Polish border-guards at the busy Medyka road crossing on the Polish-Ukrainian border stopped a 48-year-old Ukrainian woman after their document-verification scanner flagged irregularities in the Polish residence card she presented. A rapid on-site forensic check confirmed that both the polycarbonate data page and embedded security threads had been crudely altered, rendering the card invalid. The traveller admitted during questioning that she had paid €300 for the forged card and a fictitious Meldekarta that was supposed to let her return to Poland for seasonal work. Officers issued her with an administrative return order and an immediate three-year entry ban that covers the entire Schengen zone. Criminal charges for the use of a forged public document are also pending in the local district court. The Bieszczadzki Border Guard Unit notes that the seizure is part of a worrying trend. Since 1 January 2026 officers on Poland’s eastern frontiers have intercepted more than 2,100 counterfeit or altered documents, ranging from residence permits to driving licences. Most are purchased on messaging apps and carried by would-be labour migrants hoping to bypass Poland’s tightened work-permit rules introduced earlier this year. For employers and global mobility managers the case is a reminder that document fraud is proliferating as labour shortages meet stricter compliance checks. Companies sending staff or contractors through Ukraine should budget extra time for basic border checks and make sure that third-party recruiters verify the authenticity of Polish residence titles through the Ministry of Interior’s electronic registry before travel.
