Federal Police officers conducting overnight checks on a cross-border coach travelling the A61 motorway near Nettetal arrested a 21-year-old Romanian wanted on an outstanding narcotics conviction, authorities confirmed on 19 February. The passenger was unable to pay a €5,400 court-imposed fine from 2025 and was taken directly to Moers-Kapellen prison to serve a 45-day substitute sentence. (presseportal.de)
The operation is part of Germany’s re-introduced internal border regime with the Netherlands and Belgium. Although controls are nominally risk-based, long-distance buses have become a focus after smugglers shifted away from private cars in response to tighter checks on the A12 towards Poland.
Need help sorting out the right visa or residency documents before crossing the German border? VisaHQ’s online portal streamlines applications, tracks status updates, and offers expert guidance for travellers and corporate mobility teams alike. Explore the service at https://www.visahq.com/germany/ to reduce the risk of delays or detentions during spot checks.
![Border-bus inspection on A61 nabs fugitive as temporary controls tighten]()
For corporate mobility teams the incident is a reminder that employees using affordable coach services—particularly junior assignees and students—should carry proper identification and valid German residence documents even when travelling entirely within the Schengen area. Delays of 20–40 minutes are common as police run passenger data through national and EU databases.
The Bundespolizei says 112 persons with outstanding warrants have been detained on west-bound coach routes since January, illustrating both the enforcement value and the compliance burden of the prolonged border-control policy.
Transport companies must continue to submit electronic passenger lists at least 30 minutes before scheduled border crossing; failure to do so can incur fines up to €5,000 under the Passenger Data Act.
The operation is part of Germany’s re-introduced internal border regime with the Netherlands and Belgium. Although controls are nominally risk-based, long-distance buses have become a focus after smugglers shifted away from private cars in response to tighter checks on the A12 towards Poland.
Need help sorting out the right visa or residency documents before crossing the German border? VisaHQ’s online portal streamlines applications, tracks status updates, and offers expert guidance for travellers and corporate mobility teams alike. Explore the service at https://www.visahq.com/germany/ to reduce the risk of delays or detentions during spot checks.
For corporate mobility teams the incident is a reminder that employees using affordable coach services—particularly junior assignees and students—should carry proper identification and valid German residence documents even when travelling entirely within the Schengen area. Delays of 20–40 minutes are common as police run passenger data through national and EU databases.
The Bundespolizei says 112 persons with outstanding warrants have been detained on west-bound coach routes since January, illustrating both the enforcement value and the compliance burden of the prolonged border-control policy.
Transport companies must continue to submit electronic passenger lists at least 30 minutes before scheduled border crossing; failure to do so can incur fines up to €5,000 under the Passenger Data Act.
