The European Parliament on 10 February 2026 approved a package of reforms that will allow EU member states to reject asylum applications and deport migrants more quickly if they come from – or have transited through – countries officially classified as “safe”. 429 MEPs voted in favour, 192 against and 33 abstained.
Although the regulation is EU-wide, Polish officials confirmed on Tuesday night that Warsaw intends to transpose the rules into national law before the 30 June implementation deadline. Under the new regime, Border Guard officers will be able to issue accelerated removal orders at airports and land borders when the applicant’s home or transit country appears on the EU “safe list”, which currently includes India, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Colombia and Kosovo.
If you’re unsure whether your employees’ itineraries or documents will satisfy Poland’s tightened checks, VisaHQ can streamline the process by pre-validating paperwork, arranging compliant invitation letters and flagging potential red-flags before departure. Their Poland-specific portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) is updated daily with policy changes and provides step-by-step support for business travellers and HR teams alike.
![EU Parliament fast-tracks ‘safe country’ deportation rules – Poland to align by June]()
For companies that rotate staff through Poland on short business visas, the most immediate consequence will be much stricter documentary checks at ports of entry. Human-resources teams have been advised to ensure that third-country nationals carry proof of onward travel, hotel bookings and assignment letters that clearly state the purpose and duration of the trip. Failure to do so could expose travellers to on-the-spot refusals and a five-year Schengen re-entry ban.
Poland’s Interior Ministry argues the reform will ease pressure on over-stretched asylum offices and free up resources for “genuine refugees”, but NGOs warn that rapid-fire decisions risk sending vulnerable people back to unsafe environments. In practice, most corporate assignees will only feel the impact in the form of longer queues and more detailed questioning at border control until officers become familiar with the new templates.
Employers should update their mobility policies now. Practical steps include pre-clearing invitation letters with local counsel, verifying that contractors do not hold travel documents issued by or routed through a listed safe country, and budgeting extra time at Warsaw Chopin, Kraków-Balice and road crossings with Germany and Lithuania. A pan-EU evaluation of the measure is expected in late 2027, but Polish authorities insist they will review operational data every quarter and adapt if bottlenecks emerge.
Although the regulation is EU-wide, Polish officials confirmed on Tuesday night that Warsaw intends to transpose the rules into national law before the 30 June implementation deadline. Under the new regime, Border Guard officers will be able to issue accelerated removal orders at airports and land borders when the applicant’s home or transit country appears on the EU “safe list”, which currently includes India, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Colombia and Kosovo.
If you’re unsure whether your employees’ itineraries or documents will satisfy Poland’s tightened checks, VisaHQ can streamline the process by pre-validating paperwork, arranging compliant invitation letters and flagging potential red-flags before departure. Their Poland-specific portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) is updated daily with policy changes and provides step-by-step support for business travellers and HR teams alike.
For companies that rotate staff through Poland on short business visas, the most immediate consequence will be much stricter documentary checks at ports of entry. Human-resources teams have been advised to ensure that third-country nationals carry proof of onward travel, hotel bookings and assignment letters that clearly state the purpose and duration of the trip. Failure to do so could expose travellers to on-the-spot refusals and a five-year Schengen re-entry ban.
Poland’s Interior Ministry argues the reform will ease pressure on over-stretched asylum offices and free up resources for “genuine refugees”, but NGOs warn that rapid-fire decisions risk sending vulnerable people back to unsafe environments. In practice, most corporate assignees will only feel the impact in the form of longer queues and more detailed questioning at border control until officers become familiar with the new templates.
Employers should update their mobility policies now. Practical steps include pre-clearing invitation letters with local counsel, verifying that contractors do not hold travel documents issued by or routed through a listed safe country, and budgeting extra time at Warsaw Chopin, Kraków-Balice and road crossings with Germany and Lithuania. A pan-EU evaluation of the measure is expected in late 2027, but Polish authorities insist they will review operational data every quarter and adapt if bottlenecks emerge.
