Real-time monitoring service KolejkaNaGranicy.pl reported at 20:00 CET on 12 October 2026 that trucks waiting to enter Poland at the Koroszczyn–Kozlovichi crossing faced delays of 97 hours 25 minutes—the longest queue recorded so far this year. Export traffic toward Belarus was also heavy, with passenger vehicles at the Medyka–Szeginie gate lining up for over three hours. The bottleneck comes amid Poland’s seasonal surge in east-west trade and heightened customs inspections aimed at curbing sanctions-dodging. Since the EU tightened dual-use export controls on Russian- and Belarus-linked goods, Polish customs has introduced additional document checks, x-ray scans and targeted inspections of high-risk consignments such as electronics and luxury items. For logistics managers the backlog translates into significant demurrage costs, missed delivery windows and driver overtime. Several Polish freight forwarders told local media that they are diverting non-perishable cargo through Lithuania or Slovakia where wait times are currently below two hours. Time-critical shipments—including automotive components bound for factories near Warsaw—are being switched to rail via the Brest intermodal hub, although capacity is limited. Business travellers are also affected. Companies with staff commuting between Warsaw and Minsk report having to reschedule meetings or move them online. Travel advisors recommend crossing during the 01:00–05:00 window, when data show the queue drops to below 20 minutes, and to carry printed CMR notes and sanctions declarations to speed processing. Government officials have not announced emergency measures, but trade associations are urging Warsaw to open an additional customs lane for “green-channel” authorised economic operators. If delays persist, exporters warn that contractual penalties and supply-chain rerouting could dent Poland’s eastern trade volumes in the fourth quarter.
Source: KolejkaNaGranicy.pl
