1. Land borders

1.1.1. To ensure effective checks on persons, while ensuring the safety and smooth flow of road traffic, movements at border crossing points shall be regulated in an appropriate manner. Where necessary, Member States may conclude bilateral agreements to channel and block traffic. They shall inform the Commission thereof pursuant to Article 37. 1.1.2. At land borders, Member States may, where they deem appropriate and if circumstances allow, install or operate separate lanes at certain border crossing points, in accordance with Article 9. Separate lanes may be dispensed with at any time by the Member States' competent authorities, in exceptional circumstances and where traffic and infrastructure conditions so require. Member States may cooperate with neighbouring countries with a view to the installation of separate lanes at external border crossing points. 1.1.3. As a general rule, persons travelling in vehicles may remain inside them during checks. However, if circumstances so require, persons may be requested to alight from their vehicles. Thorough checks will be carried out, if local circumstances allow, in areas designated for that purpose. In the interests of staff safety, checks will be carried out, where possible, by two border guards. 1.2.1. Checks shall be carried out both on train passengers and on railway staff on trains crossing external borders, including those on goods trains or empty trains. Those checks shall be carried out in either one of the following two ways: on the platform, in the first station of arrival or departure on the territory of a Member State, on board the train, during transit. Member States may conclude bilateral agreements on how to conduct those checks. They shall inform the Commission thereof pursuant to Article 37. 1.2.2. By way of derogation from point 1.2.1 and in order to facilitate rail traffic flows of high-speed passenger trains, the Member States on the itinerary of these trains from third countries may also decide, by common agreement with third countries concerned, to carry out entry checks on persons in trains from third countries in either one of the following ways: in the stations in a third country where persons board the train, in the stations where persons disembark within the territory of the Member States, on board the train during transit between the stations on the territory of the Member States, provided that the persons stay on board the train in the previous station/stations. 1.2.3. With respect to high-speed trains from third countries making several stops in the territory of the Member States, if the rail transport carrier is in a position to board passengers exclusively for the remaining part of the journey within the territory of the Member States, such passengers shall be subject to entry checks either on the train or at the station of destination except where checks have been carried out pursuant to points 1.2.1 or 1.2.2 first indent. Persons who wish to take the train exclusively for the remaining part of the journey within the territory of the Member States shall receive clear notification prior to the train's departure that they will be subject to entry checks during the journey or at the station of destination. 1.2.4. When travelling in the opposite direction, the persons on board the train shall be subject to exit checks under similar arrangements. 1.2.5. The border guard may order the cavities of carriages to be inspected if necessary with the assistance of the train inspector, to ensure that persons or objects subject to border checks are not concealed in them. 1.2.6. Where there are reasons to believe that persons who have been reported or are suspected of having committed an offence, or third-country nationals intending to enter illegally, are hiding on a train, the border guard, if he or she cannot act in accordance with his national provisions, shall notify the Member States towards or within whose territory the train is moving.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-11-14 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.