Poland’s Interior Ministry plans to extend temporary border controls with Germany and Lithuania for another six months, from April 5th to October 1st, citing migration risks.
Extension of Border Controls Planned
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration (MSWiA) is planning a six-month extension of temporary border controls on the sections of the border with Germany and Lithuania, running from April 5th to October 1st. The draft regulation has been published on the Government Legislation Centre’s website.
The draft regulation from the head of MSWiA was placed in the RCL system on Monday and is now undergoing inter-ministerial consultations and public review, scheduled to conclude on March 19th.
Mużakowski Park Returns to Control List
The Mużakowski Park – specifically the English Bridge between Łęknica and Bad Muskau – will be added back to the list of controlled crossings. This follows previous renovation work. The crossing is important for tourist, pedestrian, and cycling traffic, as well as cross-border events within the park.
Current and Previous Control Periods
Border controls were initially introduced on July 7, 2025, for one month, then extended for two months – from August 6th to October 4th, 2025. The currently valid regulation extended controls for another six months – from October 5th, 2025, to April 4th, 2026.
Schengen Code and Control Extensions
According to the Schengen border code, a member state can reinstate border controls on internal borders for up to six months in the event of a foreseeable serious threat to public order or internal security. If this threat persists beyond six months, the controls can be extended for further periods of no more than six months, up to a maximum of two years. This requires prior notification to other member states, the European Parliament, the Council, and the European Commission.
Justification for Extension: Illegal Migration
The ministry states that the extension is necessary due to the continued serious threat of illegal migration on both sections of the border.
Control Measures and Locations
Poland temporarily reinstated controls on its borders with Germany and Lithuania, allowing border guards, supported by police and soldiers from the Territorial Defence Forces, to stop and check selected vehicles. Controls on the Polish-German border will be conducted in approximately 50 locations, and on the Polish-Lithuanian border in 13.
Migration Statistics: Belarus Border
Analysis of the migration situation shows 59 attempts to illegally cross the border from Belarus between January 1st and February 22nd, 2026, compared to 662 in the same period of 2025. This decrease is attributed to low temperatures and snowfall, but authorities anticipate increased pressure with the arrival of spring. Throughout 2025, nearly 30,000 attempts were recorded to illegally cross the Polish-Belarusian border, and 30,475 in 2024.
Link Between Borders
MSWiA emphasized that pressure on the border with Belarus directly translates to the number of foreigners attempting to illegally cross the Polish-Lithuanian and Polish-German borders, making the security of these routes essential.
Statistics on Illegal Border Crossings
During the period the regulation was in effect – from July 7, 2025, to February 22, 2026 – border guards detained 261 citizens of third countries who illegally crossed the border from Lithuania to Poland. Additionally, SG refused entry to 595 foreigners and returned 281 individuals to Lithuania under readmission agreements.
Throughout 2025, 330 citizens of third countries who had previously illegally crossed the border from Lithuania to Poland were detained on Polish territory and in the border area. In the border area with Lithuania, 85 facilitators – organizers of illegal border crossings – were also detained, with 75 placed in custody.
German Border Concerns
The ministry noted that the Polish-German border remains at risk, as it is a convergence point for migration flows from Belarus, the Baltic states, and the Balkans.
Polish-German Border Statistics
Between January 1, 2025, and February 22, 2026, 428 citizens of third countries were detained after illegally crossing from Germany to Poland, and 3,926 in the opposite direction. The latter group included 607 foreigners who had previously illegally crossed the Polish-Belarusian border – 177 were detained before reaching the German border, and 430 were refused entry by German authorities.
Border guards refused entry to 468 foreigners from the enactment of the regulation until February 22, 2026, according to the justification for the draft regulation.
German Controls
Germany temporarily reinstated controls on the Polish-German border on October 16, 2023, and they are currently in effect until September 15, 2026. Previously, Germany had implemented point controls along illegal migration routes in the border area.
