TITLE II

External borders may be crossed only at border crossing points and during the fixed opening hours. The opening hours shall be clearly indicated at border crossing points which are not open 24 hours a day. Member States shall notify the list of their border crossing points to the Commission in accordance with Article 34. By way of derogation from paragraph 1, exceptions to the obligation to cross external borders only at border crossing points and during the fixed opening hours may be allowed: in connection with pleasure boating or coastal fishing; for seamen going ashore to stay in the area of the port where their ships call or in the adjacent municipalities; for individuals or groups of persons, where there is a requirement of a special nature, provided that they are in possession of the permits required by national law and that there is no conflict with the interests of public policy and the internal security of the Member States; for individuals or groups of persons in the event of an unforeseen emergency situation. Without prejudice to the exceptions provided for in paragraph 2 or to their international protection obligations, Member States shall introduce penalties, in accordance with their national law, for the unauthorised crossing of external borders at places other than border crossing points or at times other than the fixed opening hours. These penalties shall be effective, proportionate and dissuasive. For stays not exceeding three months per six-month period, the entry conditions for third-country nationals shall be the following: they are in possession of a valid travel document or documents authorising them to cross the border; they are in possession of a valid visa, if required pursuant to Council Regulation (EC) No 539/2001 of 15 March 2001 listing the third countries whose nationals must be in possession of visas when crossing the external borders and those whose nationals are exempt from that requirement OJ L 81, 21.3.2001, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 851/2005 (OJ L 141, 4.6.2005, p. 3). , except where they hold a valid residence permit; they justify the purpose and conditions of the intended stay, and they have sufficient means of subsistence, both for the duration of the intended stay and for the return to their country of origin or transit to a third country into which they are certain to be admitted, or are in a position to acquire such means lawfully; they are not persons for whom an alert has been issued in the SIS for the purposes of refusing entry; they are not considered to be a threat to public policy, internal security, public health or the international relations of any of the Member States, in particular where no alert has been issued in Member States' national data bases for the purposes of refusing entry on the same grounds. A non-exhaustive list of supporting documents which the border guard may request from the third-country national in order to verify the fulfilment of the conditions set out in paragraph 1, point c, is included in Annex I. Means of subsistence shall be assessed in accordance with the duration and the purpose of the stay and by reference to average prices in the Member State(s) concerned for board and lodging in budget accommodation, multiplied by the number of days stayed. Reference amounts set by the Member States shall be notified to the Commission in accordance with Article 34. The assessment of sufficient means of subsistence may be based on the cash, travellers' cheques and credit cards in the third-country national's possession. Declarations of sponsorship, where such declarations are provided for by national law and letters of guarantee from hosts, as defined by national law, where the third-country national is staying with a host, may also constitute evidence of sufficient means of subsistence. By way of derogation from paragraph 1: third-country nationals who do not fulfil all the conditions laid down in paragraph 1 but hold a residence permit or a re-entry visa issued by one of the Member States or, where required, both documents, shall be authorised to enter the territories of the other Member States for transit purposes so that they may reach the territory of the Member State which issued the residence permit or re-entry visa, unless their names are on the national list of alerts of the Member State whose external borders they are seeking to cross and the alert is accompanied by instructions to refuse entry or transit; third-country nationals who fulfil the conditions laid down in paragraph 1, except for that laid down in point (b), and who present themselves at the border may be authorised to enter the territories of the Member States, if a visa is issued at the border in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 415/2003 of 27 February 2003 on the issue of visas at the border, including the issue of such visas to seamen in transit OJ L 64, 7.3.2003, p. 1. . Visas issued at the border shall be recorded on a list. If it is not possible to affix a visa in the document, it shall, exceptionally, be affixed on a separate sheet inserted in the document. In such a case, the uniform format for forms for affixing the visa, laid down by Council Regulation (EC) No 333/2002 of 18 February 2002 on a uniform format for forms for affixing the visa issued by Member States to persons holding travel documents not recognised by the Member State drawing up the form OJ L 53, 23.2.2002, p. 4. , shall be used; third-country nationals who do not fulfil one or more of the conditions laid down in paragraph 1 may be authorised by a Member State to enter its territory on humanitarian grounds, on grounds of national interest or because of international obligations. Where the third-country national concerned is the subject of an alert as referred to in paragraph 1(d), the Member State authorising him or her to enter its territory shall inform the other Member States accordingly. Border guards shall, in the performance of their duties, fully respect human dignity. Any measures taken in the performance of their duties shall be proportionate to the objectives pursued by such measures. While carrying out border checks, border guards shall not discriminate against persons on grounds of sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. Cross-border movement at external borders shall be subject to checks by border guards. Checks shall be carried out in accordance with this chapter. The checks may also cover the means of transport and objects in the possession of the persons crossing the border. The law of the Member State concerned shall apply to any searches which are carried out. All persons shall undergo a minimum check in order to establish their