Berlin – German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (55, CSU) intends to extend temporary border controls along all of Germany’s land borders, according to information obtained by BILD. The measures will be prolonged for another six months beyond March 15. The formal notification is now being submitted to the European Commission in Brussels.
The extension is necessary because controls within the Schengen Area are officially permitted only as an exception and must be formally reported to the EU Commission.
Dobrindt defends decision
The German government’s primary goal remains the protection of internal security and public order, as well as further curbing illegal migration. Dobrindt told BILD, “We are extending the border controls at the borders to our neighboring countries. The border controls are an element of our reorganization of migration policy in Germany.” This decision means that travelers, commuters, and the logistics sector can expect random checks and potential delays at crossings to all nine neighboring countries to continue until at least September 2026. Anyone crossing a border must always carry identification.
The impact of the controls
Since their introduction (period: September 2024 to December 2025), the Federal Police have registered 67,918 unauthorized entries through stationary controls at all nine neighboring states. 46,426 people were directly turned away at the border or deported in connection with an illegal border crossing. Simultaneously, the number of first-time asylum applications is decreasing. According to figures from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), 7,649 people submitted a first asylum application in January. In the same month last year, nearly twice as many first-time applications were filed.
