Germany confirms Schengen checks until March 2027

Germany formally notified the European Commission in August 2026 that passport checks at all nine of its land borders will continue from 16 September 2026 to 15 March 2027. It is the fourth consecutive six-month extension since September 2024. The timing covers the entire winter ski season and the spring half-term, so anyone entering Germany by road, rail or coach from France, Switzerland, Austria or any of the other seven neighbouring states should expect to show a passport at the crossing.

The extension came despite a German court ruling in April that the controls breach EU law. The government’s position, stated publicly, is that the checks “may be illegal” under Schengen rules but will continue anyway. This is the clearest they have been about the tension between policy and law.

Which borders are affected, and what does a check involve?

All nine German land borders: France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland. The controls apply at roads, rail lines and coach crossings. Checks on international trains happen on board, so you may not know one is coming until the Bundespolizei (German federal police) walk through the carriage.

Officers ask for a passport or, for EU citizens, a national identity card. No biometrics are taken. These checks are completely separate from the Entry/Exit System, which registers a fingerprint and facial image at the external Schengen frontier on your first visit since 12 October 2025. An internal crossing from Austria into Germany does not trigger a new EES record, and no biometric file is created or updated.

What did the court rule?

On 27 April 2026, the Verwaltungsgericht Koblenz, a German administrative court, ruled that an identity check carried out at the German-Luxembourg border in June 2025 was unlawful. The court found that the Interior Ministry had failed to demonstrate the “serious threat to public order or internal security” required by Article 25 of the Schengen Borders Code when it extended controls from March to September 2025. It applied the revised Schengen Borders Code, which raised the legal bar for repeated extensions, in force since 2024.

A separate Bavarian court issued a sharply critical ruling on 9 April 2026, finding that Germany’s federal government had not demonstrated a sufficiently concrete threat to justify restricting free movement. The European Court of Justice had already ruled in an earlier case that Austria’s uninterrupted border controls over several years were incompatible with Schengen law, setting the principle that controls based on the same threat cannot simply roll over indefinitely.

Why haven’t the rulings stopped the checks?

A judgment finding that a past check was unlawful does not automatically suspend future ones. The Koblenz ruling applied to a specific incident in 2025; it did not issue an injunction against the ongoing programme. To halt an active border-control regime, a challenge would need to reach a higher court with the power to order an immediate suspension, or the Commission would need to take Germany to the EU Court of Justice. Neither has happened.

The European Commission issued formal opinions in June 2026 telling Germany and eight other countries that their controls may no longer be proportionate, particularly given that EES is now fully operational at the external border. Germany has not accepted that reasoning and proceeded with the March 2027 notification regardless.

What does this mean for winter travel into Germany?

Practically, the message is straightforward. If you are driving or taking an international train into Germany between October and March, carry your physical passport and budget a little extra time at the crossing. A screen photo of the document is not enough; officers check the actual travel document.

Busy routes include the A8 and A93 from Austria, the Rhine-corridor motorways from France, and rail connections from Zurich, Paris and Amsterdam into Munich, Frankfurt and Cologne. Public holidays and weekends tend to bring longer waits. Most crossings are brief; the check itself takes a minute or two.

Germany is not alone. Several other Schengen countries are running temporary internal controls, including France at its borders with Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg and Switzerland until 31 October 2026. A multi-country road trip through central Europe may bring several separate document checks.

Does this affect my Schengen day count?

No. Your 90 days in any 180-day period runs from when you first cross the external Schengen frontier to when you leave. Driving from France into Germany, or from Austria into Germany, is an internal move. EES does not log it. Your day tally is unchanged: three weeks in Munich plus a week in Paris is still four weeks total.

What about ETIAS?

ETIAS, expected in 2027, is a pre-travel authorisation covering entry into the Schengen area at the external frontier. Germany’s internal border controls are a separate matter governed by a different part of the Schengen Borders Code. The two will run alongside each other once ETIAS eventually launches. No action is required yet. Applications are not open. For the current status, see the ETIAS status page.