Information about the Danish border control

Q&As – read more about the initiative here.

What is the difference between border controls in Denmark and Sweden?

• Denmark has introduced spot check controls on its borders with Germany for a 10 day period, in accordance with the procedures set out in Schengen rules. People who do not have a legal basis for stay in Denmark and who do not wish to seek asylum will be refused entry into the country. People who wish to seek asylum will have their application treated.
• Sweden has introduced controls on its borders with Denmark and Germany and has supplemented this with carrier liability, obliging carriers to ensure that the persons they are transporting into Sweden are in possession of identity documents.
• Given that there is no land border between Denmark and Sweden [most immigrants and asylum seekers will need to travel by train, bus or ferry in order to come to Sweden. As a result] the internal border control reintroduced by Sweden combined with carrier liability has in fact resulted in a closed border for immigrants and asylum seekers with no identification papers.

Why has Denmark reintroduced temporary border control on 4 January 2016?

• Denmark has reintroduced temporary border controls as a consequence of Sweden’s closing of its borders for immigrants and asylum seekers without the required identification papers when travelling to Sweden. This has left Denmark faced with a serious risk to public policy and internal security because a very large number of illegal immigrants may be stranded in the Copenhagen area within a short period of time.

Where have temporary border controls been reintroduced?

• The controls will initially focus on the ferries arriving from Germany to the harbours in Gedser, Roedby and Roenne, and the land border between Denmark and Germany. The temporary border control will be conducted as spot checks based on ongoing observation of cross border traffic.

Who will conduct the daily border control?

• Danish police will conduct the border control.

Will the border be physically closed?

• No. What is being introduced is temporary border controls – not a physical barrier along the border.

The border controls will be reintroduced for 10 days. Will the border controls be extended for a longer period of time after the initial 10 days?

• After the 10 days period, the border controls may be extended for 20 days if the serious risk to the public policy or internal security persists beyond the initial 10 days. This second period can also be extended.

What types of ID does it require to be allowed access to Denmark?

• A person will need a valid travel document or documents authorising them to cross the border and a visa, if required.
• People who cannot provide evidence for a legal basis for stay in Denmark and who do not wish to seek asylum will be rejected (refused entry into the country).
• People without a legal basis for stay who are encountered after having crossed the border, and who do not wish to seek asylum, may  be detained for the purpose of establishing their identity and to assess the possibility of expulsion.

Will all people be stopped on their way into Denmark?

• The implementation of temporary border controls does not mean that everyone will be checked. The border controls will consist of spot checks based on ongoing observation of cross border traffic. The intensity of border controls will be continuously adapted to the current situation.

What happens if you are stopped in Denmark without providing the necessary papers? Will you be detained?

• People without a legal basis for stay who are encountered after having crossed the border, and who do not wish to seek asylum, may be detained for the purpose of establishing their identity and to assess the possibility of expulsion.
• People who do not wish to seek asylum and for whom there is a real possibility of being sent back to another country within a short period of time will – as far as possible – remain detained [either in reception centres or in one of the prison service’s institutions]. People who cannot be sent back to another country within a short period of time will be obliged to stay at a departure centre.

What happens to those who do not seek asylum at the Danish border?

• People who cannot provide evidence for a legal basis for stay in Denmark and who do not wish to seek asylum will be refused entry into the country.

Do people crossing the border from Denmark to Germany have to show a passport?

• Germany has not reintroduced border controls at its borders to Denmark. As a consequence border checks will not be carried out on people crossing the border from Denmark to Germany.

Sweden / obligation for carriers at the border

Will all people have their ID papers checked on Danish trains, buses and ferries?

• As a consequence of the carrier liability introduced by Sweden, if you are travelling to Sweden your ID papers will be checked before you can board trains, buses and ferries from Denmark to Sweden.

Is a passport required to travel to Sweden?

• As a consequence of rules introduced by Sweden, all people have to show legal photo-id with a picture before entry into Sweden.

Will Oresund Bridge be closed to stop the traffic of asylum seekers between Denmark and Sweden?

• No.