Poland has decided to keep its internal border controls with Slovakia in place for another month due to ongoing irregular migration concerns.
Announcing the extension of the measure, the Ministry of Interior of Poland said that all people crossing the Polish-Slovak border will have to undergo checks until March 2, 2024.
The Minister of Interior and Administration extended the temporary reintroduction of border control on the section of the state border with the Slovak Republic for the period from February 2 to March 2, 2024.
The same revealed that the country has been seeing a high number of irregular migrants at its border with Slovakia, as the latter is a transit country for those whose final destination is Western Europe.
For this reason, with the aim of ensuring internal security as well as public safety, the extension of border controls has been considered necessary.
Border controls will be carried out only on people who enter Slovakia from Poland. The controls do not focus on tourist traffic, meaning that there will be little to no delays for those entering the country from Poland for tourism purposes.
Poland initially reintroduced internal border controls with Slovakia on October 4, 2023. Since then, the Polish authorities have continuously extended the measure, with them citing irregular migration concerns.
As the Ministry explained, the Polish border can currently be crossed at 17 road, three rail, and two pedestrian crossings.
Regarding citizens of the EU/Schengen Area, the authorities have reiterated that the rules for them remain the same, meaning that they are not subject to additional controls.
All travellers who plan on crossing the Polish border have been reminded once again to keep their travel documents on them, their passport or ID, depending on the citizenship they hold.
While Poland has decided to extend its border controls with Slovakia, Czechia has done the opposite.
Earlier this month, Czechia decided to lift its internal border controls with Slovakia. The decision to no longer keep border controls with Slovakia in place was taken after four months of the measure being effective.
Confirming the lifting of the border controls, the Prime Minister of Czechia, Petr Fiala, said that random checks will continue to be held. This means that the border authorities will require certain people to undergo controls in cases when they suspect something.
Similar to Poland, Czechia also introduced border controls with Slovakia due to irregular migration concerns. In case the country starts seeing a high number of irregular entries now that the measure has been dropped, it might reintroduce controls again.
