Poland and Ukraine have 535 km of common border and 14 common checkpoints, eight of which are automobile. At the same time, the border of Poland and Ukraine is also the external border of the European Union, and therefore is very popular among citizens traveling in Europe. Every day, tens of thousands of people face the choice of a particular checkpoint - this determines how long it will take to pass the border and stand in lines. Yes, long queues are a characteristic feature of the Polish-Ukrainian border.
General information about the border of Ukraine and Poland
The flow of citizens crossing the Polish-Ukrainian border every day is enormous. Someone goes to work, someone goes shopping, and someone, using the rules of small border traffic, brings cigarettes to Poland.
On ordinary days, about 80 thousand people cross checkpoints, which creates a considerable burden on border authorities and border traffic in general. On weekends and before holidays, passenger traffic increases significantly: at popular checkpoints, the number of people wishing to cross the border can increase by 20-60%.
All this creates considerable queues at the checkpoint, in which passengers have to stand for hours. The average waiting time, depending on the crossing point, is 1-3 hours.
But this is only under standard conditions - on peak days, the waiting time in the queue can reach 7-8, and sometimes 10 hours. So that citizens can save their time and choose a less busy crossing point, the border authorities publish online videos from the borders on the Internet.
Find out which countries Poland borders on: checkpoints and crossing rules.
The situation at Ukrainian checkpoints can be found on the website of the State Border Guard Service, for Polish ones, at granica.gov.pl. Online queues can also be viewed from a smartphone using the Mobilna Granica application.
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Border crossing conditions
Since the Ukrainian-Polish border is the external cordon of the European Union, the crossing of this border is carried out through 14 checkpoints according to the rules of entry into the Schengen zone.
This means that when entering from the territory of Ukraine into the territory of Poland, everyone who passes the border control is obliged to comply with the crossing rules established by the EU Regulation No. 2016/399 of 09.03. 2021.
Without going into unnecessary details, we note that in order to enter Poland, regardless of the method, an individual must:
- justify the purpose, terms and conditions of your stay in Poland or another EU country, including submitting a reservation of a place of residence, travel tickets in both directions, as well as sufficient funds to support yourself during your stay;
- not be a member of the European SIS base as an undesirable person for a pass;
- not pose a threat to public order and internal security of the member states.
In addition, the citizen will have to submit a number of documents. What documents are needed to cross the border depends on the method of crossing, as well as the basis on which the person enters the EU. So, when walking on foot or when crossing by bus, a citizen will need:
- a valid travel document (passport), issued within the last 10 years, with a validity period of at least three months after the planned date of departure;
- valid Schengen visa (work, tourist, transit or other) (not required for Ukrainian citizens with biometric passports);
- Residence card, Pole card or other document allowing visa-free entry.
If you go through customs with a minor child, the accompanying legal representative must also have:
- passport for a child - provided that the parent has a biometric passport and the child cannot be entered into it or the child has reached the age of 14;
- birth certificate of a child (for movement in the CIS countries, except for Ukraine, for Russians over 14 years old, a passport is required);
- notarized consent of the second parent (if the child is traveling with one of the parents) or consent from both parents when the child crosses the border with relatives or other persons who are not legal representatives.
If you cross border crossings by car, in addition to the above-described package of documents for each of the passengers, the driver will also need:
- international driver's license; for Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians, a national driver's license is suitable, since in accordance with the Vienna Convention of 1968 they are recognized abroad, including in Poland;
- vehicle registration certificate;
- international insurance, valid in the EU, "Green Card";
- a power of attorney if the vehicle is not driven by the owner and is not in the car.
Answers to all questions regarding visiting Poland by car can be found in the article “How to correctly cross the Polish border by car in 2021”.
Ukrainian-Polish border crossing points
At the time of preparation of the material, there are 14 checkpoints operating on the Ukrainian-Polish border, stretching across two regions (Volyn and Lvov) and two Polish voivodeships (Podkarpackie and Lublin).
8 of them are road (on foot), 6 are railroad. A complete list of checkpoints can be found on the website of the State Border Guard Service.
