"The decision is due to the need to counteract illegal migration and ensure internal security," the interior ministry said in a statement on social media.
Last week, more than 56,000 people and nearly 30,000 vehicles were checked at both borders, with 61 individuals denied entry into Poland, according to the Polish Border Guard agency.
Poland reintroduced temporary border checks with Germany and Lithuania on July 7, 2025 in an effort to curb what officials described as an uncontrolled influx of migrants.
Initially put in place for 30 days, the measure has been extended several times. The latest decision prolongs the checks by a further six months.
Under the measures, Polish Border Guard officers, supported by police and soldiers, are authorised to stop and inspect selected vehicles.
The government says the checks are necessary to reduce irregular migration across the country’s western and eastern borders.
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński has said the controls make it possible to monitor migration routes from the Baltic states through Poland to Western Europe and that authorities have intercepted individuals attempting to smuggle migrants westward.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said last summer the move was needed to curb uncontrolled migration flows and respond to what he described as asymmetrical actions by neighbouring states.
He said the decision was prompted by Germany’s refusal to accept back migrants attempting to enter its territory, a departure from past practice.
Germany reinstated its own border checks with Poland in October 2023 in an effort to prevent illegal migration.
Tusk said Poland remained committed to the principle of border-free travel within the European Union, "but this must be a shared, symmetrical will among neighbours.”
In the case of the Lithuanian border, checks apply not only at official crossings but also in so-called "green border" areas such as forests and local roads, according to officials.
The operations are supported by Poland’s Territorial Defence Force (WOT) and other military units. Anyone found crossing the Polish-Lithuanian border illegally is returned to Lithuania, officials say.
Polish authorities have also called on European Union members to work more closely to disrupt what they describe as large-scale people-smuggling operations orchestrated by Russia and Belarus.
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Source: IAR, PAP