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Spain is extending its border checks on travellers arriving from Italy by air or sea for a further 15 days, pushing the measure’s expiry from 7 September to 22 September.
The decision follows the same pattern that has defined the stand-off between Madrid and Rome since the summer. Spain introduced these checks for the first time on 8 August, through Order INT/846/2026, as a direct response to Italy’s earlier suspension of the free-movement regime for travellers arriving from Spanish territory.
Italy, for its part, had already extended its own checks until 15 September — a further 15-day extension of the deadline previously set by the Meloni government. Italy’s interior minister, Matteo Piantedosi, conveyed this to Spain in a telephone call with his Spanish counterpart, Grande-Marlaska.
Ceuta’s migration crisis at the root of the dispute
The diplomatic tussle began in late July, when Giorgia Meloni’s government announced the suspension of Schengen arrangements with Spain on national security grounds, in the context of a mass arrival of migrants in Ceuta. Italy has argued, and repeated with each renewal, that the migration situation remains unresolved and continues to justify the checks.
Spain responded first by unsuccessfully demanding that the restrictions be lifted, then by mirroring them with an equivalent measure targeting Italian travellers. Since then, both countries have kept renewing their respective checks in parallel, in 15-day increments, without resolving the dispute.
What it means for people travelling between the two countries
The extension does not amount to a border closure and does not affect the right to travel between the two countries. These are identity and nationality checks, carried out on passports at random in ports and airports; for third-country nationals, they also include verification of residence permits.
Flights and sea links continue to operate as normal, though travellers are advised to allow extra time for these checks.
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