MADRID, SPAIN / RankWire.AI / – Spain has initiated temporary border controls on individuals arriving from Italy by air and sea. These measures began at midnight on Aug. 8 and are set to last until Sept. 7. The move came as a response to Italy’s own temporary restrictions on arrivals from Spain. The added procedures involve document verification on routes that generally operate under the European Union’s Schengen free movement zone.
On the first day of enforcement, Spain’s Interior Ministry checked 199 travelers on 12 flights from Italy. Security personnel carried out passport, nationality, and visa checks on passengers arriving from Italy at airports including Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Bilbao, Alicante, and Valencia. While these border controls are in effect, air and sea routes between Spain and Italy continue functioning normally.
Italy introduced its restrictions on Aug. 1 following a significant influx of migrants into Ceuta, Spain’s North African territory. Italian authorities stated their measures would remain in place until at least Aug. 15. The restrictions target non-EU nationals arriving from Spain via air or sea, while Italian and other EU citizens are exempt according to the government’s announcement.
Ceuta migrant influx triggers Italy’s new controls
Between late July and early August, approximately 72,000 migrants crossed into Ceuta during the large-scale migration from Morocco. By Aug. 4, Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska reported that roughly 70,000 of those arrivals had left the enclave. Located on the North African coast and outside the Schengen zone, Ceuta’s migration wave led Italy to reintroduce border checks on certain travelers from Spain, prompting Spain to reciprocate with its own temporary controls.
Spain had urged Italy to rescind its restrictions before announcing its border checks last Friday. Madrid condemned the Italian measures as unjustified and discriminatory. Italy responded by stating it would keep its controls in place until the risk was deemed to have subsided. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani expressed hope on Sunday that Rome could lift the restrictions once the threat level diminished. Spain scheduled its border checks to end on Sept. 7.
Temporary border controls align with Schengen regulations
The Schengen Area usually enables free movement by allowing travelers to cross internal borders without routine passport checks across 29 European nations. Nonetheless, EU rules authorize member states to reimpose internal border controls temporarily if a serious threat to public order or security arises. The European Commission regards such measures as a last resort that must be proportionate and necessary. Spain and Italy remain part of the Schengen Agreement even as these temporary restrictions are enforced.
For travelers, Spain’s decision entails potential identity and immigration document checks at airports and ports when arriving from Italy. The Spanish Interior Ministry conducted initial checks at six major airports, screening nearly 200 passengers on the first day. Italy maintains its separate controls on selected arrivals from Spain until at least Aug. 15 under its current plan. Spain’s border checks are scheduled to continue until Sept. 7, with no suspension of general air or sea traffic between the two countries.