Article 8 — Border checks on persons
Schengen Borders Code, Regulation (EU) 2016/399
What does SCHENGEN-BORDERS-CODE Article 8 say?
Short answer, straight from the official text
1. 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.
Source: Schengen Borders Code, Regulation (EU) 2016/399, read 2026-10-13.
| In the act | EU 2016/399 |
| CELEX | 32016R0399 |
| Read on | 2026-10-13 |
Official text
Read from the EU Publications Office for this CELEX number. The wording stands as published; nothing here is rewritten or summarised.
Jump to a point: Point 1 · Point 2 · Point 3 · Point 4 · Point 5
1. 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.
2. 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 right of free movement under Union law.
However, on a non-systematic basis, when carrying out minimum checks on persons enjoying the right of free movement under Union law, 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 article continues in the official text.
The text is quoted from the official source and is not legal advice. A national court reads the language version that binds in its jurisdiction.
Back to the act · EU acts, read down to the national law
ExploreWorldAI is operated by Valkiv Ventures AB (Reg. no. 556995-1311), Kungsgatan 8, 111 43 Stockholm, Sweden. EU-hosted, with data processing assessed against the GDPR. Contact: hello@exploreworldai.com.
Machine-readable summaries for AI agents: /llms.txt and /llms-full.txt.
