Poland will deny entry to Russians with five-year passports lacking biometric chips starting April 1, 2026

Poland will stop admitting Russians with old-style passports starting April 1, 2026. This affects five-year Russian passports without biometric chips. This decision, announced via the European Commission website, means individuals with these older documents will be denied entry into Poland. Diplomatic passports not meeting new standards will also cease to be valid from January 1, 2026. Poland is the tenth EU country to implement such a restriction, joining Denmark, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Iceland, Lithuania, Latvia, Germany, and Romania. This aligns with the Schengen zone's phased introduction of a new border control system requiring biometric data from foreign nationals.