Travelers moving between Italy and Spain are currently navigating a new reality of border document checks, a development that marks the first time such measures have been enforced between the two nations in over three decades. The situation follows a deepening diplomatic dispute triggered by a massive influx of migrants into Ceuta, a Spanish enclave bordering Morocco. Italy initially suspended its Schengen agreement with Spain on August 1st, following reports that some 72,000 people had entered the enclave. While Spanish authorities have put the death toll from these crossings at 80, Moroccan rights groups have claimed the true figure is at least 141, according to AFP.
In response to Rome's suspension, the Spanish Interior Ministry implemented its own border checks on arrivals from Italy on Sunday, August 10th. The Spanish government stated that this move was a direct response to the measures imposed by Rome. Italy has defended its reintroduction of checks as an "extraordinary measure" necessary to protect national security, while Spain has countered that the move is "unfair, contrary to the EU's interests and discriminatory for the Spanish population." Under the Schengen Area agreement, which typically permits passport-free travel across 29 European countries, member states are permitted to temporarily reinstate border controls in "exceptional" situations.
The current checks primarily target non-EU nationals, with Spanish police conducting spot checks on a sample of between 5 and 15 percent of passengers on selected flights, according to Sky TG24. Italian, Spanish, and other EU citizens are still required only to carry a valid passport or identity card, as confirmed by the Italian interior ministry. The implementation has varied significantly by location; passengers arriving in Barcelona from Rome reported being separated into groups for identification checks, while several travelers on a flight from Bologna passed through with no checks at all, according to Ansa.
These measures were initially rolled out at Madrid-Barajas and Barcelona-El Prat airports before expanding to Malaga, Seville, Bilbao, Alicante, and Valencia, as well as the Balearic and Canary Islands, according to Spain's RTVE. The main Italian departure airports affected include Fiumicino and Ciampino in Rome, Malpensa in Milan, as well as Naples, Venice, and Florence, with more airports expected to be added in the coming days. Ferry passengers are also subject to the new rules, with RTVE reporting that a cruise ship arriving from Italy at Barcelona's cruise terminal was the first to face random checks.
Despite concerns voiced by Italy's police union on August 1st that the reintroduction of checks in the middle of summer "risks paralysing the operations of national air and sea terminals and placing a heavy burden on the men and women of the state police," the impact has been limited so far. Spanish police sources report that the checks have not caused queues or disruption, as document controls are carried out directly at aircraft steps rather than diverting passengers to separate control areas.
Many travelers have described the checks as "lax" and "random," with some passengers only needing to show they were holding a passport without it being examined closely. Approximately 86,000 air passengers a day are affected by the checks, with roughly 500 direct flights daily connecting 29 Italian airports to 22 in Spain.
The duration of these measures remains a point of focus. Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi stated on August 7th that the government would reassess the situation after August 15th. He noted that the date was chosen due to a "new alert" flagged by Spanish intelligence regarding another potential mass crossing attempt predicted at Ceuta. Rome intends to lift the checks once it is clearer whether the security risk has passed. Meanwhile, the Spanish government has stated that its reciprocal checks will run until September 7th, unless the conditions that led to them change before that date.
