A border checkpoint is a location on an
international border
Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...
where travelers or goods
are inspected and allowed (or denied) passage through. Authorization often is required to enter a country through its borders. Access-controlled borders often have a limited number of checkpoints where they can be crossed without legal sanctions. Arrangements or treaties may be formed to allow or mandate
less restrained crossings (e.g. the
Schengen Agreement
The Schengen Agreement ( , ) is a treaty which led to the creation of Europe's Schengen Area, in which internal border checks have largely been abolished. It was signed on 14 June 1985, near the town of Schengen, Luxembourg, by five of the t ...
). Land border checkpoints (land ports of entry) can be contrasted with the
customs and
immigration
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, a ...
facilities at
seaports
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ha ...
,
international airports, and other
ports of entry
In general, a port of entry (POE) is a place where one may lawfully enter a country. It typically has border security staff and facilities to check passports and visas and to inspect luggage to assure that contraband is not imported. Internatio ...
.
Checkpoints generally serve two purposes:
* To prevent entrance of individuals who are either undesirable (e.g. criminals or others who pose threats) or simply unauthorized to enter.
* To prevent entrance of goods that are illegal or subject to restriction, or to collect
tariffs
A tariff is a tax imposed by the government of a country or by a supranational union on imports or exports of goods. Besides being a source of revenue for the government, import duties can also be a form of regulation of foreign trade and po ...
.
Checkpoints are usually staffed by a uniformed service (sometimes referred to as
customs service
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...
or
border patrol agents).
In some countries (e.g. China) there are border checkpoints for both those entering and those exiting the country, while in others (e.g. U.S. and Canada), there are border checkpoints only when entering the country. (There are also
United States Border Patrol interior checkpoints.)
Definitions in European Union (Schengen) law
The ''
Schengen
The Schengen Area ( , ) is an area comprising 27 European countries that have officially abolished all passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders. Being an element within the wider area of freedom, security and j ...
''Borders Code'''', which forms part of the law of the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
, defines some terms as follows (particularities with respect to the EU are left out, in order to emphasize general usability of those definitions):
*"Border crossing point" means any crossing point authorized by the competent authorities for the crossing of external borders (Article 2 sec. 8 of the Schengen Borders Code);
*"
Border control" means the activity carried out at a border,
..in response exclusively to an intention to cross or the act of crossing that border, regardless of any other consideration, consisting of border checks and border surveillance (Article 2 sec. 9 of the Schengen Borders Code);
*"Border checks" means the checks carried out at border crossing points, to ensure that persons, including their means of transport and the objects in their possession, may be authorised to enter the territory
..or authorised to leave it (Article 2 sec. 10 of the Schengen Borders Code);
*"Border surveillance" means the surveillance of borders between border crossing points and the surveillance of border crossing points outside the fixed opening hours, in order to prevent persons from circumventing border checks (Article 2 sec. 10 of the Schengen Borders Code).
*"Second line check" means a further check which may be carried out in a special location away from the location at which all persons are checked (first line)
These definitions mean that a place where a road crosses an internal Schengen border is legally not a "border crossing point".
Busiest checkpoints in the world
Land
This is a list of the busiest land border checkpoints in the world, handling more than 35 million travelers in both directions annually. These travelers (or individual crossings) comprise pedestrians, drivers and vehicle passengers. International border checkpoints are in green.
Notes:
* As the United States does not have border checkpoints for outgoing traffic, incoming traffic figures are doubled to give a fair comparison. See detailed notes in table.
* El Paso Port of Entry has been excluded, as its total represents the sum of
six individual checkpoints at the end of six separate bridges, with no single checkpoint meeting the minimum number of crossings required for this list.
Air
This is a list of the busiest airports in the world, by international passenger traffic, as of 2018. Airports serving international passengers are effectively checkpoints, and have the proper customs, immigration and quarantine facilities.
Airports Council International
Airports Council International (ACI) is an organization of airport authorities aimed at unifying industry practices for airport standards. Established in 1991, its headquarters (ACI World) are based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and its members ...
's (January–December) preliminary figures are as follows.
Sea
This is a list of the busiest seaports in the world, with proper customs, immigration and quarantine facilities to be deemed as maritime checkpoints. Although figures simply represent total passenger traffic, most (if not, all) of the passengers served at these ports are bound for other countries and have to pass through checkpoint (i.e. the port is not a domestic one). This list only includes ports that handle more than 4 million passengers annually.
Note:
* The four passenger ports in China, Hong Kong and Macau in this list operate services to and from each other. These passenger ports are effectively checkpoints, as they have the proper customs, immigration and quarantine facilities.
Gallery
File:Nogales-Grand Avenue Port of Entry.jpg, United States–Mexico border
United may refer to:
Places
* United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community
* United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
Arts and entertainment Films
* ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film
* ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...
checkpoint at Nogales, Arizona.
File:Nuijamaa border crossing 2017 03 (cropped).jpg, The car traffic on the Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
side of the Russian border at the Nuijamaa Border Crossing Point in Nuijamaa
Nuijamaa (; literally translated the " club land") is a former municipality in the province of South Karelia in Finland. The municipality had inhabitants and an area of 136 km² in 1988. Nuijamaa was a Finnish-speaking municipality. Nuija ...
, Lappeenranta
Lappeenranta (; sv, Villmanstrand) is a city and municipality in the region of South Karelia, about from the Russian border and from the town of Vyborg (''Viipuri''). It is situated on the shore of the Lake Saimaa in southeastern Finland, and ...
, Finland.
