Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade refreshed its Smartraveller guidance for Poland on 28 July, keeping the overall risk level unchanged but adding detailed reminders about forthcoming Schengen entry systems and Poland’s temporary land-border controls with Lithuania. The notice reiterates that from the last quarter of 2026 visa-exempt visitors—including Australians—will need to obtain an ETIAS authorisation before travelling to any Schengen state. It also flags the Entry/Exit System now in force, meaning passports are electronically stamped and overstay calculations are automated. Importantly for business travellers, the update warns of occasional on-the-spot vehicle checks on the Lithuanian stretch of the Via Baltica and at selected crossings into Belarus, measures introduced by Warsaw in response to irregular migration flows. Travellers should carry vehicle registration documents and expect possible delays. Australian corporates running regional projects from Warsaw or Gdańsk should build additional transit time into itineraries involving Lithuania and brief staff on ETIAS pre-travel filing once the European Commission confirms the go-live date. Mobility managers may also wish to audit Schengen-day counts of frequent flyers now that the EES calculates stays automatically. No change was made to the general advice on crime, health or consular services, but the department emphasised that conditions can shift at short notice given the war in neighbouring Ukraine.
Source: Australian DFAT – Smartraveller
