From 9 December 2024 to 8 June 2025, the Netherlands will temporarily introduce border controls at its internal borders with other Schengen countries. The border controls are commissioned by the Ministry of Asylum and Migration to counter irregular migration and cross-border crime.
The Royal Military Police carries out checks at the border with Belgium and Germany. This can happen at all border crossings, such as on roads, international trains, at airports. Therefore, always take a valid travel document with you (passport or identity card). This Cabinet measure aims to combat irregular migration to the Netherlands and tackle human smuggling. The Marechaussee carries out checks based on risk analysis and information. This means that border controls are carried out in a non-systematic way. How often and how extensively checks are carried out depends on the situation. The inconvenience to border traffic will be minimised.
Border checks can be carried out in different ways:
On the road, static and mobile controls take place
During large-scale strategic checks, they close a part of the highway and traffic is directed through a special control lane. There, the Royal Military Police check some of the vehicles. To ensure safety, it may be necessary to temporarily impose a speed limit.
Smaller, mobile checks may also be carried out. Marechaussee motorcyclists then select vehicles at the border and escort them to a checkpoint.
At airports
At the arrival gate, travellers' travel documents can be checked. This only applies to flights within the Schengen area. Flights from outside the Schengen area always already go through passport control. The Marechaussee only checks specific flights with a higher risk of irregular migration or cross-border crime.
On the train
Military police can also check travellers' travel documents on international trains coming from the Schengen area. They walk through the train compartments for this purpose.
So inconvenience may arise here and there. The Royal Marechaussee is doing its best to minimise the inconvenience to economic traffic and people living and working in the border region. Read more about the temporary border controls on the royal marechaussee website. Marechaussee.co.uk: Temporary reintroduction of border controls
The photo posted is from the Royal Military Police website.
