The European Commission’s Schengen monitoring portal was updated on 28 September to show that Poland will extend temporary controls at its land borders with Germany and Lithuania for another six-month period, from 2 October 2026 until 30 March 2027. Warsaw cites “persistent migratory pressure” and security risks linked to Russia’s hybrid activities as justification for the measure, invoked under Article 25 of the Schengen Borders Code. The decision means that travellers—including business executives who routinely drive or take rail services between Warsaw, Berlin, Vilnius and regional hubs—must be prepared for document inspections when crossing what are normally open internal EU frontiers. While checks remain selective, motorists have already reported queues of 30–45 minutes at crossings such as Świecko-Frankfurt (Oder) and Olszyna-Forst during random operations. For companies running commuter shuttles, logistics routes or posted-worker assignments, the announcement provides a narrow window to adjust schedules and review contingency plans before 2 October. Employers should remind staff to carry passports or national ID cards, residence permits and—if applicable—A1 and EU posted-worker notifications. Non-EU nationals transiting between Schengen states must also keep visas or residence cards on hand. Poland’s move aligns with similar extensions by Denmark, Austria and Sweden, underscoring a broader trend toward longer-running internal checks since the 2015 migration crisis. Although the EU Council is debating a revision of the Schengen Code that would cap such controls at two years, the current legal framework allows Poland to roll them over repeatedly provided it notifies Brussels. Businesses should monitor official Border Guard channels and the Commission portal for any tightening of inspection intensity. Frequent travellers can mitigate delays by using lesser-known crossings and travelling outside peak weekend hours, while logistics operators may wish to build buffer times into just-in-time delivery chains.
