Claims that Italy and Germany have suspended Schengen free travel with Spain are misleading. Italy has temporarily restored checks on passengers arriving from Spain, but Germany has not introduced Spain-specific controls or suspended travel between the two countries. Italy’s measure took effect on August 1 and is scheduled to remain in force until September 1, 2026. It covers internal air and sea routes from Spain because the countries do not share a land border. Rome introduced the checks following the mass arrival of migrants in Ceuta, Spain’s autonomous territory on the North African coast.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the action as an extraordinary security measure intended to prevent irregular secondary migration into Italy. The government said Spanish and other European Union citizens would not be affected in the same way as non-EU nationals, who are the principal targets of passport, visa and residency checks.
Flights and ferries between Spain and Italy have continued to operate. Spanish citizens have not lost their EU freedom-of-movement rights, and Spain has not been removed from the Schengen Area. Travellers may nevertheless be asked to present identification and could experience additional processing at airports and ports. The European Commission’s official border-control register lists Italy’s measure as covering its internal air and sea borders with Spain from August 1 to September 1. It makes no reference to a German suspension involving Spain.
Germany does maintain temporary checks at its nine land borders with France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, Czechia and Poland. Those controls were introduced over concerns including irregular migration, people smuggling, pressure on the asylum system and the wider international security situation. They are separate from the Ceuta crisis and do not specifically target travellers from Spain.
Germany has no direct land border with Spain. Berlin could theoretically conduct checks on selected flights from Spanish airports, but no such Spain-specific measure appears in the European Commission’s current notification list. German leaders have demanded stronger protection of the EU’s external borders following events in Ceuta, but supporting tighter European border security is not equivalent to suspending Schengen arrangements with Spain.
The country that joined Italy in imposing reciprocal controls was Spain itself. After demanding that Rome withdraw its restrictions, Madrid began checking passengers arriving from Italy on August 8. Spain’s controls apply to internal air and sea connections with Italy and are scheduled to continue until September 7.
On the first day, Spanish police checked approximately 200 passengers arriving on 12 flights at six major airports, including Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Bilbao, Alicante and Valencia. Authorities examined passports, nationalities and visas. The dispute followed the sudden crossing of at least 72,000 migrants from Morocco into Ceuta on July 30. Spanish authorities say most subsequently returned to Morocco, but between 5,000 and 8,000 remained in the enclave by August 28. At least 82 people died on the Spanish side of the border and Morocco confirmed another 14 deaths, bringing the known toll to 96.
Spain has requested assistance from the EU border agency Frontex to register and screen those who remain. Madrid also asked for 10 additional Frontex officers as overcrowding, makeshift camps and tensions among Ceuta’s approximately 85,000 residents placed growing pressure on the territory. The latest figures were reported by Reuters on August 28.
Rome argues that the size and speed of the crossing created a risk that some migrants could eventually move from Spain to other parts of Europe. Critics counter that Ceuta operates under special border arrangements and that there was little evidence of a significant movement towards Italy. They have described Meloni’s response as politically symbolic and intended partly to demonstrate toughness on migration.
Under the Schengen Borders Code, participating countries may temporarily restore internal controls when they identify a serious threat to public order or national security. Measures introduced in response to an unforeseen event can initially last for one month and may be extended, but they must be necessary, proportionate and limited to the minimum area and duration required.
Such controls have become increasingly common. Germany, France, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, the Netherlands and other Schengen countries currently operate checks at some or all of their internal borders. Their growing use has raised questions about whether a system designed to guarantee passport-free movement is gradually becoming dependent on recurring national exceptions.
For travellers, the immediate effect remains limited rather than a complete shutdown. Flights and ferries continue, EU citizens retain their movement rights, and legal visitors may still travel between Spain and Italy. Passengers should carry a valid passport or national identity card, ensure that visas and residence documents are current and allow additional time for inspections.
The accurate description is therefore that Italy temporarily reintroduced targeted border controls on arrivals from Spain, after which Spain imposed reciprocal checks on arrivals from Italy. Germany has separate controls at its own land borders, but it has not suspended Schengen free travel specifically with Spain.
