The European Commission’s “Temporary Reintroduction of Border Control” dashboard was updated on 21 September, adding new Spanish measures and, importantly for businesses, confirming that France will maintain checks at all internal land, sea and air borders until 31 October 2026. Paris first reintroduced controls in 2015 after terrorist attacks and has repeatedly justified extensions on grounds of jihadist threats, people-smuggling networks around Calais, and rising antisemitic violence. The latest French notification broadens the rationale to include security preparations for the June 2027 G7 summit in Évian and potential spill-over from the Middle East. Travellers entering France from Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Italy, Spain, Switzerland or by Eurostar can therefore still face ID checks, police inspections of corporate vehicles and, in some cases, short secondary interviews. For multinationals that shift staff between EU offices, the persistence of internal controls means HR teams must continue carrying attestations de déplacement professionnel and ensure non-EU employees hold residence permits or Schengen multi-entry visas that remain valid beyond October. Transport companies should budget for possible queuing at the Franco-Spanish AP-7/ A9 motorway and occasional spot checks on TGVs. Although the Schengen Code limits internal border controls to a maximum of three years under exceptional circumstances, France is approaching the legal ceiling and will need to present detailed proportionality assessments for any further extension. Lobby groups such as Business Europe have urged Member States to adopt targeted police cooperation instead of blanket frontier checks, arguing the latter add €1 billion a year in logistics costs. Still, with the Entry/Exit System (EES) now in operation at external borders and ETIAS due to launch later in 2026, many analysts believe Paris will keep internal checks at least through the G7 summit. Companies should therefore retain contingency timing in travel itineraries and include passport validity reminders in employee communications.
