The Schengen Borders Code (SBC) provides Member States with the capability of temporarily reintroducing border control at the internal borders in the event of a serious threat to public policy or internal security.
The reintroduction of border control at the internal borders must be applied as a last resort measure, in exceptional situations, and must respect the principle of proportionality.
The duration of such a temporary reintroduction of border control at the internal borders is limited in time, depending on the legal basis invoked by the Member State introducing such border control.
The scope and duration of reintroduced border control should be restricted to the bare minimum needed to respond to the threat in question. Reintroducing border control at the internal border should only be used as a measure of last resort.
The reintroduction of border control is a prerogative of the Member States. The Commission may issue an opinion regarding the necessity of the measure and its proportionality but cannot veto a Member State’s decision to reintroduce border control.
Notifications of the Temporary Reintroduction of Border Control
Current Temporarily Reintroduced Border Controls
| Country | Duration | Reasons/Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Norway | 22/10/2024 – 11/11/2024 | Mitigating threats to public order and internal security, as well as the likely threat from state-supported terrorists and proxy actors, possibly recruited by foreign state actors as a means related to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, from exploiting free movement in the Schengen area, and the threat against Jewish and Israeli people and institutions; all internal borders (land, air, and sea). |
| Austria | 16/10/2024 –15/04/2025 | Risks associated with irregular migration, such as via the Balkan routes, migratory pressure in the pre-frontier area, as well as the strain on the asylum reception system and basic services, Russia's ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine, and the security situation in the Middle East aggravated by terrorist groups; land and sea borders with Slovakia, and all internal borders with Czechia. |
| Germany | 12/11/2024 – 15/03/2025 | Security risks associated with irregular migration that increase serious threats to public order and security posed by the already tense reception situation for refugees, and the potential increasing migratory pressure at the EU's external borders because of developments in Afghanistan, Turkey, and Syria, as well as smuggling activities, Russia's ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine, and the security situation in the Middle East exacerbated by terrorist groups; borders with Austria. |
| Norway | 12/11/2024 – 11/05/2025 | General threat aimed at the energy sector, threats of sabotage posed by the Russian intelligence service, as well as to increase infrastructure protection; ports with ferry connections to the Schengen area. |
| Denmark | 12/11/2024 – 11/05/2025 | Serious threats to public policy and internal security posed by continuous terrorism-related events and organised crime, as well as Russia's ongoing aggression in Ukraine, Russian attempts of espionage, and acts of physical sabotage by individuals linked to Russia, along with the impact of Middle Eastern armed conflicts and conflicts in Africa increase migratory pressure, irregular entries, and risk infiltration by radicalised individuals; all internal borders (land, air, and sea), and land and sea borders with Germany. |
| France | 01/11/2024 – 30/04/2025 | Serious threats to public policy, public order, and internal security posed by high-level terrorist activities, the growing presence of criminal networks facilitating irregular migration and smuggling, and migration flows that risk infiltration by radicalised individuals, as well as the irregular crossings on the Channel and North Sea borders, along with rising violence among migrants, particularly in northern coastal areas such as Dunkirk and Calais, leading to tense and dangerous situations involving both migrants and law enforcement; borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, the Swiss Confederation, Italy, and Spain (land, air, and sea). |
| Sweden | 12/11/2024 – 11/05/2025 | Serious threats to public policy and internal security posed by recent terrorism-related events and serious crime associated with an ongoing armed conflict in the organised and gang-related crime environment; all internal borders (land, air, and sea). |
| Germany | 16/09/2024-15/03/2025 | Security risks related to irregular migration, including smuggling, at the EU's external borders, continue to lead to increased levels of irregular entries, exacerbating already tense accommodation situation for refugees, especially in the context of the admission of Ukrainian nationals; borders with France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg and Denmark. |
| Germany | 16/06/2024 – 15/12/2024 | The irregular migration and migrant smuggling activities linked to the developing situation and living conditions in migrants' countries of origin, as well as the strain on the asylum reception system, Russia's aggression in Ukraine, and the security situation exacerbated by terrorist groups, particularly in the Middle East; borders with the Republic of Poland, Switzerland, and Czechia. |
