Non-EU travelers skip Italy-Spain flight and ferry checks after Oct. 23 expiry

Checks on Italy and Spain routes are over

Travelers on flights and ferries between Italy and Spain no longer face the temporary identity checks both countries ran since the summer. Interior ministers Matteo Piantedosi and Fernando Grande-Marlaska agreed in a phone call not to extend the measures, Italy's Interior Ministry announced Oct. 22. Spain's controls expired Oct. 22, per Brussels Signal and Italy's ended Oct. 23 after a final seven-day extension, Teleborsa reported.

Italy suspended free movement with Spain July 31, with checks starting the next day on air and sea arrivals. Brussels Signal described them as targeted checks on non-EU nationals. Spain answered with random police checks on arrivals from Italy at its airports and ports. The two countries share no land border, so only air and sea routes were affected. The ministry said the decision comes with stronger information-sharing on security.

Who gains: non-EU nomads moving between the two

• Non-EU short-stay nomads: Italy's checks targeted non-EU nationals, so this group loses the extra stop. Once border guards clear them at the external Schengen border, they face no further routine checks inside the area. The 90 days in any 180-day limit hasn't changed.
• Non-EU residence permit holders: That means the gain comes only when they travel between Italy and Spain, not simply from living in either country.
• EU nationals: They normally don't need to show a passport or ID card at internal Schengen borders again on these routes.

Travelers arriving from outside Schengen still go through full external border checks.

Documents still matter at ports and airports

Police can still run on-the-spot identity checks at ports, airports and railway stations, according to the EU's Your Europe guidance. Non-EU travelers need a valid passport and a visa where their nationality requires one. EU nationals need a valid passport or national ID card. Driving licences and bank cards may be refused as proof of identity, so nomads should keep the passport or ID card on them for the trip, not packed away.