Germany prolongs internal Schengen checks—what it means for land travel from France

Berlin has secured EU approval to continue identity checks at its land borders—including the busy crossings from France—until at least 15 September 2026. First introduced in September 2024, the controls have, according to German police, prevented 46,000 unauthorised entries and coincided with a sharp drop in asylum applications.(connexionfrance.com)

Under the Schengen Borders Code, such re-introductions are supposed to be temporary and proportionate, yet a growing list of member states (France among them) now run rolling six-month extensions. Travellers from France can therefore be stopped at road and rail checkpoints and asked to show a passport, EU ID card, or valid residence permit proving compliance with the 90/180-day rule.(connexionfrance.com)



For companies with cross-border commuter flows—especially Alsace–Baden-Württemberg industrial clusters—the continuation means planning for sporadic delays and ensuring that third-country national staff carry residence cards rather than relying solely on entry stamps that will soon be replaced by the EU Entry/Exit System.(connexionfrance.com)

France itself maintains internal checks through 30 April 2026 and is expected to seek another extension. Mobility managers should brief travellers on documentation, build buffer time into shuttle schedules and track any differential treatment of UK passport-holders once manual stamps disappear.(connexionfrance.com)