Spain’s Ministry of the Interior has officially prolonged the temporary re-introduction of Schengen internal border controls for all air and sea passengers arriving from Italy. Order INT/1033/2026, published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado on 6 October, pushes the measure’s expiry date from midnight on 7 October to 24:00 on 22 October 2026. The order cites the continued “serious threat to public order and internal security” linked to secondary movements of irregular migrants within the Schengen Area and the need to relieve pressure on Spain’s border-management resources. The government first reinstated checks on 8 August in response to a sharp rise in mixed-migration flows across the central Mediterranean. Since then the controls have been renewed three times, each time for 15-day intervals, as allowed under Articles 25 and 26 of the Schengen Borders Code. Travellers on affected routes must therefore present passports or national ID cards on arrival in Spanish ports and airports, even though the flights and ferries concerned remain intra-Schengen services. Airlines and ferry operators have been instructed to inform passengers in advance and to allocate extra time for document inspection on arrival. Business-travel managers should expect longer queuing times at hubs such as Madrid-Barajas, Barcelona-El Prat, Palma de Mallorca, Valencia and the Balearic ferry terminals that handle services from Italy. Although the Interior Ministry stresses that the checks are “targeted and proportionate”, the summer renewals generated sporadic delays during peak arrival periods, with some corporate travellers missing onward connections. Companies moving staff or goods between Spain and Italy over the next two weeks are advised to factor an additional 30–60 minutes into itineraries and to carry proof of meetings or assignments to facilitate any questioning by Policía Nacional officers. The extension also has compliance implications for employers that move non-EU assignees under the Intra-Corporate Transferee (ICT) permit or Spain’s new Digital-Nomad visa. Those employees should travel with residence permits and evidence of health insurance, as inspectors have asked to see supporting documentation during spot checks. Failure to produce documents that justify residence in Spain can lead to fines of up to €1,000 under Spain’s Immigration Act. Looking ahead, the order makes clear that any further prolongation beyond 22 October will require a fresh, fully-justified decision. Nevertheless, the European Commission’s monitoring register already lists Spain’s controls as running to 7 October, suggesting Brussels will receive a notification of the new dates in the coming days. Multinationals with regular intra-EU mobility should therefore stay alert to further extensions and prepare contingency plans in case controls remain in place into November.
Source: Boletín Oficial del Estado