On the territory of the Lviv region, two checkpoints have the highest throughput of 71 vehicles / hour: Krakovets and Rava-Ruska. The largest checkpoint on the territory of the Volyn region and in general on the territory of Ukraine is considered to be the checkpoint near the village of Yagodin. Its capacity is 161 cars and 181 trucks / hour.
Due to the fact that the Krakovets checkpoint lies on the path of one of the largest road branches connecting Lviv, Krakow and Wroclaw, it is he who is considered one of the most popular checkpoints - there are almost always long queues, sometimes even of citizens crossing the border on foot.
At the same time, the close distance from the Polish Przemysl is only 16 kilometers, as well as the development of passenger infrastructure maximizes the popularity of the Shegini checkpoint. Let's consider all of them in more detail.
Ukrainian-Polish checkpoints of Lviv region
6 out of 8 automobile checkpoints are located in the Lviv region. This is due to the border location of the largest regional center in western Ukraine and its economic importance - from Lviv to the border, only about 70 km.
Checkpoints are successfully operating on the territory of the region:
- Shegini-Medica: a pedestrian-car checkpoint capable of passing 67 cars per hour. Developed infrastructure, minibuses, a large number of exchange offices, grocery stores and insurers.
- Krakovets – Korchova: one of the most popular crossings due to its location on the largest European highway E-40, with a length of about 8 thousand km.
- Rava-Ruska-Grebenne: one of the largest checkpoints in the Lviv region, it is known for its developed infrastructure and excellent roadways across the territory of Ukraine.
- Hrushev-Budomezh: opened in 2021, has no trade infrastructure, joint Polish-Ukrainian control is organized;
- Smilnitsa – Krosssenko: good road from Lviv, joint Polish-Ukrainian control.
- Ugrinov-Dolgobychuv: opened in 2021, allows cars and buses up to 3.5 tons, maximum waiting time up to 5 hours.
Contact information for people crossing the checkpoint in Lviv region
Since the distance between checkpoints, even within one region, is considerable and amounts to 30-50 km, we publish contact information for tourists. The information specified below will be required both when sending correspondence to the required checkpoint, and in cases where it is necessary to contact the administration of the checkpoint.
| Checkpoint | Contact Ukrainian border information | Polish border contact information |
|---|---|---|
| Krakovets-Korchova | 81070, town. Krakovets, st. Verbitsky, 54, (032) 2974656 | 401060, 37-552 Młyny, tel. +48 16 623 64 01, fax: +48 16 623 64 05, [email protected] |
| Rava-Russkaya-Grebenne | 80316, Rata village, st. Grebenskaya, 28, (032) 2986263 | 303020, 22-681 Hrebenne, tel. +48 84 667 62 73, fax: +48 84 667 62 71, [email protected] |
| Shegini-Medica | with. Shegini, (032) 344-72-19 | 401030, 37-732 Medyka, tel. +48 16 676 50 00, fax: +48 16 676 50 20 [email protected] |
| Grushev-Budomezh | with. Grushov, (038) 272-47-66 | 401080, 37-625 Budomierz, tel. +48 16 676 42 98, fax: +48 16 676 42 98, [email protected] |
| Smilnitsa-Krosssenko | with. Smoker, (03238) 2-56-76 | 404030, 38-700 Ustrzyki Dolne, tel. +48 13 465 87 00, fax: +48 13 465 87 05, [email protected] |
| Ugrinov-Dolgobichuv | with. Ugrinov, (038) 272-47-68 | 303091, 22-540 Dołhobyczów, tel. +48 81 748 43 88, [email protected] |
Ukrainian-Polish checkpoints of the Volyn region
On the territory of the Volyn region, there are only two Ukrainian-Polish checkpoints, since the region has an order of magnitude smaller segment of the Ukrainian-Polish border. This, however, does not make the destination less popular than in the Lviv region.
So, Volyn checkpoints are:
- Yagodin-Dorogusk: the largest checkpoint with the largest throughput, including for trucks, and therefore the transportation of goods and many kilometers of queues from trucks on it is a common thing. It is the shortest route for those traveling from Kiev to Warsaw, Lublin or Chelm. It is characterized by a well-developed infrastructure, retail outlets and gas stations. There are often queues in which you have to stand up to 8 hours.
