Poland’s Border Guard (SG) has confirmed 45 attempted illegal crossings from Belarus between 21 and 23 November, even as pressure on the eastern frontier has eased since Warsaw re-opened two closed checkpoints earlier this month. The figures were released in an afternoon bulletin on 24 November that also detailed screening results at Poland’s normally open borders with Germany and Lithuania. Officers inspected more than 28,700 travellers and 14,200 vehicles on the Lithuanian axis and another 17,500 passengers crossing from Germany, refusing entry to eight people and arresting a suspected facilitator.
Citing “instrumentalised migration” and people-smuggling networks, the government has prolonged the temporary Schengen-internal checks by another six months—until 4 April 2026—placing Poland among nine EU states currently exercising Article 25 emergency powers. The buffer zone along the Belarus border, created in 2024 and now covering 78 km, also remains in force, keeping unauthorised persons up to four kilometres from ecologically sensitive stretches of the fence.
![Border Guard Extends Internal Schengen Checks; 45 Illegal Crossing Attempts Foiled]()
Business-travel planners are already feeling the knock-on effects. Even EU nationals must now carry identity documents and expect occasional spot checks when driving or taking rail services into Poland. Logistics operators report intermittent queues of 20–40 minutes on the A2 and A12 trucking corridors, complicating just-in-time deliveries for automotive and retail supply chains. Employers whose staff commute daily across the Oder or the Suwałki Gap are adding buffer time to rosters and reminding non-EU assignees to carry both passports and residence cards.
Politically, Warsaw is using the statistics to buttress its argument that the EU should combine hard external-border technology—such as the newly launched EES—with flexible internal measures that can be dialled up during security alerts. Business chambers support the risk-based approach but warn that prolonged checks could erode Poland’s status as a regional logistics hub if not lifted once hybrid-migration pressure subsides.
Citing “instrumentalised migration” and people-smuggling networks, the government has prolonged the temporary Schengen-internal checks by another six months—until 4 April 2026—placing Poland among nine EU states currently exercising Article 25 emergency powers. The buffer zone along the Belarus border, created in 2024 and now covering 78 km, also remains in force, keeping unauthorised persons up to four kilometres from ecologically sensitive stretches of the fence.
Business-travel planners are already feeling the knock-on effects. Even EU nationals must now carry identity documents and expect occasional spot checks when driving or taking rail services into Poland. Logistics operators report intermittent queues of 20–40 minutes on the A2 and A12 trucking corridors, complicating just-in-time deliveries for automotive and retail supply chains. Employers whose staff commute daily across the Oder or the Suwałki Gap are adding buffer time to rosters and reminding non-EU assignees to carry both passports and residence cards.
Politically, Warsaw is using the statistics to buttress its argument that the EU should combine hard external-border technology—such as the newly launched EES—with flexible internal measures that can be dialled up during security alerts. Business chambers support the risk-based approach but warn that prolonged checks could erode Poland’s status as a regional logistics hub if not lifted once hybrid-migration pressure subsides.
