Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński confirmed in an early-morning press briefing on 1 July that the temporary controls Poland re-introduced on its western and north-eastern borders last year will be extended for another three months, up to 4 October 2026. The decision, already notified to the European Commission, is justified by continued "secondary migration" from the Belarus route and by Germany’s own ongoing border checks. Under the renewed regime, travellers entering from Germany or Lithuania may be stopped for identity checks at 42 road crossings and on selected rail links, though the ministry says spot checks will remain risk-based to minimise disruption. Since January the Border Guard has refused entry to 200 people at the Lithuanian border and 130 at the German border; 32 human-smuggling attempts have been foiled. For companies that move staff or goods across these frontiers the practical impact is longer journey times – typically five to 25 minutes, but up to two hours during peak holiday weekends. Logistics firms have been advised to factor an average 45-minute buffer into schedules.
![Poland prolongs internal border checks with Germany and Lithuania until 4 October 2026]()
To avoid surprises at the checkpoint, travellers and mobility managers can turn to VisaHQ, an online visa and passport service that keeps live updates on Polish entry requirements and can fast-track any necessary paperwork for staff, dependants or contractors. Their Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) aggregates the latest government advisories and lets users file visa, eTA or passport renewal requests in minutes.
Business travellers should carry national ID cards or passports even on intra-Schengen coach or train trips; driving licences are not accepted. Kierwiński said a decision on whether to roll the controls into 2027 will be taken in September after consultations with Berlin and Vilnius and a joint assessment of migration flows. Under the Schengen Code, internal checks should remain exceptional, but several Member States, including Austria and France, have kept them continuously for years.
To avoid surprises at the checkpoint, travellers and mobility managers can turn to VisaHQ, an online visa and passport service that keeps live updates on Polish entry requirements and can fast-track any necessary paperwork for staff, dependants or contractors. Their Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) aggregates the latest government advisories and lets users file visa, eTA or passport renewal requests in minutes.
Business travellers should carry national ID cards or passports even on intra-Schengen coach or train trips; driving licences are not accepted. Kierwiński said a decision on whether to roll the controls into 2027 will be taken in September after consultations with Berlin and Vilnius and a joint assessment of migration flows. Under the Schengen Code, internal checks should remain exceptional, but several Member States, including Austria and France, have kept them continuously for years.