| Slovenia | 22/06/2024 – 21/12/2024 | Risks associated with the global security situation (increased instability in the Middle East, Russia's aggression in Ukraine, organised crime, and general terrorist threats), as well as UEFA EURO 2024 and the Olympic Games; internal borders with the Republic of Croatia and Hungary. |
| Italy | 19/06/2024 – 18/12/2024 | Risk of terrorist activity, connected to the turmoil in the Middle East and the possible risk of terrorist infiltration in irregular migration flows, as well as the risk of violence connected to the continuation of the war in Ukraine and Italy’s G7 Presidency; land borders with Slovenia. |
| Norway | 12/05/2024 - 11/11/2024 | Increased threat to critical infrastructure, Russian intelligence operations threatening Norwegian exports of gas or military support to Ukraine; ports with ferry connections to the Schengen area. |
| Austria | 12/05/2024 - 11/11/2024 | New threat situation in connection with the extremely unstable migration and security situation in the EU, pressure on the asylum reception system, high migratory pressure at the EU’s external border to Türkiye and the Western Balkans, threat of arms trafficking and criminal networks due to the war in Ukraine, human smuggling, the security implications following the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, the terrorist attack in Brussels on 17 October and numerous terror warnings and threats in the EU Member States, the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe, the risk of criminals and terrorists infiltrating migration flows; borders with Slovenia and Hungary. |
| Denmark | 12/05/2024 - 11/11/2024 | Terrorist threat relating to the conflict between Israel and militant groups in Gaza and the Quran desecrations in 2023 which created a renewed focus on Denmark as a prioritised target among militant Islamist groups; threat from espionage from Russian intelligence; may extend to all internal borders, with a focus on the Danish-German land border and Danish ports with ferry connection to Germany. |
| Germany | 12/05/2024 - 11/11/2024 | Increase in irregular migration and migrant smuggling linked to the developing situation and living conditions in migrants’ countries of origin, as well as Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine and the security situation exacerbated by terrorist groups, particularly in the Middle East, strain on the asylum reception system; the land border with Austria. |
| Sweden | 12/05/2024 - 11/11/2024 | The attack on Israel by Hamas on 7 October 2023 and the Israeli offensive in Gaza which have increased tensions in Sweden and in other Member States, increased risk of serious violence and attacks motivated by Anti-Semitism, serious threat to public policy and internal security; may extend to all internal borders (exact borders to be determined). |
| France | 01/05/2024 - 31/10/2024 | The Olympic and Paralympic Games organised in France during the summer 2024, which substantially increase the risk to national security, an intensified terrorist threat, the Moscow attack of 22 March 2024 claimed by the Islamic State, constant migratory pressure at the Schengen external borders, significant increase in irregular crossings especially from Türkiye and North Africa, pressure on the reception system; internal borders. |
Foreseeable cases (Article 25 and 26 of the codified SBC)
For foreseeable events (e.g. sports events), the duration of the border control is limited to 30 days or for the foreseeable duration of the threat, if it exceeds 30 days.
If required, the reintroduction of border control can be prolonged for renewable periods of up to 30 days. The total period shall not exceed 6 months.
The Member State shall notify the Commission and other Member States at least 4 weeks before the planned reintroduction of border control. An exception of this notification period is made, if the circumstances giving rise to reintroduced border control become known at a shorter notice.
Cases requiring immediate action (Article 28 of the codified SBC)
Where immediate action needs to be taken to adequately respond to a threat, a Member State may reintroduce border control for 10 days without prior notification.
The Commission and the Member States must be informed of such decisions immediately.
While the reintroduction can be prolonged for periods of up to 20 days, the overall period of border control shall not exceed 2 months.
Cases where exceptional circumstances put the overall functioning of the Schengen area at risk (Article 29 of the codified SBC)
In exceptional circumstances, where the overall functioning of the Schengen Area is put at risk as a result of persistent serious deficiencies relating to external border control, and insofar as those circumstances constitute a serious threat to public policy or internal security, the Council may, based on a proposal from the Commission, recommend that one or more Member States decide to reintroduce border control at all or at specific parts of their internal borders.
Such a recommendation shall only be made as a last resort and as a measure to protect the common interests within the Schengen Area, where all other measures, in particular those referred to in Article 21 of the Schengen Borders Code, are ineffective in mitigating the serious threat identified.
Related documents
- Full list of Member States' notifications of the temporary reintroduction of border control at internal borders pursuant to Article 25 et seq. of the Schengen Borders Code
- List of authorised border crossing points notified to the Commission after reintroduction of internal border control