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{{short description|Passage point on an international border}}
{{distinguish|Border control}}
{{Redirect2|Frontier post|Border post|the Pakistani newspaper|The Frontier Post|the 2006 Serbo-Croatian film|The Border Post|the South African village|Border Post, South Africa}}

{{multiple image
| direction         = vertical
| footer            = Johor Bahru Checkpoint ([[Malaysia]]) and Woodlands Checkpoint ([[Singapore]]) on the [[Malaysia–Singapore border]] handles the busiest international land border crossing in the world, with 350,000 travellers daily.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://infographics.channelnewsasia.com/interactive/causewayjam/index.html|title=Clearing the Causeway |date=2018-06-09|access-date=2019-02-07}}</ref><ref name="woodlands">{{Cite web|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/a-look-at-woodlands-checkpoint-singapores-first-and-last-line-of-defence|title=A Look at Woodlands Checkpoint|last=Lim|first=Yan Liang|date=2013-10-13|work=The Straits Times|access-date=2019-06-13|archive-date=2020-03-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200323041636/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/a-look-at-woodlands-checkpoint-singapores-first-and-last-line-of-defence|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| image1            = SultanIskandarCIQ.JPG
| alt1              = Sultan Iskandar Building, Johor Bahru, Malaysia
| caption1          = [[Sultan Iskandar Building]] in [[Johor Bahru]], Malaysia Singapore border
| image2            = Woodlands Checkpoint, Singapore - 200301.jpg
| alt2              = Woodlands Checkpoint, Singapore
| caption2          = [[Johor–Singapore Causeway#Woodlands Checkpoint|Woodlands Checkpoint]], Malaysia Singapore border
}}

A '''border checkpoint''' is a location on an [[international border]] where travelers or goods [[Border control|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 [[Freedom of movement|less restrained crossings]] (e.g. the [[Schengen Agreement]]). Land border checkpoints (land ports of entry) can be contrasted with the [[customs]] and [[immigration]] facilities at [[port|seaports]], [[international airport]]s, and other [[port of entry|ports of entry]].

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]].

Checkpoints are usually staffed by a uniformed service (sometimes referred to as [[Customs|customs service]] or [[Border guard|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.

== Definitions in European Union (Schengen) law ==
{{See also|Schengen Area}}
[[Image:EU Swiss border post.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Italian-Swiss border post – since Switzerland joined the [[Schengen Area]] in 2008, this checkpoint is solely for customs formalities]]

The ''[[Schengen Agreement|Schengen]] [[Schengen Borders Code|''Borders Code'']]'', which forms part of the law of the [[European Union]], defines some terms as follows (particularities with respect to the EU are left out, in order to emphasize general usability of those definitions):<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2006:105:0001:0032:EN:PDF|title=Regulation (EC) No 562/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2006 establishing a Community Code on the rules governing the movement of persons across borders (Schengen Borders Code) |date=2006-04-13|access-date=2007-11-25}}</ref> 
*"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 [[Port of entry#In the United States|six individual checkpoints at the end of six separate bridges]], with no single checkpoint meeting the minimum number of crossings required for this list.<ref>{{cite web |title=Point of Entry El Paso {{!}} 2018 |url=https://comptroller.texas.gov/economy/economic-data/ports/el-paso.php |publisher=[[Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Border Crossings Entry Data –Annual Data {{!}} 2018 |url=https://explore.dot.gov/views/BorderCrossingData/Annual?%3Aembed=y&%3AisGuestRedirectFromVizportal=y&%3Amobile=true |publisher=[[United States Department of Transportation|USDOT]]}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! data-sort-type="number" style="width: 20pt;"|Rank
! colspan="4" class="unsortable" |Border checkpoints
! style="width: 90pt;"|Annual Travelers
! class="unsortable" |Notes

|-
|1
|style="width: 200pt;"|[[Gongbei Port of Entry|Gongbei Port]]
|{{Flag|China}}
|{{Flag|Macau}}
|style="width: 200pt;"|[[Posto Fronteiriço das Portas do Cerco]]
|134,000,000
| align="left" |(2018)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.macaubusiness.com/macau-gongbei-border-crossings-in-2018-highest-ever-in-china-zhuhai-govt/|title=Macau {{!}} Gongbei Border crossings in 2018 highest ever in China – Zhuhai Gov't|date=2019-01-03|website=Macau Business|access-date=2019-06-14}}</ref>

