Italy reinstates Schengen checks with Spain for August

Italy reintroduced border controls with Spain at air and sea crossings on 31 July 2026, meaning non-EU travellers on routes between the two countries face targeted document checks throughout August. Italy and Spain share no land border, so every affected crossing is by flight or ferry. EU citizens are not subject to the controls.

What triggered the move?

The immediate cause was a surge of migrants entering Ceuta, the small Spanish enclave on the northern tip of Morocco. More than 60,000 people crossed into the territory over a short period in late July, following a Spanish Supreme Court ruling that prevented the return of migrants stopped at sea during attempts to reach Ceuta or the nearby enclave of Melilla. At least 57 people died attempting the crossing.

Italy’s government cited the risk of secondary migration, with large numbers of newly arrived migrants expected to move further into the Schengen area. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Deputy Prime Ministers Antonio Tajani and Matteo Salvini announced the measure on the evening of 31 July. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi described the checks as “targeted and selective” and said they would remain in place for August.

What do “targeted and selective” checks mean in practice?

Not every passenger is stopped. Border officers check non-EU travellers they judge worth scrutinising, rather than processing the entire queue. In practice that means showing your passport and, if asked, some indication of your legal basis for being in the Schengen area. You may clear without being questioned at all, or you might face a brief document check that takes a few minutes.

These checks are not EES biometric registrations. The Entry/Exit System operates at the external Schengen border, the point where you first enter the area. A flight from Madrid to Rome is an internal Schengen movement. EES does not log it, and no fingerprints are taken. Your facial image, fingerprints and travel-document data were collected when you crossed the external border; they are not re-recorded on internal routes.

Which routes are affected?

Any direct flight or ferry crossing between Italy and Spain falls within the affected border. That covers routes from Spanish airports such as Madrid, Barcelona, Palma and Valencia to Italian airports, plus any ferry services between the two countries. The Italian authorities have not published a list of specific ports or airports subject to checks.

If your Italy-Spain trip passes through a third Schengen country, say France, you would technically be making two internal crossings. Whether checks apply to those connections depends on whether the transit country is also running its own internal controls. France has controls in place at its borders with both Spain and Italy until 31 October 2026, so the picture is already complicated for anyone travelling overland through southern Europe.

Does this affect your 90-day Schengen allowance?

No. Your 90 days in any 180-day period is measured from your first entry into the Schengen area at the external border to your last exit. Moving between member states inside the area does not use any additional days. Three weeks in Spain followed by two weeks in Italy still counts as five weeks total, as it always has.

How long will the checks last?

Interior Minister Piantedosi said the measures would be in place for August. The Schengen Borders Code allows member states to reintroduce temporary internal controls for limited periods when there is a genuine threat to public policy or internal security. Whether Italy extends beyond August depends on how the Ceuta situation develops.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez responded sharply, saying that respect for European treaties “is not optional,” and pointing to Frontex data showing Italy recorded more irregular entries than Spain between 2021 and 2026. The political tension may add pressure to wind the controls down on schedule, but the Italian government gave no indication of reversing the decision early.

Italy is not the only country doing this

Before 31 July, nine Schengen countries were already running internal border controls: Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia and Sweden. Germany has checks at all its land borders until 15 September 2026. France has controls on its borders with Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg and Switzerland until 31 October. The Italy-Spain measure adds a further specific crossing to a landscape already well-stocked with temporary controls.

The European Commission has repeatedly urged these countries to wind down their controls, arguing that EES’s external border coverage and a 40% drop in irregular crossings in early 2026 reduce the case for internal checks. Member states are not bound to comply immediately.

What about ETIAS?

ETIAS is a pre-travel authorisation that will apply when you first cross into the Schengen area at an external border. It has no role in internal movements. Whether Italy runs checks on its border with Spain has no connection to ETIAS, and ETIAS going live in 2027 will not change how internal controls work. No action is required yet. Applications are not open. For the latest on the launch timeline, the ETIAS status page carries updates as they are confirmed.

What to carry on Italy-Spain routes this August

• Your passport. Document checks require the physical document, not a phone photo.
• Any supporting details you might be asked for, such as accommodation bookings or onward travel information.
• A few extra minutes. Targeted checks are unpredictable in speed. Most people clear quickly, but allow a little buffer if you have a connecting flight.