The Poland Guide

Poland Border Controls Extended to October 2026

· 1 min read Travel News
Warsaw city centre and Old Town, Poland

Contents

  1. Which crossings are affected
  2. Practical advice

Poland has extended temporary border controls at its crossings with Germany and Lithuania until 1 October 2026. The checks, first introduced in late 2023 in response to irregular migration, have been renewed repeatedly under provisions in the Schengen Borders Code allowing member states to temporarily reintroduce internal border controls.

Polish border authorities report peak wait times of up to 35 minutes at busy land crossings during daytime hours. The extension is a formal government decision and is not expected to be reversed before October.

Which crossings are affected

Poland–Germany crossings: The main road crossings experiencing checks include Frankfurt (Oder)–Słubice, Forst–Zasieki, and Görlitz–Zgorzelec. Travellers using the A2 and A12 motorway corridors between Berlin and Warsaw or Poznań are most likely to encounter queues.

Poland–Lithuania crossings: Controls apply at Budzisko–Kalvarija on the Via Baltica, the primary road link between Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, and at Ogrodniki–Lazdijai.

Air travel and international rail are not affected. Border controls apply specifically to road crossings; passengers arriving by international train or flight face no additional checks beyond standard document presentation.

Practical advice

  • All EU and EEA citizens, as well as UK nationals, crossing into Poland by road should carry a valid passport or national identity card.
  • Third-country nationals - including US, Canadian, and Australian citizens - should carry their passport as standard; no change from existing requirements.
  • If driving from Germany, crossing during off-peak hours reduces delay. Mid-morning and early afternoon tend to have shorter queues than early morning commuter peaks or late evening leisure traffic on Fridays.

The checks have no impact on travel within Poland once you have crossed. Our Warsaw guide and Kraków guide cover getting around Poland, and our practical guide has entry requirements for different nationalities.