The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office has updated guidance for anyone travelling to three European countries – with millions from the UK visiting these nations
Ryan Paton SEO Writer and Dan Taylor
05:30, 15 Jul 2025
Travellers are being told to check the new advice(Image: Craig Hastings via Getty Images)
The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCO) has released fresh travel advice for UK residents planning trips to Germany, Poland, and Lithuania. Around six million Brits a year head to the three nations – the vast bulk of them to Germany.
With Poland imposing renewed border controls, UK travellers are being advised of the updated regulations affecting passage between these nations. The reintroduction of checks by Poland at the German and Lithuanian frontiers is a response to concerns over illegal immigration.
The Polish authorities have launched 30-day operation to manage the situation following claims by far-right groups that Germany was transporting migrants into Poland, reports the Liverpool Echo
Officers will be conducting inspections across 52 locations on the divide with Germany and 13 on the border with Lithuania, emulating a similar stance Germany took earlier in the year. As these changes take effect, the FCO has adjusted its official advice for those travelling between these destinations. It’s worth noting that Germany alone attracts roughly 5.3 million British visitors annually.
For British nationals heading to Germany, the FCO website now says: “Poland has introduced border checks on the Germany/Poland border. Vehicles may be stopped and documentation checked.”
Similar advice for the Lithunia travel page said: “Poland has reintroduced border checks on the Lithuania/Poland border. Vehicles may be stopped and documentation checked.”
Both alerts urge people to check the requirements on the Polsh travel advice page. The guidance there states: “From 7 July 2025, Polish border guards will implement controls at the German and Lithuanian borders for entry into Poland.
Millions of Brits head to Germany every year(Image: Anton Petrus via Getty Images)
“Border checkpoints may close or impose restrictions at short notice and other disruption is possible.” The FCO explained that Germany also has border controls in force.
It said: “A temporary reintroduction of border controls is currently in place at Germany’s land borders.” These checks came into force last year on September 14 as the FCO direct you to a statement from the Germany Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community issued at the time.
The Germany Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community announced: “The Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community today informed the European Commission that it has ordered the temporary reintroduction of border control at Germany’s land borders with France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark for six months, starting 16 September 2024.
“This means that border checks will be possible at all of Germany’s land borders starting on that date. The complete package of stationary and mobile border policing measures, including the possibility to refuse entry at the border, will be applied at all of Germany’s land borders as allowed by EU and national law.
“The grounds for ordering temporary border control are the need to limit irregular migration further and to protect Germany’s internal security. With regard to irregular migration, Germany’s overall burden must be taken into account, especially the limited capacity of municipalities to provide housing, education and integration services, after taking in 1.2 million refugees from the war in Ukraine and large numbers of asylum seekers in recent years.
“The current security environment is also crucial, particularly the need to protect against Islamist extremist terrorism and serious cross-border crime.”
Brits are being told to follow the new guidance(Image: PA)
At the time, Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser released a statement, saying: “We are taking concrete action to reinforce our internal security, and we are taking a hard line against irregular migration. We are continuing to pursue this course.
“Until the new Common European Asylum System and other measures ensure strong protection for the EU’s external borders, we must also do more to control our national borders. These border control measures include effective refusals of entry at the border – more than 30,000 people have been denied entry at the land borders with Poland, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic just since October 2023.
“That is why we will expand our temporary border control to include all of Germany’s land borders, as I ordered today. My order is also intended to protect against the acute threat of Islamist extremist terrorism and serious cross-border crime. We are doing everything in our power to protect the people of our country against these threats. This includes the wide-ranging measures we are now taking.
“The Federal Police can now apply the complete package of stationary and mobile border policing measures along the entire German border. I am extremely grateful to the officers of the Federal Police for their strong commitment to policing the border. These efforts are only possible because we have increased funding and added a thousand officers each year, and we will continue to do so.
“Coordinating with our neighbouring countries remains our high priority, as does minimising the impacts on commuters and on daily life in the border regions as far as possible.”