Government replaces temporary border checks with expanded mobile monitoring

From 1 October 2026, the government will replace temporary internal border checks with monitoring under the expanded framework for Mobile Security Monitoring (MTV). Minister for Asylum and Migration Van den Brink announced this on 24 September. The temporary checks, introduced in late 2024, end on 30 September. Monitoring itself will therefore not stop. [1]

According to the government, the same capacity from the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee will remain available for monitoring. The announcement does not state how much capacity this represents or how many checks will actually be carried out under the new framework.

Wider area and more time for checks

Under the revised MTV framework, the government says checks can take place across a wider area around the borders with Belgium and Germany. The Marechaussee must determine where and when to carry out checks, and which vehicles to select, on the basis of information and risks. The news release does not specify the precise boundaries of this wider area. [1]

The limits on checks will also change. The maximum numbers of aircraft and trains that may be checked will be replaced by percentages. The maximum number of permitted hours of checks on roads and waterways in the border region will increase. The government does not disclose in this announcement which percentages and hourly limits will apply. [1]

Van den Brink presents the expanded monitoring as a means of tackling illegal migration and cross-border crime, including people smuggling. According to the government, more flexible times and locations for checks are intended to make it harder for smuggling networks to predict and evade them. This is an expected effect, not an established result of the new approach. [1]