Poland Extends Border Controls Until Spring 2026

Poland has announced the continuation of temporary border controls with Germany, extending measures initially set to expire on October 4, 2025, until April 4, 2026. This decision comes as part of the government's ongoing efforts to manage migration flows through its borders, particularly from the Baltic states into Western Europe.

The Polish Ministry of Interior, via their communication on the social media platform X, stated that the extension of border checks is essential for maintaining control over migration routes and for intercepting individuals attempting to smuggle migrants into Western countries.

Poland's primary focus remains on securing its border with Belarus in response to increasing migration pressure. The Polish government, along with the European Union, has accused Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko of orchestrating the movement of migrants from crisis regions to the EU's external borders as a strategy to exert pressure on Western nations. Many of these migrants aim to travel onward to Germany from Poland.

The border checks were initially introduced in July 2025 as a direct response to similar measures implemented by Germany. As of October 2023, Germany had begun conducting random checks at its border with Poland to combat irregular migration effectively. The German Interior Minister had mandated stricter border controls shortly after the formation of the new government in May 2025, allowing for the potential rejection of asylum seekers at the border.

In response to rising public concern and pressure from right-wing citizen patrols, which had taken it upon themselves to search for illegal migrants and monitor the state border control efforts, the Polish government acted to reinforce security measures. These citizen patrols had alleged that Germany was expelling refugees who had not previously been in Poland. However, such activities by these groups have significantly decreased in recent months.