identities on the basis of the production or presentation of their travel documents. Such a minimum check shall consist of a rapid and straightforward verification, where appropriate by using technical devices and by consulting, in the relevant databases, information exclusively on stolen, misappropriated, lost and invalidated documents, of the validity of the document authorising the legitimate holder to cross the border and of the presence of signs of falsification or counterfeiting. The minimum check referred to in the first subparagraph shall be the rule for persons enjoying the Community right of free movement. However, on a non-systematic basis, when carrying out minimum checks on persons enjoying the Community right of free movement, border guards may consult national and European databases in order to ensure that such persons do not represent a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat to the internal security, public policy, international relations of the Member States or a threat to the public health. The consequences of such consultations shall not jeopardise the right of entry of persons enjoying the Community right of free movement into the territory of the Member State concerned as laid down in Directive 2004/38/EC. On entry and exit, third-country nationals shall be subject to thorough checks. thorough checks on entry shall comprise verification of the conditions governing entry laid down in Article 5(1) and, where applicable, of documents authorising residence and the pursuit of a professional activity. This shall include a detailed examination covering the following aspects: verification that the third-country national is in possession of a document which is valid for crossing the border and which has not expired, and that the document is accompanied, where applicable, by the requisite visa or residence permit; thorough scrutiny of the travel document for signs of falsification or counterfeiting; examination of the entry and exit stamps on the travel document of the third-country national concerned, in order to verify, by comparing the dates of entry and exit, that the person has not already exceeded the maximum duration of authorised stay in the territory of the Member States; verification regarding the point of departure and the destination of the third-country national concerned and the purpose of the intended stay, checking if necessary, the corresponding supporting documents; verification that the third-country national concerned has sufficient means of subsistence for the duration and purpose of the intended stay, for his or her return to the country of origin or transit to a third country into which he or she is certain to be admitted, or that he or she is in a position to acquire such means lawfully; verification that the third-country national concerned, his or her means of transport and the objects he or she is transporting are not likely to jeopardise the public policy, internal security, public health or international relations of any of the Member States. Such verification shall include direct consultation of the data and alerts on persons and, where necessary, objects included in the SIS and in national data files and the action to be performed, if any, as a result of an alert; thorough checks on exit shall comprise: verification that the third-country national is in possession of a document valid for crossing the border; verification of the travel document for signs of falsification or counterfeiting; whenever possible, verification that the third-country national is not considered to be a threat to public policy, internal security or the international relations of any of the Member States; In addition to the checks referred to in point (b) thorough checks on exit may also comprise: verification that the person is in possession of a valid visa, if required pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 539/2001, except where he or she holds a valid residence permit; verification that the person did not exceed the maximum duration of authorised stay in the territory of the Member States; consultation of alerts on persons and objects included in the SIS and reports in national data files. Where facilities exist and if requested by the third-country national, such thorough checks shall be carried out in a private area. Third-country nationals subject to a thorough second line check shall be given information on the purpose of, and procedure for, such a check. This information shall be available in all the official languages of the Union and in the language(s) of the country or countries bordering the Member State concerned and shall indicate that the third-country national may request the name or service identification number of the border guards carrying out the thorough second line check, the name of the border crossing point and the date on which the border was crossed. Checks on a person enjoying the Community right on free movement shall be carried out in accordance with Directive 2004/38/EC. Detailed rules governing the information to be registered are laid down in Annex II. Border checks at external borders may be relaxed as a result of exceptional and unforeseen circumstances. Such exceptional and unforeseen circumstances shall be deemed to be those where unforeseeable events lead to traffic of such intensity that the waiting time at the border crossing point becomes excessive, and all resources have been exhausted as regards staff, facilities and organisation. Where border checks are relaxed in accordance with paragraph 1, border checks on entry movements shall in principle take priority over border checks on exit movements. The decision to relax checks shall be taken by the border guard in command at the border crossing point. Such relaxation of checks shall be temporary, adapted to the circumstances justifying it and introduced gradually. Even in the event that checks are relaxed, the border guard shall stamp the travel documents of third-country nationals both on entry and exit, in accordance with Article 10. Each Member State shall transmit once a year a report on the application of this Article to the European Parliament and the Commission. Member States shall provide separate lanes, in particular at air border crossing points in order to carry out checks on persons, in accordance with Article 7. Such lanes shall be differentiated by means of the signs bearing the indications set out in the Annex III. Member States may provide separate lanes at their sea and land border crossing points and at borders between Member States not applying Article 20 at their common borders. The signs bearing the indications set out in the Annex III shall be used if Member States provide