Ban for tourists in the Tatra Mountains. You can get a high fine
The government decided to resume temporary border control on the border with Slovakia. Therefore, not only car drivers entering Poland, but also tourists in the mountains should be careful.
Controls at the Polish-Slovak border start on the night of October 4-5 (Tuesday to Wednesday). For now, they will last for 10 days, but their extension cannot be ruled out. The head of the Ministry of Interior and Administration, Mariusz Kamiński, emphasized that the Czech Republic should take the same actions. This is related to the wave of illegal immigration, which is noticed on the border with Slovakia.
Due to the actions taken, tourists going to the mountains should also be careful. Due to the restoration of borders, crossing them even on the trail is illegal. It is worth adding that the border between Poland and Slovakia runs through many popular peaks.
Tourists in the Tatra Mountains must be careful about border controls
The Commander-in-Chief of the Border Guard, General Tomasz Praga, announced that 11 crossing points will be opened on the Polish-Slovak border, including eight road and three railway ones, and 11 places where it will be possible to cross the border on foot (Ożenna, Konieczna, Leluchów, Niedzica, Łysa Polana , Chochołów, Winiarczykówka, Ujsoły, Bór, Zwardoń-Myto, Jaworzynka – Czerne – Skalite). Only European Union citizens will be able to cross the border at pedestrian crossings.
The checks are to be carried out at the entrance to Poland and will be random. And although Minister Kamiński assured that pedestrian traffic will be “completely unobstructed”, those who go to the mountains should also be careful about the new situation.
It turns out that crossing the so-called tourist border crossings, e.g. in the Tatra Mountains, are not allowed in this situation and are treated as illegal border crossing.
For now, the controls have been introduced for 10 days, so they are valid until October 13. It is worth adding, however, that recently the weather in the country has been pleasant and encourages travelers to hit the trails. A large part of them runs along the border with Slovakia, so crossing it is not that difficult. It’s better to pay attention to this so as not to receive a ticket.