Germany has quietly returned to a border-free Schengen regime. At 00:00 on Monday, 16 March 2026, the Federal Police removed the last remaining stationary checkpoints on the country’s land frontiers with Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Denmark, France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands. The controls had been in place—first in selected hotspots, then along the entire land perimeter—since 16 September 2025 to stem a sharp rise in irregular migration and people-smuggling.
![Germany Lets Temporary Schengen Border Controls Expire, Re-opens All Nine Land Frontiers]()
For anyone unsure about what documents they now need to cross the German border—especially non-EU nationals—VisaHQ can help. The service keeps travellers updated on the latest Schengen entry rules, assists with online visa applications and offers dedicated support for corporate mobility teams. More information is available at https://www.visahq.com/germany/
Their legal basis under Article 25 of the Schengen Borders Code was due to expire on 15 March 2026; Berlin decided not to file for a further prolongation with the European Commission. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in a written statement that “targeted, mobile policing” can now replace fixed checks. According to ministry figures, officers examined some 3.2 million travellers and turned back 37,000 during the 18-month operation. Business groups had complained that hour-long queues at the Bavarian-Austrian and Saxon-Czech borders cost the logistics sector an estimated €9 million a week and disrupted just-in-time supply chains for the automotive industry. Cross-border commuters in the Upper Rhine tri-national region also reported losing up to 90 minutes a day. The end of the controls is expected to restore friction-free road and rail traffic in time for the Easter holiday rush. The German Travel Association (DRV) said coach operators can now revert to normal timetables and offered “cautious optimism” that passenger numbers will rebound after a 12 % slump on affected routes. Rail operator Deutsche Bahn announced that it will reinstate its high-speed ICE/EC services between Munich and Salzburg, Dresden and Prague, and Frankfurt and Basel without the additional 20-minute border buffers that had been built into the schedule. For employers, the change removes the obligation to issue written travel attestations for posted workers who cross an internal EU border. Global mobility managers should, however, note that neighbouring countries Denmark, Austria and the Netherlands still maintain their own internal checks. Travellers should continue to carry passports or national ID cards and allow extra time where partner states’ measures remain in force. EY’s Global Immigration team expects mobile German Federal Police patrols to remain visible on main transit corridors and inside trains. Companies are advised to monitor further announcements, as the Interior Ministry reserves the right to re-impose controls on short notice should migration pressure spike again.
For anyone unsure about what documents they now need to cross the German border—especially non-EU nationals—VisaHQ can help. The service keeps travellers updated on the latest Schengen entry rules, assists with online visa applications and offers dedicated support for corporate mobility teams. More information is available at https://www.visahq.com/germany/
Their legal basis under Article 25 of the Schengen Borders Code was due to expire on 15 March 2026; Berlin decided not to file for a further prolongation with the European Commission. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in a written statement that “targeted, mobile policing” can now replace fixed checks. According to ministry figures, officers examined some 3.2 million travellers and turned back 37,000 during the 18-month operation. Business groups had complained that hour-long queues at the Bavarian-Austrian and Saxon-Czech borders cost the logistics sector an estimated €9 million a week and disrupted just-in-time supply chains for the automotive industry. Cross-border commuters in the Upper Rhine tri-national region also reported losing up to 90 minutes a day. The end of the controls is expected to restore friction-free road and rail traffic in time for the Easter holiday rush. The German Travel Association (DRV) said coach operators can now revert to normal timetables and offered “cautious optimism” that passenger numbers will rebound after a 12 % slump on affected routes. Rail operator Deutsche Bahn announced that it will reinstate its high-speed ICE/EC services between Munich and Salzburg, Dresden and Prague, and Frankfurt and Basel without the additional 20-minute border buffers that had been built into the schedule. For employers, the change removes the obligation to issue written travel attestations for posted workers who cross an internal EU border. Global mobility managers should, however, note that neighbouring countries Denmark, Austria and the Netherlands still maintain their own internal checks. Travellers should continue to carry passports or national ID cards and allow extra time where partner states’ measures remain in force. EY’s Global Immigration team expects mobile German Federal Police patrols to remain visible on main transit corridors and inside trains. Companies are advised to monitor further announcements, as the Interior Ministry reserves the right to re-impose controls on short notice should migration pressure spike again.
