You may experience longer queues.
Following Germany’s implementation of stricter border control measures in September, France is now intensifying its border surveillance. The country has proposed new rules for checks after provisions for its previous border controls expired on October 31. These security measures will remain in effect until April 20, 2025, and travelers should anticipate delays.
According to a statement from the Migration and Home Affairs of the European Union, France has implemented these measures due to “serious threats to public policy, public order, and internal security posed by high-level terrorist activities, the growing presence of criminal networks facilitating irregular migration and smuggling, and migration flows that risk infiltration by radicalized individuals.”
The restrictions impact Schengen nations that border France: Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain. They apply to all visitors arriving by land, sea, and air, meaning that all travelers entering the country will now undergo passport or identity checks. For non-Schengen countries, border controls are already in effect.
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However, all travelers may be affected by this extension. You should expect delays at airports, but those crossing the borders by car, bus, or train may be most impacted. Factor in more time and expect queues at land borders. For those traveling between France and Germany, know that both countries have these restrictions in place, so you may have to undergo checks twice.
American travelers can stay in the E.U. for 90 days without a visa. When traveling through Europe, carry your passport with the entry stamp and make sure you know when it’s time to leave the Schengen zone.
Note that the much-delayed entry requirement of ETIAS may be instituted next year, which will impact all travel into the Schengen zone.
Related: Americans Won’t Need to Apply for European Travel in 2024, According to Some Sources
France has had checks since 2015 after the Paris terrorist attacks, but not everyone is subjected to them. Nick Gyselinck, spokesperson for Belgium’s Home Affairs Minister Annelies Verlinden, told The Brussels Times that major disruptions between the two countries aren’t expected. “The checks are not being carried out systematically. We also saw that these checks often took place inland and not at the border itself [referring to the checks during the Paris Olympics].”
Germany also took similar measures in September when it expanded its border controls to all nine of its neighbors to combat illegal immigration and cross-border crime (some of these checks have existed since 2015). These targeted border checks have reduced illegal border crossings by 13% in the first three weeks, the German police reported.
Related: Traveling to Germany Is About to Get More Difficult
Loss of Schengen
The European Schengen area facilitates free travel among most European Union member states. Established in 1985, it stands as one of the bloc’s landmark achievements. Currently, 29 countries are part of the Schengen region, including 23 of the 27 E.U. states, along with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
The Schengen agreement allows most countries within the E.U. to operate without internal borders. Citizens can travel by train, bus, and plane without encountering passport control or immigration counters, as the area has external borders that make travel within the Schengen zone resemble domestic travel. Travelers can also cross borders within the region without needing entry and exit stamps. Additionally, travelers from non-E.U. countries can apply for a single Schengen visa to visit multiple E.U. countries, rather than obtaining individual visas for each country.
However, this seamless way of traveling in the E.U. has recently slowed down as more countries have introduced internal restrictions.
The E.U. permits temporary border controls, but it emphasizes that such measures should be a last resort in response to threats to public policy or security. According to E.U. policy, “The scope and duration of reintroduced border control should be restricted to the bare minimum needed to respond to the threat in question.” While the E.U. can express opinions on border measures, it cannot veto them.
Germany and France, both original signatories of the agreement, have now extended border controls with their neighbors. Experts are concerned that this could set a troubling precedent, prompting more countries to follow suit and undermining the foundation of the Schengen agreement.