File:Cửa khẩu Mộc Bài tỉnh Tây Ninh, trên biên giới Việt Nam-Campuchia.JPG, The Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
–Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...
border west of Tây Ninh Province, from the Vietnamese side.
File:FrontiereBeninNiger.jpg, An African road border entering Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languages[Benin
Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...](_blank)
at Gaya
File:Ancien poste frontière au col du Pourtalet (côté espagnol).jpg, Old border post on the France–Spain border (both countries now part of the Schengen Area)
File:France-Italy Border Checkpoint, Menton.jpg, The Pont Saint-Ludovic / Ponte San Ludovico border checkpoint between Menton
Menton (; , written ''Menton'' in classical norm or ''Mentan'' in Mistralian norm; it, Mentone ) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera, close to the Italian border.
Me ...
, France, and Ventimiglia
Ventimiglia (; lij, label= Intemelio, Ventemiglia , lij, label= Genoese, Vintimiggia; french: Vintimille ; oc, label= Provençal, Ventemilha ) is a resort town in the province of Imperia, Liguria, northern Italy. It is located southwest of ...
, Italy (both countries are part of the Schengen Area)
File:NofelsFresch2.JPG, Looking into Austria from Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarch ...
, with a joint border station. Since Liechtenstein joined the Schengen Area in 2011, this border station is for customs formalities only.
File:Nehoteevka.JPG, Nekhoteevka customs on the Russia–Ukraine border
The Russia–Ukraine border is the international state border between the Russian Federation and Ukraine. Over land, the border outlines five oblasts (regions) of Ukraine and five oblasts of the Russian Federation. The modern border issue has be ...
.
File:Mejni prehod Petrina.jpg, Border checkpoint on the Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
–Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
border.
File:Tanjung Puteri CIQ Complex.JPG, The former checkpoint in Johor Bahru, Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
at the Johor–Singapore Causeway
The Johor–Singapore Causeway is a causeway consisting of a combined railway and motorway bridge that links the city of Johor Bahru in Malaysia across the Straits of Johor to the district and town of Woodlands in Singapore. Historically f ...
. It was replaced by the much larger Sultan Iskandar Building 1 km further inland in 2008.
File:Gongbei gate.JPG, Gongbei Port on the mainland
Mainland is defined as "relating to or forming the main part of a country or continent, not including the islands around it egardless of status under territorial jurisdiction by an entity" The term is often politically, economically and/or dem ...
side of the Zhuhai
Zhuhai (, ; Yale: ''Jyūhói''), also known as Chuhai is a prefecture-level city located on the west bank of Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern Guangdong province, People's Republic of China, on the southeastern edge of Pear ...
–Macau
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a p ...
border.
File:Portas do Cerco.JPG, Posto Fronteiriço das Portas do Cerco
The Posto Fronteiriço das Portas do Cerco (Portuguese for ''Border Post of Portas do Cerco'') is an immigration and customs checkpoint in the Portas do Cerco area in northern Macau, on its border with mainland China's Zhuhai.
It is one of three ...
on the Macanese side of the Zhuhai–Macau border.
File:Noyes Customs and Immigration Station.jpg, The former customs and immigration station along the Canada–United States border at Noyes, Minnesota
Noyes is an unincorporated community in St. Vincent Township, Kittson County, Minnesota, United States. Located in the extreme northwestern corner of the state on the Canada–United States border, Noyes is the northern terminus of U.S. Highwa ...
, built in 1931, one of the earliest purpose-built border stations in the United States and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
.
See also
*
Alcabala
The alcabala or alcavala () was a sales tax of up to fourteen percent,Joaquín Escriche, ''Diccionario razonado de legislacion y jurisprudencia'', Volume 1, Third Edition, Viuda e hijos de A. Calleja, 1847. Entry "Alcabala", pp. 143–149Availab ...
*
Border
Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...
*
Border control
*
Border outpost
A border outpost, border out post, border observation post or BOPCheckpoint Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie (or "Checkpoint C") was the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War (1947–1991), as named by the Western Allies.
East German leader Walter Ulbricht agitated and maneu ...
and the
Berlin Wall
*
Customs
*
Frontier Closed Area
The Frontier Closed Area (), established by the Frontier Closed Area Order, 1951, and 1984 is a regulated border zone in Hong Kong that extended inwards from the border with Mainland China.
Established to prevent illegal migrants and other i ...
is the border area in Hong Kong with China
*
Garitas in Mexico
Garitas or retenes (singular: ''retén'') are federal inspection stations operated by the Mexican government.
They are officially known as "garitas de revisión" (checkpoints). They are usually located within of the national border with the Unite ...
*
Israeli checkpoint
An Israeli checkpoint ( he, מחסום, ''mahsom'', ar, حاجز, ''hajez''), is a barrier erected by the Israeli Security Forces, primarily today part of the system of West Bank closures in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The checkpoints a ...
*
Schengen Agreement
The Schengen Agreement ( , ) is a treaty which led to the creation of Europe's Schengen Area, in which internal border checks have largely been abolished. It was signed on 14 June 1985, near the town of Schengen, Luxembourg, by five of the t ...
* The
United States–Mexico border
United may refer to:
Places
* United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community
* United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
Arts and entertainment Films
* ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film
* ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...
and
Canada–United States border
*
List of Canada–United States border crossings
This article includes lists of border crossings, ordered from west to east (north to south for Alaska crossings), along the International Boundary between Canada and the United States. Each port of entry (POE) in the tables below links to an art ...
*
List of Mexico–United States border crossings
There are 50 places where people can legally cross the Mexico–United States border. Several large border cities have multiple crossings, often including one or more that bypass the center of the city and are designated for truck traffic. For p ...
Notes
References
{{Authority control
Borders
International border crossings