Spain has formally re-activated border controls at all Spanish ports and airports handling traffic from Italy, effective 00:00 on 8 October and lasting through 22 October 2026. The notification filed in Brussels under Article 25 of the Schengen Borders Code cites “continued threats to public policy, internal security and the management of migration flows resulting from large-scale movements of third-country nationals within the Schengen area, including the risk of secondary movements.” All travellers arriving from Italy—including EU nationals—will therefore be subject to passport or ID checks on entry into Spanish territory. The move is the latest episode in a summer-long ping-pong of reciprocal Schengen suspensions between Rome and Madrid. Italy first reinstated checks on passengers from Spain in August when arrivals of North-African migrants surged along the Western Mediterranean route. Spain responded in kind, and the two countries have renewed their measures in almost continuous succession ever since. The Commission has accepted the notifications but continues to stress that internal border controls should remain "a measure of last resort". For business travellers the practical impact is mainly one of time and predictability. Airlines have already warned passengers to allow at least 30 minutes extra at border control points in Madrid-Barajas, Barcelona-El Prat, Palma de Mallorca and Málaga. Italian carriers ITA Airways and Neos are advising corporate clients to upload passport data in advance to avoid manual verification at the gate. Cargo operators report that veterinary and phytosanitary consignments—normally cleared on the basis of EU free-circulation—are being held for document inspection, creating knock-on delays for just-in-time supply chains. Companies with rotating crews should check that multiple-entry Schengen visas held by non-EU staff remain valid for Spain despite the temporary suspension; Spain’s interior ministry has confirmed that existing C-type visas and ETIAS pre-authorisations remain valid but must be presented at inspection. Employers should also brief Italian assignees on the possibility of secondary screening if they carry large quantities of professional equipment or have stamps from high-risk migration routes. Although Madrid has not ruled out further extensions, analysts expect pressure from the tourism industry to wind down the controls before the All Saints’ long weekend in early November. In the meantime, mobility managers are advised to build additional processing time into travel schedules and monitor airline alerts for ad-hoc gate changes linked to Schengen control staffing.
Source: European Commission ‑ DG Home
