Germany extends internal Schengen land-border checks until 15 March 2026
Biometric Entry/Exit System causes holiday chaos at Frankfurt and Munich airports
Federal Police step up New-Year border checks, seize 1.1 tonnes of illegal fireworks
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Germany Extends Internal Schengen Border Checks Until 15 March 2026
Germany has extended the on-again off-again identity checks at all nine of its land borders until at least 15 March 2026. The decision keeps spot inspections in place for travellers and freight entering from Austria, Poland, France and six other neighbours, citing people-smuggling concerns. Business travellers must factor extra time into road and rail journeys and carry passports as well as residence cards, while employers should revisit duty-of-care and posted-worker documentation. A further renewal after March would need Brussels’ blessing, setting up a political test of Schengen free-movement rules.
Biometric Border Checks Trigger Holiday Chaos at Frankfurt and Munich
Roll-out glitches in the EU’s new Entry/Exit System left passengers at Frankfurt and Munich facing hours-long queues on 29 December, causing missed connections across Lufthansa’s network. The biometric kiosks struggled to process fingerprints and facial scans at scale, reflecting similar problems seen this week in Spain and Italy. Mobility managers should add buffer time, pre-register travellers where possible and monitor further software fixes planned for mid-January.
Bundespolizei Reports 25 % Drop in Irregular Entries Into Bavaria in 2025
Preliminary 2025 statistics show irregular entries into Bavaria down by a quarter compared with 2024 and by 60 % compared with 2023. The Bundespolizei credits mobile border checks and joint operations with neighbouring countries. The trend supports Berlin’s decision to keep internal Schengen controls in place, but NGOs warn that migration routes may simply be shifting elsewhere.