The Polish Interior Ministry has closed ten land border points—two with Russia’s Kaliningrad enclave (Gronowo, Gołdap) and eight with Belarus (including the busy Kuźnica and Bobrowniki crossings)—effective 13 January 2026. The order, citing “temporary security reasons tied to hybrid threats and irregular migration”, exempts only humanitarian convoys and will be reviewed every 30 days.
Many of the posts had already been operating on reduced schedules, but the blanket suspension is forcing logistics operators to reroute via Lithuania or the Gdańsk ferry link, adding up to 300 km on some supply chains. Kukuryki–Kozłowiczi, the sole remaining Belarus gateway, is now running at 150 % of designed capacity, generating multi-hour queues and pushing freight rates up by an estimated 12 %.
For organisations and travellers suddenly facing new visa requirements because of these detours, VisaHQ can simplify compliance: its Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) walks users through entry rules for every affected country, offers document checks, and can courier passports for stamping—helping mobility teams keep projects on schedule despite the border shake-up.
![Warsaw shutters ten road and rail crossings with Russia and Belarus, diverting freight corridors]()
Business-traveller impact is limited—most corporate assignees use air routes—but posted workers in construction and energy projects inside Kaliningrad or Belarus must now transit through alternative Schengen-external points, often requiring extra visas. Employers are urged to re-validate A1 certificates and confirm new travel itineraries with mobility vendors.
Industry groups are lobbying for green lanes for critical spare-parts shipments, while customs brokers warn that the surge through Kukuryki may strain veterinary and phytosanitary inspection slots. Mobility managers should advise drivers to pre-book inspection windows and carry updated CMR documents reflecting the diversion.
The closures mark another tightening of Poland’s eastern frontier following last week’s extension of temporary protection for Ukrainians and illustrate Warsaw’s hard-line stance on border security ahead of March’s EU interior-ministers summit.
Many of the posts had already been operating on reduced schedules, but the blanket suspension is forcing logistics operators to reroute via Lithuania or the Gdańsk ferry link, adding up to 300 km on some supply chains. Kukuryki–Kozłowiczi, the sole remaining Belarus gateway, is now running at 150 % of designed capacity, generating multi-hour queues and pushing freight rates up by an estimated 12 %.
For organisations and travellers suddenly facing new visa requirements because of these detours, VisaHQ can simplify compliance: its Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) walks users through entry rules for every affected country, offers document checks, and can courier passports for stamping—helping mobility teams keep projects on schedule despite the border shake-up.
Business-traveller impact is limited—most corporate assignees use air routes—but posted workers in construction and energy projects inside Kaliningrad or Belarus must now transit through alternative Schengen-external points, often requiring extra visas. Employers are urged to re-validate A1 certificates and confirm new travel itineraries with mobility vendors.
Industry groups are lobbying for green lanes for critical spare-parts shipments, while customs brokers warn that the surge through Kukuryki may strain veterinary and phytosanitary inspection slots. Mobility managers should advise drivers to pre-book inspection windows and carry updated CMR documents reflecting the diversion.
The closures mark another tightening of Poland’s eastern frontier following last week’s extension of temporary protection for Ukrainians and illustrate Warsaw’s hard-line stance on border security ahead of March’s EU interior-ministers summit.