- Ustilug-Zosin: a small checkpoint with joint Polish-Ukrainian control, allowing only light and passenger transport. It is characterized by uniform loading throughout the day - the average waiting time in the queue is 2-6 hours. But thanks to the infrastructure developed in the city of Ustylug, passengers will always be fed, they will be able to change currency and purchase an insurance policy.
What problems can arise when crossing the border
Since the Ukrainian-Polish border is the external border of the EU, customs officials are especially willing to check anyone who tries to enter Schengen territory. Therefore, in advance, take care of the availability of a complete package of necessary documents, confirmation of the purpose of your trip and the time of stay in the Eurozone countries.
In addition, be sure to have enough cash or bank statement on hand to prove you have enough money to support yourself while you are traveling.
If the passport and visa are valid, goals, time and means are confirmed, the only problem when crossing the border could be queues.
Online cameras, which we described above, will help to avoid them, or at least minimize the time spent on them.
The article "Booking a queue at the border with Poland: terms and cost, detailed instructions" tells about the possibility of solving the issue of crossing the border with the least loss of time.
Before leaving for the border, it is advisable to check the situation at the selected checkpoint. And thanks to the electronic services of the Fiscal Service of Ukraine in Lviv and Volyn regions, you can get up-to-date information on the dynamics of queues at checkpoints, up to the number of vehicles that are at a certain time at the border.
Using this information, the driver can choose a suitable checkpoint, saving himself and passengers several hours of time.
Common questions
We have answered the most common questions from travelers.
What can be transported across the Ukrainian-Polish border
Customs regulations established by EU Regulation 2016/399 define a number of restrictions for travelers when crossing the border. In particular, passing the checkpoint, they can have personal goods for no more than 300 euros - everything else is subject to import duties.
At the same time, there are restrictions on duty-free import in relation to specific products. The list of products allowed for import includes:
- tobacco products (no more than 2 packs of cigarettes, 10 cigars, 20 cigarillos or 50 grams of tobacco);
- alcoholic beverages (no more than 1 liter of strong alcohol, 2 liters of alcohol with a content of not more than 22% alcohol, 4 liters of wine and 16 liters of beer);
- fruit and vegetable products - no more than 5 kg;
- honey, eggs, other products - no more than 2 kg;
- any other food products of non-animal origin may be imported exclusively for personal use, no more than 2 kg.
- any products containing milk or pork / beef meat are prohibited for import.
Detailed information on what rules apply when crossing the Ukrainian-Polish border is presented in the article "Customs regulations of the Republic of Poland: duty-free import, restrictions, prohibitions and fines".
Which gas stations at the Ugrinov-Dolgobychuv checkpoint
Since the checkpoint is relatively new, and the flow of tourists is small, the Ukrainian leadership has not yet created the proper infrastructure on the border until 2021. Accordingly, there are no petrol stations on the border either. Coming from Lutsk, remember that the last gas station will be on the territory of Novovolynsk. If you are driving from Lviv, do not miss the last gas station within Chervonograd.
Where can I get tax-free
Tax free is a VAT refund system that is valid for non-resident foreigners in more than 50 countries, provided that the purchased goods are exported outside Poland and the EU as a whole.
To do this, at the border, passing customs control, it is necessary to specially draw up documents for the purchased item. In particular, get a mark from customs on the export of goods within the time frame specified by local rules.
So, according to the information provided by the Polish customs authorities, tax-free can be issued at any Polish-Ukrainian customs office, except for the Smilnica-Krossenko checkpoint.
All details about the conditions for refunding money for purchases under the Tax free system are discussed in the article "How to issue and return a tax-free in Poland in 2021".
Conclusion
Summarizing the above, we would like to draw your attention to the fact that Poland and Ukraine have a huge section of the joint border exceeding 500 km. There are 14 points on this territory where you can enter the territory of the European Union, 8 of which are pedestrian and automobile ones. Due to the large flow of citizens crossing the EU border, huge queues are often formed at the checkpoints, in which you sometimes have to stand for 6-8 hours. To solve this problem, there are special electronic services that allow you to track the situation at customs and choose the least loaded checkpoint to cross the Ukrainian-Polish border.
