Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Millions of Brits person ever looked guardant to travelling Europe – visiting their favourite spots for illustration Germany, Poland and Lithuania. But caller circumstances person led nan Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to update its recreation proposal for Britons visiting these 3 nations. As Poland re-imposes impermanent separator controls pinch Germany and Lithuania because of continuing concerns complete forbidden migration, UK travellers are facing tighter information astatine onshore borders.
These changes travel arsenic portion of broader efforts to combat irregular migration, peculiarly done nan Schengen Area. While specified measures are not caller successful Europe, they person now taken halfway stage, peculiarly arsenic far-right groups person raised concerns, accusing Germany of facilitating nan migration issue. As a result, Poland has launched a 30-day crackdown connected forbidden migration, introducing much stringent separator checks on its borders pinch Germany and Lithuania.
Heightened Border Controls successful Poland
Starting from Monday, Poland introduced a important tightening of separator security, which now includes 52 separator points on nan Germany/Poland separator and 13 points pinch Lithuania. Travelers should beryllium alert that vehicles whitethorn beryllium stopped, and archiving checked astatine these borders. The FCDO has advised UK visitors to enactment updated connected recreation guidance and imaginable disruptions. According to nan FCDO website, “Poland has introduced separator checks connected nan Germany/Poland border. Vehicles whitethorn beryllium stopped, and archiving checked.”
As for Lithuania, travelers should expect akin measures. “Poland has reintroduced separator checks connected nan Lithuania/Poland border. Vehicles whitethorn beryllium stopped, and archiving checked,” nan FCDO added connected its Lithuania recreation advisory page.
For UK citizens readying to sojourn Poland, Germany, aliases Lithuania, these separator power changes will apt lead to delays. The FCDO’s recreation pages connected some Poland and Lithuania supply elaborate updates connected nan situation, pinch warnings astir imaginable short-notice closures of separator checkpoints and different disruptions.
Germany’s Own Border Control Measures
Germany’s strict stance connected separator information is not caller either. The state has had impermanent separator controls successful spot since September 2024 successful consequence to rising concerns astir forbidden migration, including from regions affected by nan warfare successful Ukraine. These controls person expanded to see each onshore borders pinch neighboring countries, including France, Luxembourg, nan Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark.
The German Federal Ministry of nan Interior and Community has confirmed that these measures will stay successful spot for astatine slightest six months, pinch nan anticipation of further extensions. “A impermanent reintroduction of separator controls is presently successful spot astatine Germany’s onshore borders,” nan FCDO noted connected its Germany recreation page. The measures purpose to curb irregular migration and protect Germany’s soul information amid rising threats specified arsenic Islamist extremist coercion and cross-border crime.
This crackdown connected forbidden migration is successful statement pinch Germany’s committedness to securing its borders while continuing to support world asylum seekers. “Germany’s wide load must beryllium taken into account, particularly nan constricted capacity of municipalities to supply housing, education, and integration services, aft taking successful 1.2 cardinal refugees from nan warfare successful Ukraine and ample numbers of asylum seekers successful caller years,” nan Federal Ministry of nan Interior explained. This heightened information situation is basal for Germany to negociate migration and guarantee nationalist safety.
Poland and Lithuania’s Reinforced Border Security
For UK visitors to Poland and Lithuania, nan latest recreation proposal emphasizes nan request for consciousness of separator restrictions. The FCDO’s guidance intelligibly states that separator guards successful Poland person reintroduced strict checks for those entering from Germany and Lithuania. Travelers whitethorn look unanticipated delays arsenic these measures tin beryllium enforced astatine short notice. “Border checkpoints whitethorn adjacent aliases enforce restrictions astatine short notice, and different disruptions are possible,” sounds nan FCDO’s update connected Poland’s recreation page.
The FCDO besides stressed that these impermanent separator power measures should beryllium expected to stay successful effect for astatine slightest nan long of nan crackdown successful Poland, which is group to past for 30 days. Additionally, Poland’s separator guards person nan authority to garbage introduction to travelers who do not meet nan basal criteria, a argumentation akin to that implemented by Germany.
The Impact connected UK Travelers
UK citizens visiting these countries whitethorn look disruptions arsenic separator checks go much predominant and rigorous. The FCDO urges each travelers to support themselves informed done nan charismatic authorities website to debar last-minute surprises. For example, nan FCDO highlights that Germany’s Federal Police are applying mobile and stationary separator policing measures, which could impact checks astatine immoderate time.
With millions of UK visitors visiting Germany, Poland, and Lithuania each year, these separator power measures are apt to impact nan travel of travel. In 2024, Germany unsocial welcomed 5.3 cardinal UK visitors, pinch Poland and Lithuania seeing 600,000 and 83,000 UK tourists, respectively. As a result, nan FCDO is advising travelers to expect imaginable delays astatine checkpoints, particularly for those walking by car aliases bus.
The FCDO’s updated guidance underscores nan value of being prepared for these changes. Travelers should guarantee they person each basal archiving connected hand, including passports, recreation insurance, and immoderate further permits that whitethorn beryllium required for introduction into Poland aliases Germany. Furthermore, visitors should stay elastic pinch their recreation plans, arsenic last-minute disruptions astatine nan separator whitethorn lead to unforeseen delays.
Conclusion
With nan reinstatement of impermanent separator controls successful Poland and Germany, arsenic good arsenic heightened information measures successful Lithuania, UK travelers are urged to enactment informed and prepared for imaginable recreation disruptions. The FCDO’s updated recreation proposal provides basal guidance connected really to navigate these changes. While these measures are being implemented to reside forbidden migration concerns, they besides service arsenic a reminder of nan evolving information scenery successful Europe.
For travelers to Germany, Poland aliases Lithuania, it is important to proceed to show recreation advisories while being prepared for nan imaginable for conveyance checks aliases separator delays. A small investigation and mentation will thief UK travellers debar immoderate inconveniences and person a smoother clip of it erstwhile travelling crossed Europe.