reintroduced border controls for passengers arriving from Italy, with police carrying out random document checks at major airports. The measure took effect at midnight in response to Italy’s decision to keep its own restrictions on Spanish travelers. The Ministry of the Interior said around 100 National Police officers had been deployed to monitor flights from Italy at airports in Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, Seville, Bilbao, Alicante, and Valencia. Checks were expected to extend to the Balearic and Canary Islands later in the day.
Under the protocol, officers check documents for 5% to 10% of passengers on each flight, selecting people at random. That typically means about 15 checks on medium-sized aircraft and around 25 on larger planes. Officers carry out the checks at the jet bridge exit, rather than in the usual external-border control areas. They primarily target non-EU nationals, checking passports, visas, or residence permits as required by Schengen rules. EU citizens are generally exempt to speed disembarkation, though those without proper identification may be taken aside for further verification.
The reciprocal measures followed a migration crisis in Ceuta, the Spanish enclave outside the Schengen Area. An estimate attributed to Spain’s central government put the number of people who crossed irregularly from Morocco into Ceuta on 30 and 31 July at approximately 72,000. Italy introduced temporary air and sea checks on travelers arriving from Spain on 1 August, citing internal-security concerns such as unauthorized onward movement and terrorist infiltration. Italy and Spain do not share a land border, and arrival in Ceuta does not itself grant access to the wider Schengen area. Those geographic and legal factors made Rome’s rationale contentious.
Spain reinstated checks on air and maritime arrivals from Italy on 8 August. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska formally notified EU officials of the temporary measure, presenting it as a suspension of ordinary internal-border arrangements rather than a withdrawal from Schengen. Spain cited migration pressure along the Central Mediterranean route and the risk of irregular onward movement to other Schengen countries. The controls were extended several times. The initial timetable, which included a 7 September end date, changed as the measures continued.
Implementation varied at Barcelona’s El Prat airport. On some flights, including those from Rome, Italian passengers were separated and asked to show documents; other arrivals, including flights from Bologna, reported no checks. Police sources at the airport said officers focused on non-EU nationals suspected of having boarded in Italy to enter Spain. Travelers without Spanish ID were escorted to separate rooms for identification. The process was generally calm, and most passengers experienced little disruption.
Maritime arrivals were also affected, with random checks planned for cruise passengers docking in Barcelona. The Italian airports covered by the controls included Rome’s Fiumicino and Ciampino, Milan’s Malpensa, Naples, Venice, and Florence. The Ministry used Passenger Name Record (PNR) data from airlines to decide whether to check everyone on a flight or only a subset. Travelers whose eligibility was in doubt could be referred to a border post for further examination and possible denial of entry.
Italian authorities reportedly recorded approximately 180,000 people arriving from Spain during August under Rome’s temporary checks. Thirty-one were refused entry, and none was identified as someone who had reached Ceuta. The refusals amounted to a small fraction of the travelers checked, with no identified case of a Ceuta arrival using Spain as a route into Italy. Italian opposition politicians criticized Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government for keeping the restrictions, arguing that they had sparked an unnecessary diplomatic dispute and harmed Italian citizens. Some called for an end to the suspension of Schengen rules. Earlier tensions were covered in reports such as Spain’s warning to Italy over border controls.
Spain’s move to restore border checks was taken under the Schengen structure, which allows temporary controls in response to serious threats to public order or internal security. The checks were not systematic and aimed to limit disruption for most travelers, but they marked a impressive change in travel between Spain and Italy. The dispute eased on 22 October, when Grande-Marlaska and Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi agreed not to renew the measures as they expired on 23 October. Their decision followed a telephone conversation between the ministers and earlier discussions between Prime Ministers Pedro Sánchez and Giorgia Meloni on the sidelines of an EU summit. The governments said the suspensions “will not be extended” and agreed to restore the full application of Schengen rules, with stronger information exchange and security and migration cooperation replacing the extraordinary checks.