separate lanes at those borders. Member States shall ensure that such lanes are clearly signposted, including where the rules relating to the use of the different lanes are waived as provided for in paragraph 4, in order to ensure optimal flow levels of persons crossing the border. Persons enjoying the Community right of free movement are entitled to use the lanes indicated by the sign in part A of Annex III. They may also use the lanes indicated by the sign in part B of Annex III. All other persons shall use the lanes indicated by the sign in part B of Annex III. The indications on the signs referred to in points (a) and (b) may be displayed in such language or languages as each Member State considers appropriate. At sea and land border crossing points, Member States may separate vehicle traffic into different lanes for light and heavy vehicles and buses by using signs as shown in Part C of Annex III. Member States may vary the indications on those signs where appropriate in the light of local circumstances. In the event of a temporary imbalance in traffic flows at a particular border crossing point, the rules relating to the use of the different lanes may be waived by the competent authorities for the time necessary to eliminate such imbalance. The adaptation of existing signs to the provisions of paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 shall be completed by 31 May 2009. Where Member States replace existing signs or put up new ones before that date, they shall comply with the indications provided for in those paragraphs. The travel documents of third-country nationals shall be systematically stamped on entry and exit. In particular an entry or exit stamp shall be affixed to: the documents, bearing a valid visa, enabling third-country nationals to cross the border; the documents enabling third-country nationals to whom a visa is issued at the border by a Member State to cross the border; the documents enabling third-country nationals not subject to a visa requirement to cross the border. The travel documents of nationals of third countries who are members of the family of a Union citizen to whom Directive 2004/38/EC applies, but who do not present the residence card provided for in Article 10 of that Directive, shall be stamped on entry or exit. The travel documents of nationals of third countries who are members of the family of nationals of third countries enjoying the Community right of free movement, but who do not present the residence card provided for in Article 10 of Directive 2004/38/EC, shall be stamped on entry or exit. No entry or exit stamp shall be affixed: to the travel documents of Heads of State and dignitaries whose arrival has been officially announced in advance through diplomatic channels; to pilots' licences or the certificates of aircraft crew members; to the travel documents of seamen who are present within the territory of a Member State only when their ship puts in and in the area of the port of call; to the travel documents of crew and passengers of cruise ships who are not subject to border checks in accordance with point 3.2.3 of Annex VI; to documents enabling nationals of Andorra, Monaco and San Marino to cross the border. Exceptionally, at the request of a third-country national, insertion of an entry or exit stamp may be dispensed with if insertion might cause serious difficulties for that person. In that case, entry or exit shall be recorded on a separate sheet indicating the name and passport number. That sheet shall be given to the third-country national. The practical arrangements for stamping are set out in Annex IV. Whenever possible, third-country nationals shall be informed of the border guard's obligation to stamp their travel document on entry and exit, even where checks are relaxed in accordance with Article 8. The Commission shall report to the European Parliament and the Council by the end of 2008 on the operation of the provisions on stamping travel documents. If the travel document of a third-country national does not bear an entry stamp, the competent national authorities may presume that the holder does not fulfil, or no longer fulfils, the conditions of duration of stay applicable within the Member State concerned. The presumption referred to in paragraph 1 may be rebutted where the third-country national provides, by any means, credible evidence, such as transport tickets or proof of his or her presence outside the territory of the Member States, that he or she has respected the conditions relating to the duration of a short stay. In such a case: where the third-country national is found on the territory of a Member State applying the Schengen acquis in full, the competent authorities shall indicate, in accordance with national law and practice, in his or her travel document the date on which, and the place where, he or she crossed the external border of one of the Member States applying the Schengen acquis in full; where the third-country national is found on the territory of a Member State in respect of which the decision contemplated in Article 3(2) of the 2003 Act of Accession has not been taken, the competent authorities shall indicate, in accordance with national law and practice, in his or her travel document the date on which, and the place where, he or she crossed the external border of such a Member State. In addition to the indications referred to in points (a) and (b), a form as shown in Annex VIII may be given to the third-country national. Member States shall inform each other and the Commission and the Council General Secretariat of their national practices with regard to the indications referred to in this Article. Should the presumption referred to in paragraph 1 not be rebutted, the third-country national may be expelled by the competent authorities from the territory of the Member States concerned. The main purpose of border surveillance shall be to prevent unauthorised border crossings, to counter cross-border criminality and to take measures against persons who have crossed the border illegally. The border guards shall use stationary or mobile units to carry out border surveillance. That surveillance shall be carried out in such a way as to prevent and discourage persons from circumventing the checks at border crossing points. Surveillance between border crossing points shall be carried out by border guards whose numbers and methods shall be adapted to existing or foreseen risks and threats. It shall involve frequent and sudden changes to surveillance periods, so that unauthorised border crossings are always at risk of being detected. Surveillance shall be carried out by stationary or mobile units which perform their duties by patrolling or stationing