|-style="background:#dfd;"
|2
|[[Sultan Iskandar Building]]
|{{Flag|Malaysia}}
|{{Flag|Singapore}}
|[[Woodlands Checkpoint]]
|127,750,000
| align="left" |(2012)<ref name="woodlands" /><ref group=Note name=Note01/>

|-
|3
|style="width: 200pt;"|[[Luohu Port]]
|{{Flag|China}}
|{{Flag|Hong Kong}}
|style="width: 200pt;"|[[Lo Wu Control Point]]
|81,707,959
| align="left" |(2017)<ref name="appendices-07" />

|- style="background:#dfd;"
|4
| style="width: 200pt;" |[[El Chaparral|Puerto Fronterizo El Chaparral]]
|{{Flag|Mexico}}
|{{Flag|United States of America}}
| style="width: 200pt;" |[[San Ysidro Port of Entry]]
|69,300,000
| align="left" |(2018)<ref name="BorderCrossingTableDashboard">{{Cite web|url=https://explore.dot.gov/t/BTS/views/BTSBorderCrossingAnnualData/BorderCrossingTableDashboard?:embed=y&:showShareOptions=true&:display_count=no&:showVizHome=no|title=Workbook: Border Crossing Annual Data|website=explore.dot.gov|access-date=2019-06-14|archive-date=2019-07-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715195655/https://explore.dot.gov/t/BTS/views/BTSBorderCrossingAnnualData/BorderCrossingTableDashboard?:embed=y&:showShareOptions=true&:display_count=no&:showVizHome=no|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref group=Note name=Note02/>

|-
|5
|style="width: 200pt;"|[[Futian Port]]
|{{Flag|China}}
|{{Flag|Hong Kong}}
|style="width: 200pt;"|[[Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point]]
|59,464,480
| align="left" |(2017)<ref name="appendices-07">{{Cite web|url=https://www.immd.gov.hk/publications/a_report_2017/en/appendices-07.html|title=Immigration Department Annual Report 2017|website=www.immd.gov.hk|access-date=2019-06-14}}</ref>

|-
|6
| style="width: 200pt;" |[[Shenzhen Bay Port]]
|{{Flag|China}}
|{{Flag|Hong Kong}}
| style="width: 200pt;" |[[Shenzhen Bay Control Point]]
|45,118,797
| align="left" |(2017)<ref name="appendices-07" />

|-
|7
|style="width: 200pt;"|[[Huanggang Port]]
|{{Flag|China}}
|{{Flag|Hong Kong}}
|style="width: 200pt;"|[[Lok Ma Chau Control Point]]
|37,059,848
| align="left" |(2017)<ref name="appendices-07" />

|- style="background:#dfd;"
|8
| style="width: 200pt;" |[[Puerto Fronterizo Mesa de Otay]]
|{{Flag|Mexico}}
|{{Flag|United States of America}}
| style="width: 200pt;" |[[Otay Mesa Port of Entry]]
|35,400,000
| align="left" |(2018)<ref name="BorderCrossingTableDashboard" /><ref group=Note name=Note02/>
|}

===Air===
{{main|List of busiest airports by international passenger traffic}}
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]]'s (January–December) preliminary figures are as follows.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://aci.aero/news/2019/03/13/preliminary-world-airport-traffic-rankings-released/|title=ACI World releases preliminary 2018 world airport traffic rankings Passenger traffic: Passenger traffic remains resilient but cargo hubs see volume growth weaken India becomes world's third largest aviation market for passenger traffic|website=www.aci.aero|access-date=2019-04-10|date=2019-03-13|archive-date=2020-05-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200517082213/https://aci.aero/news/2019/03/13/preliminary-world-airport-traffic-rankings-released/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! data-sort-type="number" style="width: 20pt;"|Rank
! colspan="2" class="unsortable" |Airport
! style="width: 90pt;"|Annual Passengers

|-
|1
|style="width: 200pt;"|[[Dubai International Airport]]
|{{Flag|United Arab Emirates}}
|88,885,367

|-
|2
|style="width: 200pt;"|[[Heathrow Airport|London Heathrow Airport]]
|{{Flag|United Kingdom}}
|75,306,939

|-
|3
|style="width: 200pt;"|[[Hong Kong International Airport]]
|{{Flag|Hong Kong}}
|74,360,976

|-
|4
|style="width: 200pt;"|[[Amsterdam Airport Schiphol]]
|{{Flag|Netherlands}}
|70,956,258<ref group=Note name=Note03/>
|-
|5
|style="width: 200pt;"|[[Seoul Incheon International Airport]]
|{{Flag|South Korea}}
|67,676,147

