Travellers to Spain: ID checks with Italy end after 3-month Ceuta suspension

Italy and Spain have agreed to end the border controls each country imposed on the other's citizens, closing a three-month standoff over the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska agreed by phone not to extend their suspension of the European Union's open-border Schengen arrangements, an Italian statement said on Thursday.

Key facts

• Announced: Thursday 22 October 2026
• What changes: Italy and Spain will not extend their suspension of Schengen open-border arrangements
• Who is affected: Italian and Spanish citizens travelling between the two countries
• Controls began: Italy suspended free movement with Spain on 31 July 2026; Spain responded with similar measures
• Extra measure: Enhanced information-sharing to protect the common Schengen area

What is changing?

Italy and Spain will stop carrying out border checks on each other's citizens, restoring the open-border arrangements that apply within the Schengen area. The Italian ministry said the decision followed a careful assessment of the situation and will be accompanied by enhanced information-sharing measures to ensure the full security of the common Schengen area.

Why were the checks introduced?

Italy's right-wing government suspended its open-border arrangements with Spain on 31 July 2026, saying it wanted to make sure no migrants entering the North African enclave of Ceuta could travel to Italian territory. Madrid responded with similar action against Rome, describing the Italian measures as "unjust, contrary to European Union interests, and discriminatory to the population of Spain".

The tit-for-tat measures followed the arrival of upwards of 70,000 people who swam around barricades and entered Ceuta from neighbouring Morocco on 30 and 31 July 2026. Most returned to Morocco within hours, but thousands, including unaccompanied minors, remained for weeks.

Who decided to lift the controls?

The agreement followed a meeting between Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on the sidelines of a European Council meeting. The two interior ministers then confirmed the decision in a phone call.

What this means for travellers

Italian and Spanish citizens travelling between the two countries will no longer face the border checks that have been in place since 31 July 2026. The Italian statement said enhanced information-sharing measures will accompany the reopening of the border.

The source does not state the exact date on which the checks will stop, and no further details of the information-sharing measures have been announced.