Poland has moved heavy engineering units and more than 5,000 troops to Podlaskie voivodeship after the Ministry of the Interior gave the green light to start erecting a new four-metre steel-mesh fence along the most porous sections of the 418-kilometre border with Belarus. Work had been postponed twice because of severe winter conditions, but Border Guard commander Sławomir Klekotka confirmed on 11 March that construction crews are now on-site and that materials have been pre-positioned at logistics depots near Kuźnica and Czeremcha. The barrier will be topped with double coils of barbed wire and protected on the wildlife side by a separate two-metre fence to prevent animal injuries. The new structure is part of the PLN 10 billion “Eastern Shield” infrastructure package approved after the 2021–22 migrant crisis, which Warsaw describes as a form of hybrid warfare orchestrated by Minsk and Moscow. Poland’s existing 186-km electronic wall, finished in 2022, reduced illegal crossings by 90 %, but authorities say smugglers have shifted to unfenced river segments and have begun using low-cost drones to drop contraband. The reinforced fence will therefore be integrated with counter-drone radars and thermal cameras already being installed under a parallel PLN 8 billion anti-UAV programme. For multinational employers the project has immediate operational implications. Freight forwarders have been warned to expect longer waits at the remaining authorised crossings (Kuźnica and Bobrowniki are now freight-only). Several carriers, including DHL Freight and DSV, have already rerouted high-value loads through Lithuania to avoid potential protests and construction slow-downs.
![Poland accelerates construction of new 4-metre fence on Belarus frontier under “Eastern Shield” programme]()
Amid these evolving border-control measures, travellers and organisations can streamline their paperwork by using VisaHQ’s online visa and document services. The platform’s Poland desk (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) offers up-to-date guidance on permits, invitations, and supporting letters, helping staff and contractors avoid last-minute surprises when rules tighten.
Business travellers using local border traffic permits will face detours of up to 120 km until temporary pedestrian gates are installed later this spring. Human-rights NGOs fear the new fence will hamper access to asylum procedures, pointing to the government’s March 2025 regulation that still limits the right to lodge protection claims at the Belarus line. The Interior Ministry counters that six heated “border access points” with videoconferencing booths for remote asylum interviews will open by July 2026. Whether that satisfies Brussels remains to be seen: the European Commission is reviewing Poland’s compliance with the Schengen Borders Code and could launch infringement proceedings if minimum guarantees are not met. From a broader mobility-risk perspective the Eastern Shield underscores how geopolitical tensions are reshaping travel logistics in Central Europe. Companies should update emergency-evacuation plans for expatriates in eastern Poland, revise trucking schedules, and remind posted workers that unauthorised entry into the buffer zone now carries fines of up to PLN 15,000 (about €3,300).
Amid these evolving border-control measures, travellers and organisations can streamline their paperwork by using VisaHQ’s online visa and document services. The platform’s Poland desk (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) offers up-to-date guidance on permits, invitations, and supporting letters, helping staff and contractors avoid last-minute surprises when rules tighten.
Business travellers using local border traffic permits will face detours of up to 120 km until temporary pedestrian gates are installed later this spring. Human-rights NGOs fear the new fence will hamper access to asylum procedures, pointing to the government’s March 2025 regulation that still limits the right to lodge protection claims at the Belarus line. The Interior Ministry counters that six heated “border access points” with videoconferencing booths for remote asylum interviews will open by July 2026. Whether that satisfies Brussels remains to be seen: the European Commission is reviewing Poland’s compliance with the Schengen Borders Code and could launch infringement proceedings if minimum guarantees are not met. From a broader mobility-risk perspective the Eastern Shield underscores how geopolitical tensions are reshaping travel logistics in Central Europe. Companies should update emergency-evacuation plans for expatriates in eastern Poland, revise trucking schedules, and remind posted workers that unauthorised entry into the buffer zone now carries fines of up to PLN 15,000 (about €3,300).
