Poland’s Ministry of the Interior and Administration (MSWiA) has released the first comprehensive statistics covering the first 25 days of full operation of the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) on the country’s borders. According to the report, between 10 April and 5 May 2026 the system recorded almost 6.8 million individual crossings and generated 9,400 automatic refusals of entry for third-country nationals attempting to enter Poland.
![Poland’s new EES border-control system logs 6.8 million crossings and 9,400 entry refusals in first month]()
For travellers and companies looking for practical help navigating these new controls, VisaHQ offers real-time advice and streamlined online processing for Polish visas, ETIAS authorisations and related documentation. Their Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) lets users verify requirements, begin applications and tap into expert support—minimising the risk of delays or refusals now flagged automatically by EES.
EES replaces the manual stamping of passports with a biometric register that captures fingerprints and facial images as well as precise entry and exit data. Border-guard officials told a government briefing that automated gates have reduced average processing times for compliant travellers by 30 percent, while simultaneously tightening the net on overstays and identity fraud. Early analytics show that more than 2.4 million unique travellers have already been enrolled in the Polish segment of the system. From a business-mobility perspective, the new checks are a double-edged sword. Corporate travel managers interviewed by the Polish Chamber of Commerce say the biometric kiosks at Warsaw-Chopin Airport and the Terespol rail crossing are “noticeably faster” for passport-holders whose data are already in the system. However, first-time entrants report queues of up to 25 minutes while fingerprints are captured, and several multinational companies have asked staff to build extra time into itineraries when hosting non-EU visitors. The 9,400 refusals largely involved passengers flagged for previous overstays or alerts in the Schengen Information System. Legal advisers warn that once a refusal is triggered in EES it becomes visible across all 29 participating states, making timely appeals essential. MSWiA added that it is now working on integrating Poland’s national visa database with EES so that overstays generate automatic alerts to employers who sponsor work permits. Looking ahead, the ministry confirmed that Poland will link EES with the upcoming European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) by October. Companies that frequently move staff across Schengen should therefore update mobility policies, ensuring travellers know their 90/180-day entitlements and carry the same travel document each time they cross a Polish border.
For travellers and companies looking for practical help navigating these new controls, VisaHQ offers real-time advice and streamlined online processing for Polish visas, ETIAS authorisations and related documentation. Their Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) lets users verify requirements, begin applications and tap into expert support—minimising the risk of delays or refusals now flagged automatically by EES.
EES replaces the manual stamping of passports with a biometric register that captures fingerprints and facial images as well as precise entry and exit data. Border-guard officials told a government briefing that automated gates have reduced average processing times for compliant travellers by 30 percent, while simultaneously tightening the net on overstays and identity fraud. Early analytics show that more than 2.4 million unique travellers have already been enrolled in the Polish segment of the system. From a business-mobility perspective, the new checks are a double-edged sword. Corporate travel managers interviewed by the Polish Chamber of Commerce say the biometric kiosks at Warsaw-Chopin Airport and the Terespol rail crossing are “noticeably faster” for passport-holders whose data are already in the system. However, first-time entrants report queues of up to 25 minutes while fingerprints are captured, and several multinational companies have asked staff to build extra time into itineraries when hosting non-EU visitors. The 9,400 refusals largely involved passengers flagged for previous overstays or alerts in the Schengen Information System. Legal advisers warn that once a refusal is triggered in EES it becomes visible across all 29 participating states, making timely appeals essential. MSWiA added that it is now working on integrating Poland’s national visa database with EES so that overstays generate automatic alerts to employers who sponsor work permits. Looking ahead, the ministry confirmed that Poland will link EES with the upcoming European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) by October. Companies that frequently move staff across Schengen should therefore update mobility policies, ensuring travellers know their 90/180-day entitlements and carry the same travel document each time they cross a Polish border.
