The Polish Interior Ministry has suspended traffic through a string of land crossings with Russia’s Kaliningrad enclave and with Belarus, citing “temporary security reasons”. A government notice published late on 6 January 2026 lists the closed checkpoints: Gronowo and Gołdap on the Russian frontier; Połowce, Sławatycze, Kuźnica and Bobrowniki on the Belarusian road network; pedestrian crossings at Białowieża and Rudawka; and the Terespol and Kuźnica rail terminals.
The decision follows intelligence assessments of continued irregular-migration pressure and heightened geopolitical tension in the border zone. Polish authorities say the stay-ban and checkpoint closures have been effective since 2024 in reducing illegal crossings and human-smuggling attempts. The current suspension is open-ended; travellers are advised to monitor updates on the Border Guard portal and reroute via alternative crossings.
![Warsaw suspends several border-crossing points with Russia and Belarus, issues travel alert]()
Travellers facing altered routes or searching for visa clarity can turn to VisaHQ, whose platform streamlines applications for Polish and broader Schengen visas while providing real-time updates on checkpoint statuses; details are available at https://www.visahq.com/poland/.
For logistics providers the closures complicate east-west freight flows, forcing detours through Lithuania or Latvia and lengthening transit times by up to 200 kilometres. Employers with staff routinely travelling between Poland and Belarus/Russia should review itineraries, secure additional Schengen multi-entry visas where necessary and brief personnel on heightened border-zone restrictions.
The move underscores Poland’s hardening stance on border security ahead of the March deadline for renewing the EU’s temporary protection scheme for Ukrainians and amid ongoing frictions with Minsk and Moscow.
The decision follows intelligence assessments of continued irregular-migration pressure and heightened geopolitical tension in the border zone. Polish authorities say the stay-ban and checkpoint closures have been effective since 2024 in reducing illegal crossings and human-smuggling attempts. The current suspension is open-ended; travellers are advised to monitor updates on the Border Guard portal and reroute via alternative crossings.
Travellers facing altered routes or searching for visa clarity can turn to VisaHQ, whose platform streamlines applications for Polish and broader Schengen visas while providing real-time updates on checkpoint statuses; details are available at https://www.visahq.com/poland/.
For logistics providers the closures complicate east-west freight flows, forcing detours through Lithuania or Latvia and lengthening transit times by up to 200 kilometres. Employers with staff routinely travelling between Poland and Belarus/Russia should review itineraries, secure additional Schengen multi-entry visas where necessary and brief personnel on heightened border-zone restrictions.
The move underscores Poland’s hardening stance on border security ahead of the March deadline for renewing the EU’s temporary protection scheme for Ukrainians and amid ongoing frictions with Minsk and Moscow.
