A New Entry System Has Been Launched At The Border Between Belarus And Poland
- 13.11.2025, 9:38
In the long run, it should speed up the process.
Telegram chats dedicated to crossing the Belarusian-Polish border discuss the alleged testing of the new system of entry-exit to the EU - EES. Users believe that because of this, the control on the Polish side is longer. "Zerkalo" found out what's really going on.
The first reports that testing of the new entry-exit system started at the checkpoint "Terespol" (Brest on the Belarusian side) appeared in profile chats on November 8. Users suggested that because of this, the border crossing time and queues have increased significantly.
- It seems that last night, after the shift change, the Poles turned on the new system of checking. And the line has stopped. They ask specifically for Schengen, not just [visa type] C - each one is rechecked several times. They are constantly being called back somewhere. They walk along the queue, where they scan palms with a machine," shared one of the chat participants on November 8.
- The increase in the queue is likely due to the new control system of Poles, just introduced, they are testing. Belarusians have almost no queue after Poles," wrote another.
- We called [at the checkpoint], they all know about the queue, but they can't help. The new system is a lot of data to enter, so it will be slow," another user relayed the content of the conversation with Polish border guards.
The following days, Belarusians discussed in chat rooms that perhaps Poland had suspended testing of the EES after all. They made such a conclusion because of the decreased time of passing border control on the side of the neighboring country.
- The system was turned off, so they pass a little faster, - one of them reported on November 9.
On November 12, reports about the slowdown of traffic appeared again.
- Poles are testing the new system again, so very slow traffic in two directions," one chat participant wrote.
"Zerkalo" asked the Nadbuzhanski department of the Polish Border Guard Service (Straż Graniczna) for a comment. The spokesman, Major Dariusz Senicki, confirmed that the EES system had indeed started operating at the Terespol border crossing point, not in a test mode but in full-fledged mode.
- We have already launched the new Entry Exit System, or EES for short, at the external borders of the European Union," he said. - It registers entries and exits of non-Schengen citizens who arrive for short stays (up to 90 days within a 180-day period). Travelers' data are registered in the EES regardless of whether they need a short-term visa or use the visa-free regime.
Senitsky said that the EES does collect biometric data at border crossings: fingerprints and a photograph of the face, which "may slightly increase the time of the check itself." However, he emphasized that in the long run it will, on the contrary, speed up the process.
- With the development of the system, traditional stamps in passports will be replaced by electronic verification, which will eventually contribute to faster border control, - explained the representative of the Border Guard Service.
He also added that thanks to the EES it will be easier to identify non-EU citizens who do not meet the entry conditions or have exceeded the authorized period of stay in the Schengen zone.
- Thanks to the EES, European borders will become safer," the spokesman concluded.