Lithuania Temporarily Restored Internal Border Controls during NATO Summit
In light of the upcoming NATO summit that is scheduled to take place on July 11 and 12 in Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, internal border control will be reinstated for a period of seven days.
Inspections at the border checkpoints established by the State Border Guard Service (VSAT) will resume from July 7. 8:00 a.m. until July 13 8:00 a.m.
“We take the potential risks seriously and are prepared to ensure public, national and NATO security during this critical event. The decision to resume checks at the internal border would allow for a purposeful distribution of human resources and more effective management of possible threats,” says Minister of the Interior Agnė Bilotaitė.
When crossing the internal border, it is mandatory to have:
• Personal travel documents: EU citizens - identity cards or passports; third-country citizens - passports and visas if a visa regime applies to citizens of that country (or other equivalent documents granting the right to enter Schengen countries, such as temporary residence permits or permanent residence permits).
• Vehicle documents for driven vehicles.
With the reinstatement of internal border control, travel may take longer, but travelers should not experience significant inconvenience due to additional border procedures.
Inspections will be conducted for passengers of internal flights (between Schengen area countries) at airports, for passengers of regular domestic ferry services at seaport border control points, and for individuals crossing the land border with Poland and Latvia.
Considering the situation and potential threats, inspections will be carried out on a risk-based basis at any time of the day. Temporary infrastructure will be set up for inspections and temporary road signs and barriers will be installed to regulate traffic.
Customs officers, as well as Latvian and Polish border guards, will be involved in the border control at the internal border. The Lithuanian Armed Forces, riflemen, and additional forces from Estonian and Moldovan border guards and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) will be additionally deployed for external border control.
Schengen area countries have abolished internal border control, but each country can temporarily reintroduce it when necessary to take certain security measures to more effectively prevent breaches of internal security and public order.
Reinstating internal border control for events of significant scale and importance is a common practice in Schengen area countries. Due to the NATO Summit, both Latvia in 2010, Poland in 2016, and Spain in 2022 reinstated internal border control. In Lithuania, internal border control was reintroduced in 2020.
Individuals arriving in the territory of the Republic of Lithuania will be checked at the following border control points (BCPs) at the internal border:
International airport BCPs:
Vilnius;
Kaunas;
Palanga.
Klaipėda State Seaport BCPs:
Malkų įlankos;
Pilies.
Land BCPs:
With the Republic of Poland:
1. Kalvarija;
2. Lazdijai.
With the Republic of Latvia:
1. Būtingė;
2. Skuodas;
3. Buknaičiai;
4. Kalviai;
5. Saločiai;
6. Germaniškis;
7. Obeliai;
8. Smėlynė.