- UK passport holders are processed under the EU Entry/Exit System at Schengen external borders.
- Spain, Greece and Italy still allow visa-free short stays of ninety days in one hundred eighty.
- ETIAS is not active yet, so there is no twenty-euro fee in September 2026.
UK passport holders are now being processed under the EU’s Entry/Exit System at Schengen external borders, but Spain, Greece and Italy are not imposing a Scottish-only ban. They can still visit visa-free for short stays of 90 days in any 180-day period. No nationality ban exists. Border officers can still refuse entry if normal requirements are not met.
The new system applies to UK travellers as third-country nationals and records each crossing with biometrics. It became fully operational on 10 April 2026 after a phased start on 12 October 2025. It is a border system, not a visa.
Spain is fully enforcing the checks, while Greece and Italy have been easing or delaying some biometric steps in practice because queues can build. A temporary flexibility period ended on 6 September 2026. Queues are part of the story.
Free toolB1/B2 Tourist Visa Stay Calculator onlineItaly’s Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi drew a line between controls and closure.
“It does not mean that entry is banned. It is about reintroducing controls, above all while striking a balance and taking care not to impede the movement of European citizens.”
That is the official distinction. Not a shutdown.
ETIAS is still not operating in September 2026, so there is no €20 ETIAS fee to pay yet for Spain, Greece or Italy. One recent expectation puts the start in the final quarter of 2026. Even then, ETIAS would not guarantee entry if passport or other conditions are missing. Not yet.
Some border checks sit beside the new system
Temporary internal Schengen border checks are separate from EES. They can affect some routes between Italy and Spain, but they do not stop direct flights or ferries. Passengers can still travel. They may just wait longer.
Spain also set a financial entry requirement from 1 January 2026. Travellers must show €121.10 per person per day, with a minimum of €1,098.90 per person. Paperwork matters at the desk.
The route checks were described as targeted and selective, aimed mainly at third-country nationals rather than a blanket closure. Italy’s Spain-related controls ran from 1 September 2026 to 16 September 2026, while Spain’s direct-arrival checks from Italy ran from 8 September 2026 to 22 September 2026. Dates matter.
