Border checks in 2026: Austria, Germany and your drive time

Schengen countries may bring back checks at internal borders only for a limited time, and they must notify the European Commission. Austria and Germany can extend their current checks or end them early.

What applies and until when

The Commission's list showed this on 26 September 2026:

Austria has notified no checks at its border with Germany, and ADAC says drivers entering Austria from Germany meet only spot checks on special occasions. Between the two countries, the checks that hold up traffic are German ones, on the way into Germany.

What a check looks like

Neither country stops every vehicle. ADAC says Germany has concentrated on traffic from Austria since 2015, and that at the motorway crossings of Suben, Walserberg and Kiefersfelden the checks regularly cause queues, depending on traffic.

Austria works differently. When it extended its checks on 15 September 2026, the interior ministry described flexible checks across the whole border area rather than fixed posts at the crossings, meant to burden commuters as little as possible.

German federal police may also check people up to 30 km inside Germany, even where no border control is notified.

What to carry

This follows the EU's Your Europe site, ÖAMTC and ADAC. It is not legal advice; if you are not an EU citizen, check the sources for your case.

• EU citizens need a passport or national ID card, valid on the day of travel. Your Europe says you must show one when temporary border controls apply.
• Children need their own passport or ID card.
• A driving licence is not enough on its own. Your Europe says licences and bank cards may be refused as proof of identity, and ÖAMTC says only a passport or ID card counts.
• Non-EU nationals need a passport plus any visa or residence permit they require.
• The driver also needs a driving licence, which German federal police list among the documents they may ask for.

Crossings on popular routes

The table shows who has notified checks at the main crossings on routes in our guides. It does not show whether officers are there on a given day.

Nothing is notified between Slovakia and Czechia, such as the D2 north from Bratislava (Bratislava to Prague), or between Slovakia and Hungary at Rajka (Bratislava to Budapest). Leaving Austria for Slovakia, Czechia or Hungary means entering a country with no checks of its own.

How checks affect your arrival time

Navigation apps build arrival times from traffic data (why they differ), and none of the app makers' descriptions mentions border checks. A check mostly reaches your estimate through the traffic it slows. The app usually shows slow or stopped traffic near the border without saying why, so a border queue looks like any other jam.

The arrival time shown when you set off is a forecast for a border you reach much later. A queue that builds meanwhile usually shows up once devices stuck in it report slow speeds, so check the route again as you approach.

Google says its forecasts combine historical traffic patterns with live conditions. Where German checks slow traffic at similar times week after week, the forecast may already reflect that. Austria's checks move around the border area, so a stop in a new place or on an unusual day will not be in it.

Each app has its own data, so one may show a border queue before another, and some suggest a different crossing. That can help, though checks are not tied to one place. Mapssy's route comparison puts live estimates for one trip side by side, so a disagreement near the border stands out.

Before you reach a checked border

• Keep passports or ID cards for everyone, children too, within reach rather than in the boot.
• Check traffic before you leave: ASFINAG for Austrian motorways, ADAC for German roads and border crossings, or ÖAMTC for links to traffic information across Europe.
• Allow extra time. ÖAMTC advises expecting waits on entry, especially at weekends and in holiday periods.
• Refresh your route before the last motorway exit ahead of the border, while another crossing is still an option.
• If you switch crossings, check whether the new road needs a vignette (2026 vignette guide).
• For a trip after 15 March 2027, check the European Commission's list first, as the checks may have been extended or ended.