themselves at places known or perceived to be sensitive, the aim of such surveillance being to apprehend individuals crossing the border illegally. Surveillance may also be carried out by technical means, including electronic means. Additional rules governing surveillance may be adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 33(2). A third-country national who does not fulfil all the entry conditions laid down in Article 5(1) and does not belong to the categories of persons referred to in Article 5(4) shall be refused entry to the territories of the Member States. This shall be without prejudice to the application of special provisions concerning the right of asylum and to international protection or the issue of long-stay visas. Entry may only be refused by a substantiated decision stating the precise reasons for the refusal. The decision shall be taken by an authority empowered by national law. It shall take effect immediately. The substantiated decision stating the precise reasons for the refusal shall be given by means of a standard form, as set out in Annex V, Part B, filled in by the authority empowered by national law to refuse entry. The completed standard form shall be handed to the third-country national concerned, who shall acknowledge receipt of the decision to refuse entry by means of that form. Persons refused entry shall have the right to appeal. Appeals shall be conducted in accordance with national law. A written indication of contact points able to provide information on representatives competent to act on behalf of the third-country national in accordance with national law shall also be given to the third-country national. Lodging such an appeal shall not have suspensive effect on a decision to refuse entry. Without prejudice to any compensation granted in accordance with national law, the third-country national concerned shall, where the appeal concludes that the decision to refuse entry was ill-founded, be entitled to correction of the cancelled entry stamp, and any other cancellations or additions which have been made, by the Member State which refused entry. The border guards shall ensure that a third-country national refused entry does not enter the territory of the Member State concerned. Member States shall collect statistics on the number of persons refused entry, the grounds for refusal, the nationality of the persons refused and the type of border (land, air or sea) at which they were refused entry. Member States shall transmit those statistics once a year to the Commission. The Commission shall publish every two years a compilation of the statistics provided by the Member States. Detailed rules governing refusal of entry are given in Part A of Annex V. Member States shall deploy appropriate staff and resources in sufficient numbers to carry out border control at the external borders, in accordance with Articles 6 to 13, in such a way as to ensure an efficient, high and uniform level of control at their external borders. The border control provided for by Articles 6 to 13 shall be carried out by border guards in accordance with the provisions of this Regulation and with national law. When carrying out that border control, the powers to instigate criminal proceedings conferred on border guards by national law and falling outside the scope of this Regulation shall remain unaffected. Member States shall ensure that the border guards are specialised and properly trained professionals. Member States shall encourage border guards to learn languages, in particular those necessary for the carrying-out of their tasks. Member States shall notify to the Commission the list of national services responsible for border control under their national law in accordance with Article 34. To control borders effectively, each Member State shall ensure close and constant cooperation between its national services responsible for border control. The Member States shall assist each other and shall maintain close and constant cooperation with a view to the effective implementation of border control, in accordance with Articles 6 to 15. They shall exchange all relevant information. Operational cooperation between Member States in the field of management of external borders shall be coordinated by the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States (hereinafter referred to as the Agency) established by Regulation (EC) No 2007/2004. Without prejudice to the competences of the Agency, Member States may continue operational cooperation with other Member States and/or third countries at external borders, including the exchange of liaison officers, where such cooperation complements the action of the Agency. Member States shall refrain from any activity which could jeopardise the functioning of the Agency or the attainment of its objectives. Member States shall report to the Agency on the operational cooperation referred to in the first subparagraph. Member States shall provide for training on the rules for border control and on fundamental rights. In that regard, account shall be taken of the common training standards as established and further developed by the Agency. Member States which do not apply Article 20 to their common land borders may, up to the date of application of that Article, jointly control those common borders, in which case a person may be stopped only once for the purpose of carrying out entry and exit checks, without prejudice to the individual responsibility of Member States arising from Articles 6 to 13. To that end, Member States may conclude bilateral arrangements between themselves. Member States shall inform the Commission of any arrangements concluded in accordance with paragraph 1. The specific rules set out in Annex VI shall apply to the checks carried out at the various types of border and on the various means of transport used for crossing border crossing points. Those specific rules may contain derogations from Articles 5 and 7 to 13. The specific rules set out in Annex VII shall apply to checks on the following categories of persons: Heads of State and the members of their delegation(s); pilots of aircraft and other crew members; seamen; holders of diplomatic, official or service passports and members of international organisations; cross-border workers; minors. Those specific rules may contain derogations from Articles 5 and 7 to 13. Member States shall notify to the Commission the model cards issued by their Ministries of Foreign Affairs to accredited members of diplomatic missions and consular representations and members of their families in accordance with Article 34.

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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.