Germany’s interior minister Alexander Dobrindt has formally notified the European Commission that the temporary controls re-introduced at all of Germany’s land borders will be prolonged for a further six months, until at least 15 September 2026.
The decision means that stationary and mobile checks first imposed during the 2015 migration crisis at the Austrian frontier – and gradually expanded to the borders with Poland, Czechia and Switzerland in 2023 and to Denmark, France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands in 2024 – will continue well beyond the original 15 March expiry date.
Berlin argues that the measures remain “an integral element of the re-ordering of Germany’s migration policy,” pointing to a fall in irregular entries since spot-checks were intensified last year. Operationally, the Bundespolizei will keep mixed teams on major motorways and rail lines while retaining the right to turn away asylum-seekers who do not meet new admissibility rules, save for vulnerable cases such as unaccompanied minors and pregnant women.
![Germany Extends Border Checks on All Land Frontiers Until September 2026]()
Travellers who are unsure about which passports, residence permits or multi-entry visas will satisfy the strengthened checks can turn to VisaHQ’s Germany portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) for up-to-date guidance, online applications and expedited processing, ensuring that all paperwork is in order before reaching the frontier.
For business and leisure travellers the extension prolongs the risk of time-consuming controls on road corridors such as the A3 (Netherlands) and A4 (Poland) and on international rail services. Employers with cross-border commuters are advised to factor possible delays into roster planning and to ensure that third-country nationals travelling intra-EU carry passports, valid residence permits and – where required – multiple-entry visas.
Politically, the move has reignited debate inside the governing coalition. The Greens’ migration spokesman Marcel Emmerich called the prolongation “damaging for Europe and a drain on police resources,” while conservative state premiers applauded the tougher stance. The European Commission is expected to scrutinise the proportionality of the six-month renewal, but observers note that Brussels has rarely challenged national security justifications since the 2015 precedent.
The decision means that stationary and mobile checks first imposed during the 2015 migration crisis at the Austrian frontier – and gradually expanded to the borders with Poland, Czechia and Switzerland in 2023 and to Denmark, France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands in 2024 – will continue well beyond the original 15 March expiry date.
Berlin argues that the measures remain “an integral element of the re-ordering of Germany’s migration policy,” pointing to a fall in irregular entries since spot-checks were intensified last year. Operationally, the Bundespolizei will keep mixed teams on major motorways and rail lines while retaining the right to turn away asylum-seekers who do not meet new admissibility rules, save for vulnerable cases such as unaccompanied minors and pregnant women.
Travellers who are unsure about which passports, residence permits or multi-entry visas will satisfy the strengthened checks can turn to VisaHQ’s Germany portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) for up-to-date guidance, online applications and expedited processing, ensuring that all paperwork is in order before reaching the frontier.
For business and leisure travellers the extension prolongs the risk of time-consuming controls on road corridors such as the A3 (Netherlands) and A4 (Poland) and on international rail services. Employers with cross-border commuters are advised to factor possible delays into roster planning and to ensure that third-country nationals travelling intra-EU carry passports, valid residence permits and – where required – multiple-entry visas.
Politically, the move has reignited debate inside the governing coalition. The Greens’ migration spokesman Marcel Emmerich called the prolongation “damaging for Europe and a drain on police resources,” while conservative state premiers applauded the tougher stance. The European Commission is expected to scrutinise the proportionality of the six-month renewal, but observers note that Brussels has rarely challenged national security justifications since the 2015 precedent.
