Poland tallies just nine illegal border-crossing attempts, seeks to prolong checks with Germany and Lithuania

Poland’s Interior Ministry published its weekly security bulletin on 19 September showing that only nine attempts to cross the border from Belarus were recorded between 11 and 17 September. Authorities credited the sharp drop to a hard-line enforcement strategy that includes a steel barrier along the Belarusian frontier, on-ground military support and intensified cooperation with Frontex. The report also underscores the government’s broader migration posture. Since 7 July Poland has re-instated temporary controls on its normally open Schengen borders with Germany and Lithuania. In the week under review border guards checked almost 56,000 travellers and 27,700 vehicles, refusing entry to 27 people (11 on the German side and 16 on the Lithuanian side). A draft regulation to extend those internal border checks until April 2027 has now been sent for public consultation, signalling Warsaw’s intention to keep the regime in place over the winter when clandestine crossings typically rebound. Inside the country compliance inspections have intensified as well. Nearly 2,300 foreign nationals had the legality of their stay verified and about 900 underwent employment checks. Close to 200 people left Poland on administrative orders and two suspected smugglers were arrested. For corporate mobility managers the figures confirm that Poland will remain a high-control environment on its eastern and now western frontiers. Business travellers should factor in spot checks, longer journey times and a higher probability of document scrutiny—particularly when entering from Germany or Lithuania by road or rail. Companies hosting non-EU assignees in Poland should also expect more work-site inspections and ensure that residence and labour permits are impeccable to avoid forced departures or fines. If the draft regulation passes unchanged, employers will need to brief travelling staff that “soft” Schengen borders will effectively remain hard until at least April, with ID checks likely at road crossings and even on cross-border trains and buses.