Schengen Border Checks: Current Status – Europe 2024
In a surprising twist, many countries in teh Schengen Area, after celebrating 40 years, have reinstated border checks. Discover which nations have implemented these temporary measures, and the specific reasons behind them, from security threats to managing migration flows.News Directory 3 keeps you informed on the evolving landscape of European travel, including the latest on the primary_keyword and secondary_keyword. Understand how these controls impact yoru travel plans, and the implications for the future of borderless travel. What’s next for the Schengen Area?
Schengen Area: Which Countries Have Reinstated Border Checks?
Updated June 16,2025
The Schengen area,a zone guaranteeing free movement for millions of Europeans and visitors,recently marked its 40th anniversary. However,several nations have temporarily brought back border checks.
The borderless area began with five countries agreeing to gradually eliminate internal border checks. Today, it encompasses 25 of the 27 EU member states, along with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
Covering over 4.5 million square kilometers and a population of nearly 450 million, the Schengen area sees roughly 3.5 million people cross internal borders daily for work, study, or leisure, according to the EU Council. Almost 1.7 million residents live in one Schengen country while employed in another.
The Schengen Borders Code allows for the temporary reinstatement of internal border checks when a “serious threat to public policy or internal security” exists. Examples range from major sporting events to potential terrorist attacks.
These checks should be a “last resort,” limited to the period “strictly necessary” to address the threat, and not exceed six months. Under remarkable circumstances, controls can be reintroduced for a maximum of two years.
Here’s a list of countries that currently have temporary border controls in place, according to the European Commission:
- Austria: Land borders with Hungary and Slovenia until Nov. 11, 2025, due to threats associated with irregular migration, the war in Ukraine, and the security situation in the Middle East. Land borders with Slovakia and Czechia until Oct. 15, 2025, for similar reasons.
- Bulgaria: Land borders with Romania until June 30, 2025, due to security risks related to illegal migration.
- denmark: Land and sea borders with germany (potentially extending to all internal borders) until Nov. 11, 2025, due to serious threats to public policy and internal security posed by possible sabotage actions from Russia, and also continuous terrorism-related events and organised crime.
- france: All internal borders (land, air, and sea) with Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, the Swiss Confederation, Spain, and Italy until Oct. 31, 2025, due to persistent jihadist threats, a rise in antisemitic attacks, growing criminal networks facilitating irregular migration and smuggling, and irregular migration flows.
- Germany: Land borders with France, luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria, switzerland, Czechia, and Poland until Sept. 15, 2025, due to continued high levels of irregular migration and the global security situation.
- Italy: Land borders with Slovenia until Dec. 18, 2025, due to 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 Global Jubilee of the Catholic Church.
- The Netherlands: Land and air borders with Belgium and Germany until Dec.8, 2025, due to a serious threat to public policy caused by high levels of asylum applications, irregular migration, and migrant smuggling.
- Norway: Ports with ferry connections to the Schengen area until Nov. 11, 2025, due to a general threat aimed at the energy sector and threats of sabotage.
- Slovenia: Land borders with Croatia and Hungary until Dec. 21, 2025, due to serious threats to public policy and internal security posed by a high level of terrorist threats and organised crime.
- spain: 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 until July 5, 2025, for the IV United National international Conference on Financing for Advancement in Sevilla.
- Sweden: All internal borders (land, air, and sea) and land borders with denmark until Nov. 11,2025,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, carrying necessary identification and allowing extra time for potential checks.