Poland Closes Border with Belarus: What It Means for Cargo Transport
12 september
# Expert Advice Section
On the night of September 11–12, Poland shut down all road and rail border crossings with Belarus. The decision, linked to the joint Russian-Belarusian military drills Zapad-2025, will remain in force until further notice. No clear reopening dates have been announced.
The closure affects key transport corridors: road checkpoints Terespol/Brest and Kukuryki/Kozlovichi, as well as rail crossings Kuznica Bialostocka/Grodno, Semyanovka/Svisloch, and Terespol/Brest.
Impact on imports
Import flows will have to be redirected through the Lithuanian and Latvian* border crossings, which remain open for now. However, these countries have their own restrictions on types of goods and documentation, making it impossible to fully replace the Polish route.
Additional challenges include:
• Trucks with Polish registration are not allowed to pass via Lithuania or Latvia, which means cargo will need to be reloaded and transported by carriers with Baltic or other registration.
• Free transport capacity is scarce. Finding a truck, arranging reloading, and reaching the new checkpoint may take 2–3 extra days (plus border crossing time).
• Costs have already increased: rerouting adds at least €1,000 to delivery, and in some cases up to €2,500.
Many companies are reluctant to rush into expensive rerouting decisions, expecting that the border might reopen on September 16. Until then, shipments are often unloaded at warehouses in Poland to await further clarity.
Impact on exports
Exports from the CIS and China to the EU are also affected. At Brest TLC, some trucks are stuck due to the inability to process transit through Polish checkpoints, causing downtime and additional storage fees. As a result, exporters are advised to use Lithuanian and Latvian border crossings, though this will also increase costs.
What’s next
There are doubts that the border will reopen as early as September 16. If closures last longer without a clear timeline, market panic could follow. Even if the crossings reopen, the first 1–2 weeks will likely see bottlenecks and rising rates, as a large volume of cargo will need to move at once.
No exceptions have been announced for critical cargo such as medicines or perishable goods, meaning these shipments will also have to be redirected through Lithuania or Latvia.
For businesses, the key task right now is to prepare backup logistics scenarios to minimize downtime and additional costs.
*As of this publication, the Latvian border remains open, although local officials recently floated the idea of following Poland’s example. Lithuania has stated it does not plan closures but has not ruled them out should circumstances change.
