MADRID, SPAIN / RankWire.AI / – Spain has initiated temporary border inspections for travelers arriving from Italy by air and sea. The new procedures began at midnight on Aug. 8 and will stay in effect until Sept. 7. Spain implemented this measure following Italy’s own temporary controls on arrivals from Spain. These checks add documentation verification to routes that normally operate within the European Union’s Schengen system of internal travel.
During the first day of these measures, Spain’s Interior Ministry conducted checks on 199 passengers on 12 flights from Italy. Inspections took place at airports in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Bilbao, Alicante, and Valencia, including passport, nationality, and visa status assessments for Italian passengers and other travelers arriving from Italy. Despite the new controls, air and sea travel between Spain and Italy continues as long as the temporary checks are in place.
Italy’s controls, introduced on Aug. 1, followed the large influx of migrants into Ceuta, Spain’s North African enclave. Italian authorities announced that their measures would remain at least until Aug. 15, focusing on non-EU nationals arriving from Spain by air or sea. According to the Italian government, Italian and other EU citizens are not subject to these restrictions.
Migration surge in Ceuta prompts new controls
Approximately 72,000 migrants entered Ceuta during the mass migration from Morocco that started in late July. By Aug. 4, Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska reported that about 70,000 of those migrants had left the enclave. Ceuta, located on the North African coast outside the Schengen Area, was the site of this migration wave, which occurred prior to Italy’s decision to reinstate border checks on certain travelers from Spain and Spain’s subsequent reciprocal controls.
Spain had urged Italy to withdraw its restrictions before announcing its own border controls on Friday. Madrid criticized the Italian measures as unjustified and discriminatory against Spain, while Rome maintained its controls. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated on Sunday that Rome hopes to lift the suspension once the risk that prompted it subsides. Spain has set Sept. 7 as the final date for its temporary border checks on arrivals from Italy.
Temporary border controls allowed under Schengen rules
While the Schengen Area generally permits free movement across internal borders for travelers within 29 European countries, EU regulations also allow member states to reintroduce border controls when they face serious threats to public policy or security. The European Commission describes such measures as a last resort that must be kept to what is strictly necessary. Spain and Italy remain members of the Schengen Area during the implementation of these temporary measures.
For travelers, Spain’s decision means incoming passengers from Italy may undergo identity and immigration document checks at Spanish airports and seaports. The first checks occurred at six major airports with nearly 200 passengers inspected on the opening day. Italy continues its separate controls on selected arrivals from Spain until at least Aug. 15 under its current schedule. Spain’s border controls are scheduled to last until Sept. 7, with no suspension of general air or sea travel between the two nations during this period.