Current Status
- The following countries have extended internal checks at their borders into March-June 2025: Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Slovenia and Sweden.
- In December 2024, the Netherlands introduced internal checks at its borders, currently scheduled to run until June 2025.
- In January 2025, Bulgaria introduced internal checks at its borders, currently scheduled to run until June 2025.
Impact
Border guards may request identification documents and perform detailed checks of travelers crossing borders in affected Schengen countries. Travelers should carry their identification documents, and visa-exempt nationals should be mindful of their Schengen allowance days, as the limit for visa-exempt nationals to remain in Schengen countries is 90 days in a six-month period.
Background
Details on borders checks and duration are published here. Travelers should be aware that there may be a delay in updates to the site after the announcement of extended restrictions.
Internal border controls are, in principle, not allowed within the Schengen Area as they have the consequence of delaying traffic at the borders and hampering mobility within the European Single Market. They are nevertheless possible as temporary national security measures. These checks have been in effect since late 2015 in various forms in several affected countries.
In mid-2024, an amended Schengen Border Code came into effect which, among other things:
- Allows the implementation of EU-wide travel restrictions in the event of large-scale public health emergencies;
- Clarifies the rules and procedures regarding EU Member State use of internal border controls; and
- As part of tackling the instrumentalization of immigration, grants EU Member States greater authority to reduce the number (and operating hours) of border crossing points and increase border surveillance measures.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.