Poland’s State Border Guard (Straż Graniczna) confirmed on 22 September that the Połowce and Sławatycze road crossings on the Polish-Belarusian frontier remain closed to all passenger and freight traffic until further notice. The suspension, first introduced in 2023 after Minsk orchestrated migrant pressure on the EU’s eastern flank, is reviewed every two weeks and was extended again following a fresh security assessment by the Interior Ministry. Officials said the measure is part of a broader risk-mitigation strategy that also includes a reinforced military presence and the construction of additional physical barriers under the government’s “East Shield” programme. While the main cargo corridor at Koroszczyn–Kozlovichi stays open, drivers are being redirected to Terespol-Brześć or Kuźnica-Bruzgi, adding more than 200 km to some logistics routes. Forwarders warn that the closures are compounding already long waits for trucks entering Poland; average queue times at Koroszczyn exceeded 30 hours on Thursday. Importers of Belarusian timber and fertilisers have started routing shipments via Lithuania or Latvia, raising costs by an estimated 12-15 %. For business travellers the impact is limited because most use the Kuźnica rail shuttle or Warsaw airport, but expatriate managers based in the Podlaskie region should anticipate occasional roadblocks and identity checks on local roads leading to the border zone. Employers are advised to review duty-of-care procedures and ensure that foreign staff carry both passports and residence permits when travelling near the frontier. With no timeline for re-opening, mobility planners should assume that Połowce and Sławatycze will stay shut into Q4 2026 and build additional transit time and costs into supply-chain budgets. The next official review date is 6 October.
Source: granica.gov.pl
