Spain Extends Border Checks for Italy Arrivals

Spain has extended temporary border checks on travellers arriving by air or sea from Italy until 22 September 2026. The measure applies from 00:00 on 8 September and covers passenger services whose last airport or port of departure is in Italy. Flights and ferries continue to operate, but travellers may be asked to show identity, nationality and, where relevant, immigration documents after arrival in Spain.

The checks were first introduced on 8 August and have now been renewed for another 15 days because Spain says concerns linked to public order, internal security and migration pressure remain. Italy is separately maintaining controls on air and sea arrivals from Spain from 1 to 16 September. Neither measure changes visa rules or closes the border, but document checks can add time to journeys.

Spain–Italy Border Check Details

• Where: Spanish airports and ports receiving passenger services whose last departure point is Italy.
• Dates: 8–22 September 2026.
• Who: Travellers on covered services, regardless of nationality.
• Documents: Passport or ID, plus any visa or residence card you normally travel with.

• Cost: No fee or registration.
• Not covered: Land borders, arrivals whose last departure point is outside Italy, and technical stops in Italy where no passengers board, if the actual origin can be demonstrated.
• Duration: Spain may lift the checks earlier if the stated security grounds disappear.

Keep travel documents accessible after landing or disembarking rather than packing them away with luggage. Spain has not published a standard extra waiting time, so there is no reliable number of minutes to add. Anyone with a tight rail connection, ferry, car-hire collection or onward flight should leave some margin and check updates from the airline, ferry operator and arrival airport or port before travelling.

Direct flights and ferries leaving Italy for Spain are covered by the checks, so a Rome–Madrid journey would fall under the measure. If the final departure point before Spain is another country, the rule may not apply. The controls are due to run until 24:00 on 22 September, although Spain can end them earlier. Extending them beyond that date would require a new formal order.