MADRID, SPAIN / RankWire.AI / – Spain has started temporary border checks for passengers arriving from Italy by air and sea. The measure took effect at midnight on Aug. 8 and is due to run through Sept. 7. Authorities are checking passports, nationality and visa status where required. The controls apply to Italian travelers and other passengers entering Spain from Italy. The move follows Italy’s earlier introduction of temporary checks on certain arrivals from Spain.
Spain’s Interior Ministry said officers checked 199 passengers on 12 flights from Italy during the first day of enforcement. The inspections took place at airports in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Bilbao, Alicante and Valencia. Travelers on affected routes may face document checks before completing their arrival procedures. The controls do not amount to a closure of the border. Air and sea connections between Spain and Italy continue while the temporary measures remain in effect.
Italy restored checks on Aug. 1 after a large influx of migrants entered Ceuta from Morocco in late July. Italian authorities applied their measure to non-EU nationals arriving from Spain by air and sea. Spanish, Italian and other EU citizens were not included in those targeted controls. Italy notified European authorities that the measure would continue through Sept. 1. Spain later introduced its own checks after calling for the Italian restrictions to be withdrawn.
Ceuta influx preceded bilateral controls
About 72,000 migrants entered Ceuta during the large movement from Morocco that began in late July. Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said on Aug. 4 that about 70,000 had already left the territory. Ceuta sits on the North African coast and remains outside the Schengen Area. The migration episode came before Italy restored controls on certain travelers from Spain. Spain then announced checks covering passengers arriving from Italy through its airports and seaports.
Madrid announced the Spanish measure on Aug. 7 after objecting to the restrictions introduced by Rome. Spain said Italy’s controls lacked justification and discriminated against the country. Italy kept its measure in place, and Spain began its own inspections the following day. The two governments set different end dates for their current controls. Italy’s notified period runs through Sept. 1, while Spain’s checks are scheduled to remain in force until Sept. 7.
Schengen framework permits temporary checks
The Schengen Area normally allows travelers to cross participating countries’ internal borders without routine passport inspections. Its rules permit governments to restore temporary controls when they identify a serious threat to public policy or internal security. The European Commission says governments should use internal border checks only when necessary and for limited periods. Spain and Italy remain members of the Schengen Area. Their current measures add temporary screening without suspending regular travel between the two countries.
Passengers traveling from Italy to Spain should expect possible identity and immigration checks at Spanish airports and seaports during the control period. Spain recorded its first day of inspections across six major airports, covering nearly 200 travelers. Italy continues separate checks on targeted non-EU arrivals from Spain under its notified schedule. Both sets of controls remain temporary measures within the Schengen framework. Spain’s current timetable keeps its checks in place through Sept. 7.