Border crossing

A border crossing between Indonesia and East Timor

Crossing on the French demarcation line in 1941

Inner German border in Berlin, 1989

At a border crossing , also a border crossing point or border crossing point (GÜST or GÜSt; GDR designation), the border between two countries can be crossed legally. The term state is to be understood in a broader sense, since demarcation lines to de facto autonomous areas can also act as borders, e.g. B. between the Republic of Cyprus and Northern Cyprus . Various formalities may be required when transferring, depending on the country of entry or exit.

In addition to a regulated border crossing, border crossings are often used for routine checks on the movement of people and goods. The aim is to prevent illegal border crossings and smuggling . These controls also temporarily serve as lockdown purposes in order to distinguish themselves from incidents of damage or war in the neighboring country. In 1986, on the occasion of the Chernobyl reactor disaster , people and goods were examined for radioactive contamination at the borders to Western Europe and cleaned or rejected if necessary. Increased controls are also taking place in connection with search measures.

The respective authorities of the border protection and the customs administration are responsible for the border controls . The way the two neighboring states deal with each other also determines the form of border controls, which are then handled more strictly or loosely. Since these are part of the respective border protection concept, strict controls can also be expected at heavily protected borders. Accordingly, with a so-called green border, the controls are usually less strict or are not carried out at all or are only carried out on a random basis or in specific cases of suspicion.

Design of the border crossings

Depending on the means of transport, border crossings can be divided into:

For pedestrian traffic : The control points can be at the crossing or they can be separated so that a more or less wide area, commonly referred to as no man's land , lies between the two points . They often serve the so-called small border traffic , in some cases they are cross-border hiking trails , whereby according to German law it is not a border crossing.
for road traffic : The checkpoints at road crossings can be located directly in a building or they can be separated so that a more or less wide area, commonly referred to as no man's land , lies between the two points . In order to simplify the transport of goods in transit, there are various agreements (e.g. TIR ). On high-level roads in particular, both border checkpoints are sometimes jointly located a bit in the same country and are open to pedestrians arriving from across the country.
For rail traffic : In order to allow the train to stay at the border as short as possible, one station is usually equipped as a border station in both countries . If there are corresponding agreements between the neighboring countries, the border guards commute between the two stations and carry out the checks on the moving train. In other cases, the train is only led to the border, so passengers have to walk through a checkpoint, which is often located in the train station.
- Sometimes it is necessary to change the locomotive at the border. The reasons are different approvals for traction vehicles and drivers, as well as different traction current systems . Between some countries with different track , the vehicles must in the border area umgespurt be.
for air traffic : Here the border crossing is in the airport and not at an actual border. Both incoming and outgoing passengers can be checked. A special feature is that travelers are legally only on the respective national territory after they have passed the checkpoint. If they are prevented from entering the country, they can only stay in a separate part of the airport until their situation has been clarified or they have to leave again without having entered the respective country. Possibly. Entry controls are already being shifted to the departure airport so that no passengers can board an aircraft without a valid entry permit .
for shipping : A distinction is made between sea shipping , where the ship usually arrives via international waters to the destination country, and inland shipping , where the states are directly adjacent and the border z. B. runs along a river. The situation in maritime shipping is similar to that in aviation. In inland navigation there are mostly bilateral or multilateral agreements that often limit the formalities to a minimum.

Depending on the type of border crossing, there is additional infrastructure in the immediate vicinity, which is geared to the needs of those entering or leaving the country. These include B. Exchange offices , car rentals and hotels . In the areas designated as no man's land and the areas behind the exit controls at the airports, special (cheaper) tax regulations often apply, which is why shops and entire shopping centers are located (see also duty-free shops ).

Border inspection post
Free passage on the highway
Border marking Germany / Austria
Border control post at the airport
Border post on the Bernina Railway between Campocologno and Tirano

Schengen area

The signatory states of the Schengen Agreement are abolishing border controls at their internal borders. Instead, the external borders of the Schengen area are checked according to a uniform standard. For this purpose, the European Union developed, among other things, the non-public computer network Schengen Information System . The border crossings at the internal borders will nonetheless continue to exist as long as the border at these locations is maintained. However, controls only take place for current events. This happened z. B. at the European and World Cups, as well as in the run-up to the G8 summit in Genoa 2001 and Heiligendamm 2007 .

Border crossings in literature

Since border crossings can be scenes of dramatic situations, they are also the focus of literary and cinematic works. They play a major role in the literature of the 20th century, which u. a. was shaped by the Cold War and the Iron Curtain .

Film samples

Web links

Commons : Border Crossings - collection of images, videos and audio files

Commons : International Borders - collection of images, videos and audio files

Wiktionary: Border crossing - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations