Collapse At The Poland-Belarus Border

• 19.08.2026, 13:13

Once again, 50-euro handouts and dozens of buses.

There is once again a huge line of buses at the “Brest–Terespol” border crossing, and the situation has not fundamentally changed in two weeks. Passengers report seeing dozens of buses lined up in front of the barrier, are paying 50 euros each to be driven closer to the barrier, and are debating whether this line is even normal. Some are already returning their tickets and trying to travel through the “Berestovitsa” checkpoint, but even there, it’s not always possible to cross the border quickly right now. Motorists face a different problem: it takes several hours to clear the border itself, but they have to wait more than two days to be called from the electronic queue, writes BGmedia.

Up to 17 hours at the border and 50 euros for a spot closer to the barrier at the “Brest” border crossing

The situation remains the most challenging for buses traveling from Belarus to Poland via the “Brest” checkpoint. Recent reports from border chat groups show that even carriers who reserve a spot in line in advance with other buses are spending many hours at the border.

One passenger on the Gomel–Warsaw bus said: “We arrived at the border at 1:10 a.m., drove around the line, and were fourth in line. At 2:20 a.m., we pulled up to our group, cleared the Belarusian side at 4:40 a.m. We reached the Polish side at 6:30 a.m., and at 10:10 a.m. we’re heading toward Warsaw. In total, it took nine hours to cross the border.”

Passengers on an Intercars bus, which departed from Minsk on the evening of August 17, had a comparatively smoother experience. According to them, the bus arrived at the border around 1:00 a.m., where more than 20 vehicles were waiting, but it bypassed almost the entire line and took the third position in place of another bus from the same carrier. Despite this, the passengers did not clear the Polish border until 12:15 p.m.

“Given the current circumstances, it was a pretty successful outcome… We’re heading toward the Polish capital, hardly believing we still have sandwiches and drinks left over from our long wait,” wrote one passenger.

Another Intercars bus on the Minsk–Poznań route took even longer. It arrived at the border at 8:20 p.m. on August 17 and also swapped places with another bus from the same carrier: “We drove under the barrier at 4:20 a.m. We left for Poland at 1:15 p.m. Eight hours of waiting plus nine hours at both borders—17 hours without a transfer.”

That’s why some passengers continue to use the now-familiar tactic—arriving at the end of the line, getting off their bus, and paying to transfer to one of the buses at the front.

One of the passengers left Minsk for Warsaw on August 17 at 9:30 p.m. At the border, she counted 46 buses: “I boarded the third bus from the barrier. I arrived at 5:00 a.m. and left on August 18 at 1:00 p.m. That’s a total of eight hours from barrier to barrier, and the bus I transferred from was still the tenth one before the barrier.”

Another report in the border chat also shows the current cost of this service: “Belarus–Lithuania, August 18. We pulled up to the border at 4:00 a.m.; there were 45 buses ahead of us. We transferred to a second bus—50 euros per person; almost everyone from the bus we arrived in crossed over. At 5:00 a.m., we went through passport control and passed the barrier. At 9:30 a.m., we crossed the Belarusian border. At 10:00 a.m., we drove onto the bridge—they collected 50 euros from everyone who had transferred buses. At 2:45 p.m., we crossed the Polish border and drove past the barrier.”

Thus, even buying a seat closer to the front of the line does not guarantee a quick passage. In this case, it took nearly ten hours from entering the Belarusian checkpoint to leaving Poland.

The VisitTour Minsk–Prague bus, which also partially bypassed the line, spent about 14 hours at the border: the bus arrived at the back of the line at 1:40 a.m. and didn’t leave the Polish checkpoint until 3:40 p.m.

The situation is much better when entering Belarus. For example, on August 17, the Warsaw–Minsk bus crossed the border in about six hours. Another bus from Terespol passed through the Polish barrier immediately and, about five hours later, had already left the Belarusian side.

An Ecolines passenger traveling from Warsaw noticed a line of buses coming in the opposite direction: the line of buses heading toward Poland stretched all the way to “Beltamozhservice,” and, according to his observations, about half of them were empty, old buses.

“Business is booming at the border.” Belarusians are debating where the bus line comes from

It is precisely these empty buses and the system of picking up passengers that have once again become the main topic of discussion in border chat rooms. One passenger reported that a “Minsktrans” bus arrived at the border on August 17 at 12:06 p.m. Passengers were almost immediately offered the chance to transfer to another bus for 50 euros per person. Many agreed. The original bus itself didn’t reach Biała Podlaska until the next morning.

Another report is even more telling: “On August 17, Minsktrans was tenth in line at 7:00 p.m. At 7:30 p.m., they transferred to the first bus for 50 euros per person. The first bus didn’t stop at the checkpoint until it had picked up a full complement of passengers. We left the Polish side at 3:10 a.m. Belarusian time on August 18. Business is booming at the border; everything is organized, right down to the taxis. “The line is clearly artificial.”

