The Polish Border Guard (Straż Graniczna) quietly updated its official border-traffic portal on 21 July 2026 to announce that passenger and freight traffic is “temporarily suspended” at two eastern road crossings — Połowce and Sławatycze — on the frontier with Belarus. Although the two posts handle only a fraction of total Belarus-Poland volumes (the busiest freight lanes remain Koroszczyn/Kukuryki and Terespol), they are the preferred route for many SMEs moving just-in-time components to the Podlaskie and Lublin logistics parks. Closure means detours of 70-120 km, longer transit times and extra costs for hauliers already coping with driver shortages and higher fuel prices. The shutdown comes against a backdrop of heightened security on Poland’s eastern flank. Since mid-2023 Warsaw has periodically restricted crossings in response to Minsk-orchestrated irregular-migration pressure and the war in neighbouring Ukraine. Business travellers and expatriate staff should therefore expect spot checks and schedule buffers at all Belarus border points, even where official opening hours remain unchanged. Corporate mobility managers are advised to reroute sensitive shipments through Kuźnica or Bobrowniki and to instruct drivers to carry original CMR documents as well as electronic copies. For passenger movements, rail via Brest/Terespol remains the most reliable option while air routes through Vilnius or Riga avoid border friction altogether. Looking ahead, companies should monitor the Border Guard’s eight-times-daily digital updates and subscribe to the Ministry of Interior’s SMS alert service. While no reopening date has been given, previous closures have lasted from a few days to several months, depending on security assessments.
