The European Commission’s latest Schengen monitoring table, updated on 29 September, confirms that France and Germany will maintain temporary internal-border checks for another month in response to security threats and irregular-migration pressure. For Swiss travellers this means sporadic passport inspections will continue on motorways, regional trains and some airports when crossing into or out of the EU via the two neighbours. France first re-introduced controls along its borders – including the 572-km frontier with Switzerland – in May 2026, citing the risk of terrorist infiltration and people-smuggling networks. The current notification runs until 31 October and specifically references security preparations for the Evian G7 summit and rising unrest in the Middle East. Germany, for its part, is prolonging checks on its land borders with Poland, Czechia, Austria – and, by extension, on cross-border trains transiting through Switzerland – until 15 March 2027. While the Schengen Borders Code allows such measures only as a ‘last resort’, businesses have had to adjust. Long-distance coach operators report delays of up to 45 minutes on the Basel–Mulhouse and Geneva–Lyon corridors, forcing them to add slack timetables and driving up costs. Freight forwarders moving high-value goods now build in extra paperwork time because customs officers often piggy-back on the police checks to inspect cargo. Corporate mobility managers should inform travellers that a valid passport (not just an ID card) is advisable and build longer connection windows for flights transferring through Paris or Frankfurt. Employees driving company cars across the border are recommended to carry employment certificates to substantiate the purpose of travel, as random checks frequently target vehicles with Swiss plates. EU diplomats say the Commission will continue to scrutinise whether member states respect proportionality. For now, however, Swiss exporters and business travellers should assume ad-hoc controls remain the new normal at least through the autumn trade-fair season.
