Vienna has extended temporary passport controls at its land borders with Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary and Slovenia until 15 June 2026, according to a European Commission notice dated 7 January. The derogation from normal Schengen free-movement rules, first reintroduced on 16 December 2025, can be renewed in six-month blocks. ([visahq.com](https://www.visahq.com/news/2026-01-09/at/austria-extends-internal-schengen-border-controls-to-15-june-2026/))
The Interior Ministry cites sustained irregular migration on the Western Balkan route, limited reception-centre capacity and heightened terror-threat levels linked to conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Although officials insist the checks are “targeted and risk-based”, logistics firms report freight queues of up to forty-five minutes at key crossings such as Nickelsdorf (HU) and Spielfeld (SI). ([visahq.com](https://www.visahq.com/news/2026-01-09/at/austria-extends-internal-schengen-border-controls-to-15-june-2026/))
![Austria prolongs internal Schengen border checks to 15 June 2026]()
If you need help navigating the shifting documentation landscape, VisaHQ’s dedicated Austria page (https://www.visahq.com/austria/) provides real-time updates and can fast-track visas, frontier-worker permits and other travel documents, ensuring travelers and employers stay fully compliant before arriving at the border.
Business travellers face longer coach and rail journeys: officers increasingly ask for hotel bookings or proof of employment in addition to passports. EU citizens may still use e-gates at airports, but spot checks on Vienna–Bratislava and Vienna–Prague routes have intensified. Employers with frontier-worker populations must remember Austria’s new Frontier-Worker Permit, launched in December 2025; commuters must carry both the card and proof of foreign residence or risk on-the-spot fines. ([visahq.com](https://www.visahq.com/news/2026-01-09/at/austria-extends-internal-schengen-border-controls-to-15-june-2026/))
Mobility teams should circulate updated travel protocols, build extra transit time into schedules and store A1 certificates digitally to satisfy ad-hoc inspections. Logistics managers should also budget for potential detention costs if drivers miss statutory rest windows because of the delays. ([visahq.com](https://www.visahq.com/news/2026-01-09/at/austria-extends-internal-schengen-border-controls-to-15-june-2026/))
The Interior Ministry cites sustained irregular migration on the Western Balkan route, limited reception-centre capacity and heightened terror-threat levels linked to conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Although officials insist the checks are “targeted and risk-based”, logistics firms report freight queues of up to forty-five minutes at key crossings such as Nickelsdorf (HU) and Spielfeld (SI). ([visahq.com](https://www.visahq.com/news/2026-01-09/at/austria-extends-internal-schengen-border-controls-to-15-june-2026/))
If you need help navigating the shifting documentation landscape, VisaHQ’s dedicated Austria page (https://www.visahq.com/austria/) provides real-time updates and can fast-track visas, frontier-worker permits and other travel documents, ensuring travelers and employers stay fully compliant before arriving at the border.
Business travellers face longer coach and rail journeys: officers increasingly ask for hotel bookings or proof of employment in addition to passports. EU citizens may still use e-gates at airports, but spot checks on Vienna–Bratislava and Vienna–Prague routes have intensified. Employers with frontier-worker populations must remember Austria’s new Frontier-Worker Permit, launched in December 2025; commuters must carry both the card and proof of foreign residence or risk on-the-spot fines. ([visahq.com](https://www.visahq.com/news/2026-01-09/at/austria-extends-internal-schengen-border-controls-to-15-june-2026/))
Mobility teams should circulate updated travel protocols, build extra transit time into schedules and store A1 certificates digitally to satisfy ad-hoc inspections. Logistics managers should also budget for potential detention costs if drivers miss statutory rest windows because of the delays. ([visahq.com](https://www.visahq.com/news/2026-01-09/at/austria-extends-internal-schengen-border-controls-to-15-june-2026/))
