Poland’s Ministry of the Interior and Administration (MSWiA) has formally extended the temporary restoration of border controls on the country’s western and north-eastern frontiers for a further six months. A regulation published in the Official Gazette late on 2 May pushes the expiry date of the measures from 4 April to 1 October 2026 and keeps 16 road, rail and pedestrian crossings under systematic passport and vehicle inspection.
The order also brings back the pedestrian bridge in the Park Mużakowski between Łęknica (PL) and Bad Muskau (DE) now that renovations are complete. Warsaw first re-introduced controls with Germany and Lithuania on 7 July 2025 after Berlin tightened its own frontier regime and began returning irregular migrants at the border.
Polish officials say the flow of migrants has since shifted north-eastwards via Lithuania, tripling apprehensions there in 2025 and prompting the latest extension.
Travel coordinators who need to stay ahead of these fluid requirements can simplify the process by using VisaHQ’s Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/). The service provides real-time updates on entry rules, helps secure Schengen visas, and offers document-check tools—handy when temporary controls heighten scrutiny at land crossings.
![Poland prolongs temporary passport checks on German and Lithuanian borders until 1 October 2026]()
Under the Schengen Borders Code, internal checks can be re-imposed for up to six months at a time where serious threats to public order exist; successive roll-overs, however, have drawn criticism from the European Commission and industry bodies representing hauliers and cross-border commuters.
For businesses, the decision means continued spot-checks on corporate shuttle buses, assignment vehicles and just-in-time freight traffic. Mobility managers should build extra buffer time into itineraries—especially during the 1-3 May “majówka” holiday exodus and this summer’s festival season—because queues can swell rapidly when passenger volumes spike. MSWiA recommends that travellers carry passports rather than ID cards to speed up inspection and that carriers upload passenger manifests to Poland’s Advance Border Information (API) portal in advance where possible.
The inclusion of the reopened Park Mużakowski footbridge is symbolically important for local tourism, but it also adds another choke-point that may require additional staffing.
The Border Guard has already redeployed 200 officers from eastern districts and is receiving logistical help from Military Police units. Officials insist the arrangement is temporary, yet ministries acknowledge privately that controls could remain in place until a coordinated EU-level migration pact is finalised.
Longer-term, companies should watch for a possible phasing-in of the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) on these crossings later this year, which will replace manual stamps with biometric verification. When that happens, current queues could lengthen unless extra e-gates are installed. Firms relocating staff, especially those who commute weekly between Polish and German plants, should brief employees on changed documentation requirements and budget for potential accommodation overruns if drivers miss driving-time windows.
The order also brings back the pedestrian bridge in the Park Mużakowski between Łęknica (PL) and Bad Muskau (DE) now that renovations are complete. Warsaw first re-introduced controls with Germany and Lithuania on 7 July 2025 after Berlin tightened its own frontier regime and began returning irregular migrants at the border.
Polish officials say the flow of migrants has since shifted north-eastwards via Lithuania, tripling apprehensions there in 2025 and prompting the latest extension.
Travel coordinators who need to stay ahead of these fluid requirements can simplify the process by using VisaHQ’s Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/). The service provides real-time updates on entry rules, helps secure Schengen visas, and offers document-check tools—handy when temporary controls heighten scrutiny at land crossings.
Under the Schengen Borders Code, internal checks can be re-imposed for up to six months at a time where serious threats to public order exist; successive roll-overs, however, have drawn criticism from the European Commission and industry bodies representing hauliers and cross-border commuters.
For businesses, the decision means continued spot-checks on corporate shuttle buses, assignment vehicles and just-in-time freight traffic. Mobility managers should build extra buffer time into itineraries—especially during the 1-3 May “majówka” holiday exodus and this summer’s festival season—because queues can swell rapidly when passenger volumes spike. MSWiA recommends that travellers carry passports rather than ID cards to speed up inspection and that carriers upload passenger manifests to Poland’s Advance Border Information (API) portal in advance where possible.
The inclusion of the reopened Park Mużakowski footbridge is symbolically important for local tourism, but it also adds another choke-point that may require additional staffing.
The Border Guard has already redeployed 200 officers from eastern districts and is receiving logistical help from Military Police units. Officials insist the arrangement is temporary, yet ministries acknowledge privately that controls could remain in place until a coordinated EU-level migration pact is finalised.
Longer-term, companies should watch for a possible phasing-in of the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) on these crossings later this year, which will replace manual stamps with biometric verification. When that happens, current queues could lengthen unless extra e-gates are installed. Firms relocating staff, especially those who commute weekly between Polish and German plants, should brief employees on changed documentation requirements and budget for potential accommodation overruns if drivers miss driving-time windows.
