Schengen Area: Which Countries Have Reinstated⁢ Border Checks?

Updated June 15, 2025

The Schengen area, a zone guaranteeing free movement for millions of EU citizens, residents, and visitors, recently marked its 40th anniversary. Though, several member states have reintroduced border checks.

TheLocal.es reports ‍that the Schengen agreement, initially signed by five countries, now includes 25 of the ⁣27 EU⁣ member states, along ‍wiht Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.

the EU Council⁢ states the ⁤Schengen⁢ area covers over 4.5⁤ million ⁢square kilometers with nearly 450 million residents. Approximately ⁤3.5⁢ million people cross ‍internal Schengen borders daily for work, study, or leisure,⁢ and about 1.7 million reside in one ⁤Schengen⁣ country while employed ⁢in another.

The Schengen Borders Code allows for temporary reinstatement of internal border checks when a “serious threat to public policy ⁣or internal security” exists, such‍ as a major sporting event or a terrorist attack.

These checks should be a “last resort,” limited to the period “strictly necessary,” and not exceed six months.In exceptional cases, controls can be reintroduced for a maximum of two years.

Here’s‍ a list of countries that currently have temporary border ⁣controls in place:

• Spain: From June⁤ 27, 2025, to July 5, 2025, due to the IV United National International Conference on Financing⁣ for Advancement in Sevilla. Affected borders include ⁢land borders with France and Portugal, internal air ⁢borders of several airports, and internal ⁢maritime borders of Barcelona, Málaga and Palma de Mallorca.
• Italy: From June 19, 2025,‍ to December 18, 2025, citing the continued threat⁤ of terrorist infiltrations, ongoing crises in the Middle East ⁤and Ukraine, high levels of irregular migration, and heightened security risks associated with the Universal Jubilee of the Catholic Church. Affected borders include land borders with Slovenia.
• Italy: From December 19, 2024, to June 18, 2025, citing similar threats as above.Affected borders ⁢include land borders with Slovenia.
• Austria: From May 12, 2025, to November 11, 2025, due to threats associated with irregular migration, the war in Ukraine, and the security situation⁣ in the Middle East. Affected borders include land borders with hungary and⁤ Slovenia.
• Austria: From April 16, 2025, to October 15, 2025, citing similar threats as above. Affected borders include⁢ land borders with Slovakia and Czechia.
• Denmark: From May 12, 2025, ⁢to November 11, 2025, ⁤due to serious threats to public policy⁣ and internal security posed by possible sabotage actions from Russia,⁤ as well as continuous ⁣terrorism-related events and organised crime. Affected borders include land and sea borders with Germany, but may extend to all internal borders.
• Norway: From May 12, 2025, to November 11, 2025, due to general threat aimed at ‍the energy ⁤sector, threats of sabotage posed by the Russian intelligence service, and also to increase infrastructure ⁤protection. Affected borders include ports with ferry⁢ connections to the Schengen area.
• Sweden: From May 12, 2025, to november 11, 2025, ‍due to serious threats to public ‍policy and internal security arising from⁤ organised cross-border crime and terrorism. Affected borders include all internal borders (land, air, and sea) and land borders with Denmark.
• France: From May 1, 2025, to October ‍31, ⁢2025, due to serious threats⁤ to‍ public policy, public order, ‍and internal security posed by ⁤persistent jihadist threats, a rise in antisemitic attacks, ‍the growing criminal networks facilitating irregular⁣ migration and smuggling, and irregular migration flows. Affected borders include ⁢all internal borders (land, air, ⁤and sea) with Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, the Swiss Confederation, Spain, and Italy.
• Germany: From March 16, 2025, to September 15, 2025, due to serious threats to public security and order posed by continued high levels of irregular migration ⁣and migrant smuggling, and the impact of the global security situation. Affected borders include land borders with France, ‍Luxembourg, Belgium, the netherlands, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, Czechia, and Poland.
• Slovenia: ⁤From⁢ June 22, 2025, to December 21, 2025, due to serious threats to public policy ‍and internal security posed by a high level⁣ of terrorist threats and organised crime. Affected borders include land borders with ⁤Croatia and hungary.
• The Netherlands: From June 9, 2025, to December 8, 2025, due to ⁤serious threat to public ‍policy caused by high levels of asylum applications, irregular migration, migrant smuggling, and secondary movements. Affected borders include ⁤land and air borders with Belgium and Germany.
• Bulgaria: From January 1, 2025, to June 30, 2025, due ⁤to security risks related to illegal migration, including smuggling activities, as well as migratory pressure caused by ongoing crises ⁣in the Middle ⁤East and Africa. Affected borders include⁤ land borders with Romania.
• Slovenia: From December 22, 2024, to June ⁢21, 2025, due to serious threats to public policy and internal‍ security posed by⁣ continuous ‍terrorism-related events and organised crime. Affected borders include land borders with Croatia and Hungary.

what’s next

Travelers should check the latest border control information before traveling to or within ⁢the Schengen area, as these measures can change with little notice.