The European Commission’s Schengen dashboard, updated on 11 October, formally records Spain’s Order INT/1033/2026 extending temporary passport controls on all air and sea arrivals from Italy between 8 and 22 October. The notice cites “continued threats to public policy, internal security and secondary movements” linked to the Ceuta crisis. Italy, for its part, is keeping reciprocal checks on Spain-bound travellers until 16 October. For mobility teams the confirmation puts to rest speculation that Madrid might end controls early after migrant inflows slowed last week. Carriers such as Vueling and Ryanair are maintaining advice to arrive at least 45 minutes earlier for intra-Schengen flights between the two countries, as manual checks add up to 30 minutes at peak times. Although the controls target only Italy, knock-on effects are being felt elsewhere. France will reintroduce checks on all internal borders—including with Spain—from 1 November to 30 April 2027 for security reasons ahead of the Paris Peace Forum. Companies routing EU nationals overland between Barcelona and Toulouse should expect police spot checks on the A-9/AP-7 and at Portbou train station. The Commission reminds Member States that internal controls must remain a ‘measure of last resort’ and be proportionate. Spain must submit a risk-assessment report every two weeks; failure to justify the extension could draw censure similar to that faced by Austria in 2025. Practical tip: travellers holding national ID cards rather than passports should check validity—border police have refused several ID cards that were valid domestically but lacked the ICAO machine-readable zone required for manual Schengen checks.
Source: European Commission – DG HOME
