After nearly four years of closure triggered by the 2021 migration crisis, two key road checkpoints on Poland’s frontier with Belarus – Bobrowniki-Bierestovica and Kuźnica Białostocka-Bruzgi – were officially re-opened to traffic in the early hours of 17 November. The move restores a direct land link between the EU and Belarus that is vital for cross-border commerce in the Podlaskie region and for haulage firms that previously had to re-route through the already congested Terespol and Kukuryki corridors.
From 14:00 the same day, Polish Border Guard officers began operating the EU’s new digital Entry/Exit System (EES) at both crossings. Travellers from outside the Schengen Area now supply four fingerprints and a facial image, which are stored for three years and automatically matched to passport data at each subsequent crossing. Officials say the biometric checks reduce average inspection time from three minutes to under one minute once a traveller is enrolled, while providing an audit trail that flags overstays and identity fraud in real time. Poland is one of the first EU countries to deploy the EES ahead of its bloc-wide go-live in October 2025.
![Poland rolls out biometric Entry/Exit System as Bobrowniki and Kuźnica crossings with Belarus reopen]()
Traffic rules differ at the two posts. Bobrowniki is open to passenger cars, coaches and freight vehicles that are registered in EU, EFTA or Swiss jurisdictions; Kuźnica is restricted to passenger vehicles and excludes buses for the time being. Heavy-goods operators welcomed the reopening, noting that the nearest alternative freight route via Kukuryki adds over 120 km per round trip. Customs officials, however, warned hauliers that only euro-norm compliant trucks will be processed and that foodstuffs and animal products remain subject to veterinary controls.
Local authorities expect an immediate economic boost for towns on both sides of the frontier. Before the 2021 shutdown, daily traffic through Bobrowniki averaged 6,500 vehicles and supported a sizeable service economy of fuel stations, retail outlets and logistics depots. Hoteliers in nearby Sokółka report that room bookings from Belarusian shoppers jumped 40 % in the first 24 hours of resumed operations.
For business travellers the key takeaway is preparation: non-EU nationals should pre-register in the EES where possible, ensure that cash amounts above €10,000 are declared, and factor in potential queues during the system’s bedding-in period. Companies moving time-critical cargo may also wish to retain contingency slots at Terespol until reliability data for the reopened posts stabilise over the coming weeks.
From 14:00 the same day, Polish Border Guard officers began operating the EU’s new digital Entry/Exit System (EES) at both crossings. Travellers from outside the Schengen Area now supply four fingerprints and a facial image, which are stored for three years and automatically matched to passport data at each subsequent crossing. Officials say the biometric checks reduce average inspection time from three minutes to under one minute once a traveller is enrolled, while providing an audit trail that flags overstays and identity fraud in real time. Poland is one of the first EU countries to deploy the EES ahead of its bloc-wide go-live in October 2025.
Traffic rules differ at the two posts. Bobrowniki is open to passenger cars, coaches and freight vehicles that are registered in EU, EFTA or Swiss jurisdictions; Kuźnica is restricted to passenger vehicles and excludes buses for the time being. Heavy-goods operators welcomed the reopening, noting that the nearest alternative freight route via Kukuryki adds over 120 km per round trip. Customs officials, however, warned hauliers that only euro-norm compliant trucks will be processed and that foodstuffs and animal products remain subject to veterinary controls.
Local authorities expect an immediate economic boost for towns on both sides of the frontier. Before the 2021 shutdown, daily traffic through Bobrowniki averaged 6,500 vehicles and supported a sizeable service economy of fuel stations, retail outlets and logistics depots. Hoteliers in nearby Sokółka report that room bookings from Belarusian shoppers jumped 40 % in the first 24 hours of resumed operations.
For business travellers the key takeaway is preparation: non-EU nationals should pre-register in the EES where possible, ensure that cash amounts above €10,000 are declared, and factor in potential queues during the system’s bedding-in period. Companies moving time-critical cargo may also wish to retain contingency slots at Terespol until reliability data for the reopened posts stabilise over the coming weeks.
