Norway tightens border checks

Norway tightens border checks

Norway tightens border checks

Norway will introduce tighter border checks, affecting people arriving by ferry from Denmark, Germany and Sweden, Prime Minister Erna Solberg says.

The checks come into effect on Wednesday.

Ferry operators will be asked to ensure that passengers have passports or travel papers, Solberg said.

Checks will also be stepped up at the border crossings with neighbouring Sweden for arrivals by bus or train, she told broadcaster TV2 on Tuesday.

Solberg's announcement came shortly after Sweden announced plans to tighten rules for asylum seekers as it could no longer cope with the influx.

"We can't wait for the same thing to happen in Norway, therefore we have already introduced a number of measures, but we have to follow what other countries do and act swiftly," Solberg said.

Sweden said it was also to widen its checks of passports or other forms of identity cards for people arriving on buses and trains and ferries to the country. The checks were introduced on November 12 when Sweden temporarily introduced border controls.

Norway is not a member of the European Union but is part of the passport-free Schengen zone. Like several other European countries, it has seen a recent rise in asylum applications.