European countries continue border checks despite Schengen rules

European countries continue to extend temporary emergency border controls at checkpoints shared with their Schengen-member neighbors.

France has announced it will continue applying tighter border measures for people arriving from the EU and the European Economic Area (EAA) for another six months. The latest round was authorized in November 2024 and extended on May 1st, 2025.

The Schengen Agreement was introduced to eliminate border checks between EU member states, allowing for easy movements of people, goods and services. More countries, however, have been reintroducing checks, citing threats to public policy or internal security.

Currently, 12 European countries have introduced temporary border controls, designed to be applied as a last-resort measure in exceptional situations. This includes Austria, Germany, Italy and Spain.

France has been introducing tougher border measures with at least some of its neighbors since the Paris terrorist attacks in 2015, Connexion France reports. Among the reasons cited for reintroducing the latest border checks are persistent jihadist threats, a rise in antisemitic attacks, criminal networks facilitating irregular migration and smuggling, irregular migration flows towards the Franco-British border and others.

Checks are being performed at all border crossings but land crossings are expected to be the most affected. EU travelers are expected to present their passports or national ID cards, while non-EU travelers will need a passport stamped with the date of arrival in the EU, an EU residency permit or a visa. The border check regime will continue until October 31st, 2025.

European citizens and lawmakers have been criticizing the reintroduction of border controls.

Earlier this month, the mayors of the French city of Strasbourg and the neighboring German city of Kehl decried the decision from German authorities to apply border checks to French residents traveling to Germany for work and education.

“We cannot accept that the new German government should tighten controls to the point of complicating the lives of thousands of border workers, hundreds of schoolchildren and families on both sides of the Rhine,” reads a statement from Strasbourg mayor Jeanne Barseghian and the mayor of Kehl Wolfram Britz.

Germany introduced checks for people entering the country from France last year in September. The border control regime was extended in February, citing issues with illegal migration. The border checks are unlikely to go away soon as the new German government has pledged to tighten border security, per Connexion France.

Meanwhile, no date has been given yet on the introduction of Europe’s biometric traveler registration scheme, the Exit-Entry System (EES).

Earlier this week, the European Parliament and Council reached an agreement to introduce the EES over 180 days to avoid a simultaneous launch in all countries that could cause long queues and technical issues. European countries will be able to temporarily suspend the border regime in case of issues.

The agreement is now awaiting approval from other EU bodies.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  border management  |  border security  |  Entry/Exit System (EES)  |  Europe  |  France  |  Germany  |  identity verification