Norway introduces temporary border checks over terror threat level

Norway is introducing temporary border checks on its frontiers with other Western European nations after the domestic security agency raised the terror threat level.

The checks will apply until 22 October according to a police statement, which cited “a challenging threat picture”.

The move follows the 8 October announcement by the security agency, PST, that it was increasing Norway’s threat level from “moderate” to “high,” the second-highest level on a five-tier scale.

PST pointed to an increased threat to Jewish and Israeli targets in particular.

Norway isn’t a member of the European Union, but the country is part of the Schengen zone, allowing European ID-check-free travel. It has land borders with EU and Schengen members Sweden and Finland.

The border-free Schengen area allows more than 425 million EU citizens, as well as non-EU nationals residing or visiting the EU, to move freely across member states for tourism, study, or business without restrictions.

This freedom of movement lets EU citizens travel, work, and live in any EU country without the need for special permits.

Most EU countries are part of the Schengen area, except for Cyprus and Ireland. Bulgaria and Romania joined the Schengen area for internal air and sea travel in March 2024.

However, land border controls are still in place, with discussions on removing them continuing this year.

In September, Germany reinstated border checks for 6 months at all land crossings on its nine borders to curb migration and tackle crime.

The country’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the goal was to “protect against the acute dangers posed by Islamist terrorism and serious crime”.

Norway police said that the new controls won’t involve all travellers being checked, and there’s no reason to expect delays at border crossings.