Government extends the buffer zone on the Polish-Belarusian border until September 2026

With effect from 3 June 2026, the Minister of the Interior and Administration extended for a further 90 days the prohibition on staying within a designated zone along the Polish-Belarusian border. The extension was made by a ministerial regulation signed on 26 May 2026 (Journal of Laws, Item 695) and authorised by a resolution of the Sejm of 14 May 2026 (Journal of Laws, Item 505), and will remain in force until 1 September 2026.

The buffer zone was originally introduced on 12 June 2024 pursuant to Article 12a(2) of the Act of 12 October 1990 on the Protection of the State Border, which permits the establishment of temporary restricted-access areas in the border zone to ensure the safety of officers, soldiers, and other personnel carrying out border-protection duties. The area covered by the buffer zone spans a section of the border over 78 km in length, located within the operational areas of the Border Guard outposts in Michałów, Narewka, Białowieża, Dubicze Cerkiewne, and Czeremcha. Along approximately 59 km of the border, the restricted zone extends 200 metres from the state border line. In areas covering nature reserves (approximately 15 km), the zone extends up to 2 km inland, while on a section of around 4 km, it reaches up to 4 km inland.

Together with restrictions on access to asylum at the Polish-Belarusian border, in force since 27 March 2025, the measure reportedly aims to address continued migratory pressure from Belarus and to combat migrant smuggling. According to the Ministry of the Interior, as a result of these measures and investments in border protection, no successful attempts to illegally cross the border from Belarus were recorded in the first three months of 2026.