Chat participants began asking whether this type of transportation was officially registered: “I wonder, did they give passengers tickets? Did they only accept cash, or did they take non-cash payments as well?” Others are already curious about the tax implications of what’s happening: “I’m also curious—where is the tax office looking? In Minsk, they’ll fine minibus drivers three rubles, but here there’s such a cash cow…”

People are also annoyed that, in their opinion, the carriers and middlemen are the ones coming out ahead: “Yes, these are artificial lines, and everyone is making a double profit—except the passengers.”

One chat user stated that the entire process—from arriving at the back of the line in Brest to departing for Terespol—took about 30 hours, even though his bus swapped places with another one and thus passed about half the convoy.

However, not everyone agrees that the problem lies solely with the Belarusian bus line and the “reserved” seat system. Passengers also regularly complain about the pace of the Polish side’s operations: “When we were on the Polish side, I got the impression it was an Italian-style strike. For a good portion of the time, they were letting through only one bus, or, less often, two buses per hour.”

Another Ecolines passenger, who arrived practically right at the Belarusian barrier, still spent 10 hours and 35 minutes at the two border crossings. According to his observations, the main delay occurred on the Polish side: after one bus, it could take a long time before the next one was allowed through.

Due to the situation in Brest, some people are already changing their routes: “I changed my ticket and took a different bus that goes through Bobrovniki. I don’t want to be part of this rip-off.” But taking the “Berestovitsa–Bobrovniki” route didn’t guarantee a quick trip either.

One of the Grodno–Warsaw buses spent 10 hours and 23 minutes at the border there, while another spent about 10.5 hours. The bus, which arrived at the Belarusian border at 11:10 p.m. on August 17, didn’t depart from the Polish side until 8:45 a.m. the next day. In other words, there is now an alternative to Brest, but the time savings of a few hours may not materialize at all.

A “Minsktrans” passenger reported that Polish border guards processed his bus fairly quickly, but then the entire bus had to wait another 40 minutes for one person who was found to be carrying three kilograms of pig ears. While the confiscation and fine were being processed, the next bus was not allowed to proceed through customs.

For those who need to catch a flight, online chat rooms advise keeping an eye on the situation right before the trip. If the line remains the same, one common option is as follows: take a train to Brest, take a taxi to the border, and try to hop on one of the first buses. According to a recent report from one of the passengers, the fee for a ride only as far as Terespol was no longer 50 euros, but 50 rubles.

The bus line at the “Brest” border crossing on August 21, 2025. Archived screenshot from an STV video

Cars cross the border in 4–6 hours, but the wait in the electronic queue is more than two days

For passenger cars, the situation is different. After being called to the “Brest” border crossing, the actual process of crossing both borders can take just a few hours.

One driver was traveling from Belarus to Poland on August 17: “10:00 a.m.—we pulled up to the Belarusian side. 11:30 a.m.—We went through passport control and started up the ramp to the bridge. 12:20 p.m.—We entered the Polish side. 1:40 p.m.—We left the Polish side. Total: 3 hours and 40 minutes.”

On the return trip, the wait was usually around five hours: “Poland–Belarus, August 17. At 4:10 p.m., we were the 25th car in line. At 5:10 p.m., we pulled up to the Polish checkpoint. At 6:20 p.m., we drove onto the bridge. At 6:40 p.m., we pulled up to the Belarusian checkpoint. At 8:30 p.m., we drove through the X-ray screening. At 9:10 p.m., we entered Brest. Total border crossing time: five hours.”

Another car made the trip from Poland to Belarus in 5 hours and 20 minutes. Passengers reported a major traffic jam on the bridge, and on the Belarusian side—a thorough manual inspection of luggage and weighing.

Cars in line inside the “Brest” border crossing in August 2025. Archival screenshot from an STV video

But the main concern for drivers right now is what lies before the barrier. By mid-August, according to recent reports, the wait had grown even longer. One driver said: “We registered on August 15 at 6:30 p.m.; we were number 1,333. We arrived at the waiting area on August 18 at 3:00 p.m.” In other words, nearly three days passed between registration and arrival at the waiting area.

Chat participants estimate that about 20 cars are called per hour. At night, the pace sometimes picks up because of those who didn’t show up when called, but it can also slow down to about 15 cars per hour. “Since there are more than a thousand cars, it’ll take two days or more,” one user estimated.

At the border crossing into Belarus, on the other hand, there is practically no line. A post from the morning of August 18 mentioned about eight cars.

As a result, the “Brest–Terespol” border crossing is currently operating in two completely different modes. A bus passenger may arrive directly at a live line but then spend half a day or more in it—or pay to move up in line. A driver, on the other hand, can clear customs in four to five hours, but first has to wait several days for the electronic system to even allow them to reach the checkpoint.

And the idea of simply choosing a different crossing doesn’t seem like a universal solution either: recent reports from “Berestovitsa” show the same ten-hour wait. Therefore, the only somewhat viable strategy is to monitor the situation right before the trip and allow as much extra time as possible for crossing the Belarusian-Polish border.