British holidaymakers heading to France soon are being warned of delays from November 1, as border checks will be reintroduced.
France has joined six other countries in the Schengen Area in reintroducing border checks to combat illegal migration and terrorism. They will be conducted for travellers entering the country by road or train, for an initial six month period on France’s borders with Luxembourg, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and Italy. They will be spot checks instead of inspections of every person.
Germany recently made a similar move and the change from France marks a significant change in the country’s border control since the establishment of free travel and the removal of checks under the Schengen agreement in 1995.
According to the official website of the European Union there are “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 radicalised individuals, as well as the irregular crossings on the Channel and North Sea borders, along with rising violence among migrants, particularly in northern coastal areas such as Dunkirk and Calais, leading to tense and dangerous situations involving both migrants and law enforcement; borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, the Swiss Confederation, Italy, and Spain (land, air, and sea).”
For Brits, the Eurostar could be largely impacted, with potential extended waiting times for passport control as the increased checks take place. The travel industry will need to adjust their schedules to accommodate the increased time to cross the border.
The planned reintroduction of border checks follows the decision by the EU to delay the roll-out of the Entry/Exit System (EES) for travellers entering the bloc. The new system, once introduced, will see travellers have their fingerprints registered and their pictures taken.
Each holidaymakers fingerprints and photo will be taken when they first enter into the Schengen Area. They will then be check at every subsequent entry and exit into the area.
According to the EU website: “The Schengen Borders Code (SBC) provides Member States with the capability of temporarily reintroducing border control at the internal borders in the event of a serious threat to public policy or internal security.
“The duration of such a temporary reintroduction of border control at the internal borders is limited in time, depending on the legal basis invoked by the Member State introducing such border control. The scope and duration of reintroduced border control should be restricted to the bare minimum needed to respond to the threat in question.”
Max Schmidt, head of CamperDays, commented: “These increased checks are expected to last at least six months and will apply to travellers from all its bordering neighbours, including Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain and Switzerland – meaning that all winter travel, including those travelling across to the Alps for ski holidays this year – is likely to be impacted.
“Those crossing borders by road are most likely to be affected, and I’d encourage travellers to consider these changes when planning their journeys, allowing for an additional hour or two to account for the queues. To help streamline your crossing, have your ID card ready if you’re a citizen of another EU country, or a passport for non-EU citizens.”
Border checks will be reintroduced in France from November 1 and are due to last until at least April 30, 2025.