|-
|6
|style="width: 200pt;"|[[Charles de Gaulle Airport|Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport]]
|{{Flag|France}}
|66,383,494<ref group=Note name=Note03/>

|-
|7
|style="width: 200pt;"|[[Singapore Changi Airport]]
|{{Flag|Singapore}}
|64,890,000

|-
|8
|style="width: 200pt;"|[[Frankfurt Airport]]
|{{Flag|Germany}}
|61,774,663<ref group=Note name=Note03/>

|-
|9
|style="width: 200pt;"|[[Suvarnabhumi Airport]]
|{{Flag|Thailand}}
|50,868,846

|-
|10
|style="width: 200pt;"|[[Atatürk International Airport]]
|{{Flag|Turkey}}
|48,978,770

|}

===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.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! data-sort-type="number" style="width: 20pt;"|Rank
! colspan="2" class="unsortable" |Port
! style="width: 90pt;"|Annual Passengers
! class="unsortable" |Notes
|-
|1
|[[Taipa Ferry Terminal]]
|{{Flag|Macau}}
|24,000,000
| align="left"|(2017)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://mtt.macaotourism.gov.mo/201706/en/contents/1/667.html?1496204815 |title=Taipa Ferry Terminal Now Operational |work=[[Macao Government]] Tourism Office |access-date=15 June 2019 |date=June 2017}}</ref><ref group=Note name=Note04/>

|-
|2
| style="width: 200pt;" |[[Hong Kong–Macau Ferry Terminal]]
|{{Flag|Hong Kong}}
|17,317,037
| align="left" |(2017)<ref name="appendices-07" />

|-
|3
| style="width: 200pt;" |[[Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal]]
|{{Flag|Macau}}
|15,000,000
| align="left" |(2013)<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://macaunews.mo/govt-spend-80-million-upgrading-outer-harbour-ferry-terminal/ |title=Govt to spend 80 million on upgrading Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal |date=25 July 2013 |work=Macau News |access-date=15 June 2019}}</ref>

|-
|4
| style="width: 200pt;" |[[Port of Helsinki]]
|{{Flag|Finland}}
|12,300,000
| align="left" |(2017)<ref>{{cite news |author=Tekniikka&Talous |author-link=Tekniikka&Talous |url=http://www.portofhelsinki.fi/index.php/en/port-helsinki/whats-new/news/port-helsinki-takes-top-spot-among-european-passenger-ports |title=The Port of Helsinki takes the top spot among European passenger ports |date=17 January 2018 |access-date=5 October 2019 |work=[[Port of Helsinki]] |archive-date=16 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216135303/https://www.portofhelsinki.fi/index.php/en/port-helsinki/whats-new/news/port-helsinki-takes-top-spot-among-european-passenger-ports |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref group=Note name=Note03/>

|-
|5
| style="width: 200pt;" |[[Port of Dover]]
|{{Flag|United Kingdom}}
|11,700,000
| align="left" |(2017)<ref name="stats">{{cite web |url=http://www.doverport.co.uk/about/performance/ |title=About/Performance |work=[[Port of Dover]] |access-date=10 July 2018 |archive-date=12 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412195700/https://www.doverport.co.uk/about/performance/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

|-
|6
| style="width: 200pt;" |[[Hong Kong China Ferry Terminal|Hong Kong-China Ferry Terminal]]
|{{Flag|Hong Kong}}
|7,074,940
| align="left" |(2017)<ref name="appendices-07" />

|-
|7
| style="width: 200pt;" |[[PortMiami]]
|{{Flag|USA}}
|4,800,000
| align="left" |(2017)<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/travel/cruises/la-tr-cruises-worlds-busiest-cruise-ports-20170721-story.html |title=World's busiest cruise ports are in Florida |newspaper=[[latimes.com]] |access-date=16 June 2019 |date=25 July 2017 |first=Mary |last=Forgione}}</ref>

|-
|8
| style="width: 200pt;" |[[Port Canaveral]]
|{{Flag|USA}}
|4,500,000
| align="left" |(2016)<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2017/11/16/port-canaveral-posts-record-cruise-numbers-for-fy.html |title=Port Canaveral posts record cruise numbers for FY 2017 |newspaper=[[bizjournals.com]] |access-date=16 June 2019 |first=Cindy |last=Barth |date=16 November 2017}}</ref>

