By 1 pm on Saturday 22 August 2026, Spain had identified 7,696 travellers from Italy as part of the temporarily reintroduced internal border controls. According to the Interior Ministry, 696 flights were checked, with a total of 1,144 security personnel deployed.
The legal basis is the Boletín Oficial del Estado published in the Order INT/846/2026. The order came into force on 8 August 2026 and is initially limited to the period up to 7 September 2026. It permits checks at internal air and sea borders involving direct connections between Spain and Italy. The government cites increased migration pressure along the central Mediterranean route, the resulting secondary movements in the Schengen Area and security considerations.
Operationally, according to the Ministry of the Interior “a puerta de avión”, that is, directly at the aircraft or when boarding the ship, without necessarily moving passengers to separate inspection areas. The authorities describe the checks as random, with a focus on non-EU nationals previously registered in Italy. The checks are therefore selective and aim to verify documents and confirm identities; a general suspension of processing for all passengers is not envisaged.
The airports named include Adolfo Suárez-Madrid-Barajas, El Prat (Barcelona), Málaga and Seville as locations where operations are under way; the measure is also being applied in the Canary Islands. The numerical focus varies according to traffic levels and flight connections, and the ministry is continually updating the current overall number of arrivals checked.
The background is Italy’s earlier decision to introduce temporary border controls for travellers arriving from Spain. Madrid then informed its EU partners of its own measures. Under the rules of the Schengen area, the temporary reintroduction of internal border controls is envisaged as a strictly limited instrument; the European Commission monitors such measures, and any extension beyond the announced period requires renewed justification.
The official order, its period of application and the numbers of operations and cases reported by midday on 22 August 2026 are confirmed. Whether Spain’s controls will continue beyond 7 September has not yet been decided and would have to be announced separately.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).