The Maritime Division of Poland’s Border Guard marked the first anniversary of temporary controls along the 170-kilometre Polish-German land frontier on 8 July. Data released by the service show that between July 2025 and July 2026 officers inspected more than 1.1 million people and 520 000 vehicles, refusing entry to 165 travellers who lacked valid documents or had overstayed elsewhere in Schengen. The controls—re-introduced last summer amid concerns about secondary movements of migrants from Germany—are carried out jointly with Police, the Territorial Defence Force, Railway Protection Service and customs officers. The interdictions targeted organised smuggling networks as well: Border Guard detectives arrested 35 alleged facilitators who had attempted to move 115 third-country nationals, mainly from Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa, across the so-called green border. For employers sending staff by road between Berlin and Szczecin or via regional crossings such as Krajnik Dolny/Schwedt, the figures confirm that checks remain the norm rather than the exception. Travellers must carry passports or national ID cards and, where applicable, valid visas or residence permits; drivers should expect sporadic vehicle searches.
![One year of spot checks on German border: 1.1 million travellers screened]()
If sourcing the necessary travel documents seems daunting, VisaHQ’s Poland office can step in. The company’s online platform arranges Polish visas, residence permits and authorisations for onward travel worldwide, providing real-time status updates and compliance alerts that help travellers avoid the very refusals now being recorded at the border.
While the refusal rate (0.015 %) is low, immigration counsel warn that overstays in any Schengen state can trigger a denial, and that carriers can be fined for transporting improperly documented passengers. Cross-border commuters benefit from designated lanes, but posted workers on tight project schedules should factor in potential delays of 15–45 minutes at peak times. Warsaw has not indicated when the ‘temporary’ regime might be lifted. With Germany maintaining its own internal checks, companies should budget for continuing compliance costs through at least the fourth quarter.
If sourcing the necessary travel documents seems daunting, VisaHQ’s Poland office can step in. The company’s online platform arranges Polish visas, residence permits and authorisations for onward travel worldwide, providing real-time status updates and compliance alerts that help travellers avoid the very refusals now being recorded at the border.
While the refusal rate (0.015 %) is low, immigration counsel warn that overstays in any Schengen state can trigger a denial, and that carriers can be fined for transporting improperly documented passengers. Cross-border commuters benefit from designated lanes, but posted workers on tight project schedules should factor in potential delays of 15–45 minutes at peak times. Warsaw has not indicated when the ‘temporary’ regime might be lifted. With Germany maintaining its own internal checks, companies should budget for continuing compliance costs through at least the fourth quarter.
