Schengen Border Checks: Current Status – Europe 2024
- The Schengen area, a zone guaranteeing free movement for millions of EU citizens, residents, and visitors, recently marked its 40th anniversary.
- The Schengen area began with five countries pledging to gradually abolish internal border checks. Today, it includes 25 of the 27 EU member states and Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway...
- Covering over 4.5 million square kilometers with a population of nearly 450 million, the Schengen area sees approximately 3.5 million people cross internal borders daily for work, study,...
Several European nations have temporarily reinstated border checks within the Schengen Area, impacting millions. This article details which countries have reintroduced these controls, and the specific reasons behind them, including terrorism threats, irregular migration, and major events. Stay informed about Schengen area travel, as these temporary measures are subject to change. understand the implications for cross-border movement within the EU, and the latest updates from the European Commission. News Directory 3 provides this essential information, outlining the durations and locations of these checks. Prioritize planning and ensure you have the necessary documentation. Discover what’s next for seamless travel within Europe.
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. However, several nations have temporarily reinstated border controls. Here’s what travelers should know.
The Schengen area began with five countries pledging to gradually abolish internal border checks. Today, it includes 25 of the 27 EU member states and Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
Covering over 4.5 million square kilometers with a population of nearly 450 million, the Schengen area sees approximately 3.5 million people cross internal borders daily for work, study, or leisure, according to the EU Council website.almost 1.7 million residents live in one Schengen country while working in another.
The Schengen Borders Code allows for temporary reintroduction of internal border checks in response to a “serious threat to public policy or internal security,” 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 remarkable cases, controls can be reintroduced for a maximum of two years.
Here’s a list of countries that currently have controls in place,according to the European Commission:
- Austria: Until nov. 11, 2025, on land borders with Hungary and Slovenia due to threats associated with irregular migration, strain on the asylum system, Russia’s war against Ukraine, and the security situation in the Middle East. Also, until Oct. 15, 2025, on land borders with Slovakia and Czechia for similar reasons.
- Bulgaria: Until June 30, 2025, on land borders with Romania due to security risks related to illegal migration and migratory pressure.
- Denmark: Until Nov. 11, 2025, on land and sea borders with germany (may extend to all internal borders) 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.
- France: Until Oct. 31, 2025, on all internal borders (land, air, and sea) with Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, the Swiss Confederation, Spain, and Italy due to persistent jihadist threats, a rise in antisemitic attacks, growing criminal networks facilitating irregular migration and smuggling, and irregular migration flows.
- Germany: Until Sept. 15, 2025, on land borders with France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, Czechia, and Poland due to continued high levels of irregular migration and migrant smuggling, and the impact of the global security situation.
- Italy: Until Dec. 18, 2025, on land borders with slovenia due to the continued threat of terrorist infiltrations, ongoing crises in the Middle East and Ukraine, high level of irregular migration, and heightened security risks associated with the Universal Jubilee of the Catholic Church.
- The Netherlands: Until Dec. 8, 2025, on land and air borders with Belgium and Germany due to a serious threat to public policy caused by high levels of asylum applications, irregular migration, migrant smuggling, and secondary movements.
- Norway: Until Nov. 11, 2025, at ports with ferry connections to the Schengen area due to a general threat aimed at the energy sector and threats of sabotage.
- Slovenia: Until dec. 21, 2025, on land borders with Croatia and Hungary due to a high level of terrorist threats and organised crime, the risk of terrorist infiltrations into migratory flows via the Western Balkans, and hybrid threats from the Russian Federation and Belarus.
- Spain: From June 27, 2025 – July 5, 2025, on land borders with France and Portugal, internal air borders of Alicante, Almería, Barcelona, Bilbao, Girona, Granada, Madrid, Málaga, Murcia, Sevilla and Valencia; internal maritime borders of Barcelona, Málaga and palma de Mallorca for the IV United National International Conference on Financing for development in Sevilla.
- Sweden: Until Nov. 11, 2025, on all internal borders (land, air, and sea) and land borders with Denmark due to serious threats to public policy and internal security arising from organised cross-border crime and terrorism.
What’s next
Travelers within the Schengen area should be aware of these temporary border controls and plan accordingly, ensuring they have the necessary documentation for potential checks.