
Article 1 
Member States shall provide separate lanes at authorised air border crossing points at their external borders in order to carry out the necessary border checks on persons entering their territory. The lanes shall be differentiated by means of the signs referred to in Article 2.
The same signs shall be used if Member States provide separate lanes at land and sea border crossing points at their external borders.
Article 2 
The indications on the signs, which may be displayed electronically, shall be set out in the Annexes.
These indications may be displayed in such language or languages as each Member State considers appropriate.
Article 3 

1. The following persons:
(a) citizens of the EU;
(b) nationals of States parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Area;
(c) nationals of the Swiss Confederation; and
(d) members of the families of persons mentioned in (a), (b) and (c) above who are not nationals of one of those States, and who benefit from the provisions of Community law on the free movement of citizens of the European Unionare entitled to use the lane indicated by the sign in Annex I. They may also use the lane indicated by the sign in Annex II.
2. All other third-country nationals shall use the lane indicated by the sign in Annex II.
3. However, in the event of a temporary imbalance in the traffic flows at a particular border crossing point, the rules relating to the use of the different lanes may be waived by the competent authorities for the time necessary to eliminate such imbalance.
Article 4 
At land and seaport border crossing points, Member States may separate vehicle traffic into different lanes for light and heavy vehicles and buses, by using signs as shown in Annex III.
Member States may vary the indications on these signs where appropriate in the light of local circumstances.
Article 5 
Point 2 of the Annex (SCH/I-Front (94) 39 rev. 9) to Schengen Executive Committee Decision SCH/COM-EX(94) 17, rev 4 of 22 December 1994, together with point 2 of the Decision attached to that Annex on introducing and applying the Schengen arrangements in airports and aerodromes (secondary airports), shall be repealed.
Article 6 
This Decision shall apply from 1 June 2004 in so far as Member States set up new signs or replace existing signs at border crossing points covered by this Decision. In all other cases, this Decision shall apply from 1 June 2009.
Article 7 
This Decision shall not apply to borders between Member States governed by Article 3(2) of the 2003 Act of Accession.
Article 8 
This Decision is addressed to the Member States in accordance with the Treaty establishing the European Community.
Done at Luxembourg, 29 April 2004.
For the Council
The President
M. McDOWELL
ANNEX I

ANNEX II

ANNEX III


