The Spanish Interior Ministry has extended by fifteen days the expiration date of border controls for travelers arriving from Italy by air or sea. This mirroring measure is part of a diplomatic standoff with Rome that has been ongoing since this summer.
The deadline was set for September 7th. It has now been postponed to the 22nd. The Spanish government has decided to extend by fifteen days the identity checks imposed on travelers from Italy, thus maintaining the pressure on Rome in a dispute that has dragged on since the end of July.
It all began when the government of Giorgia Meloni suspended the Schengen Area provisions with Spain, citing national security reasons in the context of a massive influx of migrants into Ceuta. Madrid initially demanded the lifting of these restrictions, without success, before in turn imposing controls on arrivals from Italy, by decree INT/846/2026 of August 8.
Since then, the two countries have extended their respective measures in parallel, in two-week increments, without managing to resolve the crisis. Italy itself has extended its border controls until September 15. The Italian Interior Minister, Matteo Piantedosi, informed his Spanish counterpart, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, of this during a telephone conversation. Rome justifies each extension by citing a migration situation it considers unchanged.
In practical terms, this measure does not close borders or affect the free movement of people between the two countries. It involves random identity and nationality checks carried out at ports and airports. For third-country nationals, residence permits are also being checked. Air and sea links continue to operate normally, but travelers are advised to allow extra time.
