Italy-Spain border checks extended into September 2026

Both Italy and Spain have extended their reciprocal Schengen border controls beyond the August deadlines that triggered them. Italy’s targeted checks on non-EU arrivals from Spain run until 15 September 2026. Spain’s broader checks on all passengers arriving from Italy continue until 22 September. Travellers on air and sea routes between the two countries should expect the controls to remain in place for most of this month, with a week-long gap where Spain still checks Italy arrivals but Italy has already lifted its own measures.

What triggered both sets of controls?

Italy introduced the original measures on 31 July, citing the risk that large numbers of newly arrived migrants from the Ceuta crisis would move through Schengen via Spain into Italy. Spain responded on 8 August with its own reciprocal checks on passengers arriving from Italy, framing them as a counter to what Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called Italy’s breach of Schengen obligations.

Both countries notified the European Commission of the measures under Article 25 of the Schengen Borders Code, the provision that allows member states to temporarily reintroduce internal border controls when there is a genuine threat to public policy or internal security. The Commission has no power to block such notifications. It can, and has, urged both countries to wind down the controls promptly.

What Italy checks and who is affected

Italy’s controls apply only to non-EU nationals arriving directly from Spain by air or ferry. If you hold an EU or EEA passport, you are not subject to the Italian checks. If you are travelling on a UK, US, Canadian, Australian or other non-EU passport, border officers may ask for your documents on arrival at Italian airports or ports on direct routes from Spain. The checks are described as “targeted and selective,” meaning not every non-EU passenger is stopped, but you may be.

Italy shares no land border with Spain, so the affected crossings are flights and ferry services only. That includes routes from Madrid, Barcelona, Palma, Seville, Valencia and other Spanish airports to any Italian airport, plus any direct sea crossings.

What Spain checks and why it is broader

Spain’s measures apply to all passengers arriving by air or sea directly from Italy, regardless of nationality. That means EU citizens, including Italians, are subject to Spanish document checks on arrival in a way that Italy does not apply to EU travellers coming from Spain. Spanish authorities have described the controls as proportionate to the reciprocal nature of the situation.

In practice, the checks are carried out at the arrivals gate or border desk rather than at boarding. You board your flight from Italy to Spain exactly as before. The check happens when you land. Keep your passport accessible after you disembark.

Key dates for September travel

Italy’s measures, extended for a second time in early September, expire on 15 September 2026. After that date, non-EU travellers arriving in Italy from Spain by air or sea return to normal Schengen movement, with no targeted document check unless Italy extends again.

Spain’s checks run a week longer, until 22 September 2026. Between 15 and 22 September, Spain is still checking all passengers arriving from Italy while Italy has already lifted its side. Travellers on the Madrid-Rome or Barcelona-Milan route in that window will face a Spanish check on arrival but no Italian check on departure or return.

What changes after 22 September

If neither country extends further, air and sea travel between Italy and Spain returns to standard Schengen movement from 23 September onwards. No passport check at the boarding gate or arrivals desk on those routes. That is the default Schengen state: free movement across internal borders with no systematic control.

Whether either government extends for a third time depends on how the situation in Ceuta evolves. There is no indication either country has announced a further extension as of this writing.

The broader picture: other internal checks still in force

Italy and Spain are not alone. Nine Schengen countries are running some form of internal border controls right now. The full breakdown includes Germany, which extended checks at all nine of its land borders until 15 March 2027; France, which has controls on its borders with Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg and Switzerland until 31 October 2026; and the Netherlands, which is checking land borders with Belgium and Germany, plus intra-Schengen air arrivals, until 30 September 2026.

These are separate from the Italy-Spain bilateral measures and operate on different legal tracks. If you are travelling through France en route between Italy and Spain, French checks at the Spanish or Italian borders may also apply.

No connection to EES or ETIAS

Internal Schengen border checks are entirely separate from the Entry/Exit System and from ETIAS. EES records crossings at external Schengen borders, the point where you first enter or leave the area. Flights between Italy and Spain are internal movements; EES does not log them, and no biometrics are taken. Your 90-day Schengen allowance is likewise unaffected: days inside the area count the same regardless of how many internal borders you cross.

ETIAS will be a pre-travel authorisation for entering the Schengen area from outside. It has no role in travel between member states. No action is required yet. Applications are not open. For the latest on when ETIAS applications will open, the ETIAS status page carries updates as they are confirmed.