|}

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Qala2.JPG|[[Afghanistan–Iran border]]
File:Nogales-Grand Avenue Port of Entry.jpg|[[United States–Mexico border]] checkpoint at Nogales, Arizona.
File:Nuijamaa border crossing 2017 03 (cropped).jpg|The car traffic on the [[Finland|Finnish]] side of the [[Finland–Russia border|Russian border]] at the Nuijamaa Border Crossing Point in [[Nuijamaa]], [[Lappeenranta]], Finland.
File:Cửa khẩu Mộc Bài tỉnh Tây Ninh, trên biên giới Việt Nam-Campuchia.JPG|The [[Vietnam]]–[[Cambodia]] border west of [[Tây Ninh Province]], from the Vietnamese side.
File:FrontiereBeninNiger.jpg|An African road border entering [[Niger]] from [[Benin]] at [[Gaya, Niger|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]], France, and [[Ventimiglia]], Italy (both countries are part of the [[Schengen Area]])
File:NofelsFresch2.JPG|Looking into Austria from [[Liechtenstein]], 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]].
File:Mejni prehod Petrina.jpg|Border checkpoint on the [[Slovenia]]–[[Croatia]] border (both countries now part of the [[Schengen Area]]).
File:Tanjung Puteri CIQ Complex.JPG|The former checkpoint in [[Johor Bahru]], [[Malaysia]] at the [[Johor–Singapore Causeway]]. It was replaced by the much larger [[Sultan Iskandar Building]] 1&nbsp;km further inland in 2008.
File:Gongbei gate.JPG|[[Gongbei Port of Entry|Gongbei Port]] on the [[Mainland China|mainland]] side of the [[Zhuhai]]–[[Macau]] border.
File:Portas do Cerco.JPG|[[Posto Fronteiriço das Portas do Cerco]] 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]], built in 1931, one of the earliest purpose-built border stations in the United States and listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. 
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{Commons category|Border crossings}}
* [[Alcabala]]
* [[Border]]
* [[Border control]]
* [[Border outpost]]
* [[Checkpoint Charlie]] and the [[Berlin Wall]]
* [[Customs]]
* [[Frontier Closed Area]] is the border area in Hong Kong with China
* [[Garitas in Mexico]]
* [[Israeli checkpoint]]
* [[Schengen Agreement]]
* The [[United States–Mexico border]] and [[Canada–United States border]]
* [[United States Border Patrol interior checkpoints]]
* [[List of Canada–United States border crossings]]
* [[List of Mexico–United States border crossings]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=Note|refs=

<ref name=Note01> Sultan / Woodlands: sum of 2012 daily average</ref>

<ref name=Note02>San Diego / Tijuana: Northbound individual crossings are recorded, as listed in a [https://explore.dot.gov/t/BTS/views/BTSBorderCrossingAnnualData/BorderCrossingTableDashboard?:embed=y&:showShareOptions=true&:display_count=no&:showVizHome=no workbook] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715195655/https://explore.dot.gov/t/BTS/views/BTSBorderCrossingAnnualData/BorderCrossingTableDashboard?:embed=y&:showShareOptions=true&:display_count=no&:showVizHome=no |date=2019-07-15 }} by the [[United States Department of Transportation|USDOT]]. As southbound border crossings counts are not formally produced and publicly available, it is estimated that a similar number of crossings occurs from San Diego to Tijuana, as has previously been done in a [https://www.otaymesa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/2016-San-Diego-Baja-California-Border-Crossings-and-Trade-Statistics.pdf report] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429172631/https://www.otaymesa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/2016-San-Diego-Baja-California-Border-Crossings-and-Trade-Statistics.pdf |date=2021-04-29 }} by the [[San Diego Association of Governments|SANDAG]]. Since this is an estimate, the resulting figure has been rounded off to the nearest 100,000.</ref>

<ref name=Note03>[[Schengen Area]]: This airport or seaport is located in the Schengen Area, in which internal border checks have largely been abolished (particularly land borders), though there can be temporary checkpoints or passport requirements at check in. Thus, flights/ships within the area may have a large number of international passengers travel wholly within this area without passing through permanent border checkpoints within the airport or seaport facility, with those passengers potentially counted in domestic totals. The figures for airports and seaports in these tables represent international passengers, per breakdown data supplied by [[Airports Council International]], and it is unclear whether these figures include or exclude intra-Schengen Area passengers as international.</ref>

<ref name=Note04>Taipa Ferry Terminal: annual average of 2013 to 2017 five year total</ref>

}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Border guards}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Borders]]
[[Category:International border crossings]]