Holiday season at Kraków–Balice took an unpleasant turn last weekend when Border Guard officers denied boarding to several Polish-citizen children because they carried the wrong passports—or none at all. Details released on 27 July 2026 show five separate incidents involving minors heading to the United Kingdom and Turkey. In the most striking case, an eight-year-old girl arrived at the departure gate with a passport that had been electronically cancelled after being reported lost. Because she held no other valid document confirming Polish citizenship, officers had to refuse exit. On Sunday officers encountered four dual-national children travelling on American passports under the care of grandparents and an aunt. Although dual nationals may present a foreign passport when entering many countries, Polish law obliges citizens to leave Poland using a valid Polish identity document. The teenagers were turned back, forcing the adults to abandon the trip and re-book after obtaining Polish IDs. Another refusal concerned a 16-year-old dual citizen bound for London-Heathrow. EES records showed her Schengen stay had already exceeded the permitted 90 days, and she lacked a Polish passport to prove the right of free movement. Officers explained that overstay penalties would apply on her next attempt to depart unless she regularises her status. The incidents highlight a perennial pain-point for expatriate families and multinational HR departments: dual nationals often underestimate the need to carry both passports when departing their country of nationality. The Polish Border Guard said that, during the first three weeks of the summer break, document problems accounted for 22 percent of all refusal-of-exit decisions at Kraków-Balice. Travel-risk consultants advise employers to circulate reminders to staff and accompanying family members: Polish citizens—regardless of any second nationality—must exit and enter Poland on Polish documents, and parents should verify children’s passports are valid for the entire trip. Airlines may refuse carriage at check-in if required documents are missing, but as this weekend shows, real embarrassment and cost often surface only at passport control.
Source: Głos24 (Małopolska News Portal)
