Belarusians tell what products are thrown away when entering Poland, and for what they are fined

Berestovitsa — Bobrovniki border crossing point. Photo: State Border Committee

BGmedia writes about how Belarusians are checked at this border crossing.

Woman fined over 100 euros for carrying meat products

A Belarusian woman complained on Threads that her bus was delayed for an extra hour at the border due to a woman who was carrying "a shop on wheels: sausages, salo (cured pork fat), ham" into Poland. Customs officers fined her 500 zlotys (about 119 euros).

In the comments, she shared the details:

“We were traveling from Minsk to Białystok via "Bobrovniki". Belarusian border – 1 hour 15 minutes. In the waiting area, we stood on the bridge for 40 minutes, then another 1 hour for the Polish border. And 1 hour for issuing the fine. That is, 3 hours in total + 1 hour of force majeure.”

“The bus was not full; even those with Ukrainian passports were let through quickly. And there was no queue behind us — the bus from Grodno was waiting only because of this silly fine.”

“She [the woman who was fined] boarded at the station beyond Vawkavysk, the last one before "Berestovitsa". There, it's a universal business project.”

How Belarusians are checked at the Kozlovichi border crossing

BGmedia journalists reviewed a Telegram chat about the Berestovitsa — Bobrovniki border crossing for the last three weeks. Below are reports from Belarusians about how Polish customs officers find prohibited products and fine people. All of them were traveling by bus:

• “RB — RP, January 25. 12:40 — departure from Grodno. 13:40 — border. 17:40 — departure from the border. Things were checked on scanners, sausages were thrown away, but, it seems to me, they weren't particularly picky. 22:40 Polish time — arrival in Gdansk. According to the plan, we should have arrived at 20:30.”

• “RB — RP, January 26. 03:10 — at the border, passed Belarusian control in an hour, stood for another hour for some unknown reason. 07:50 — departed from the Polish side. Half were checked on the conveyor, and half manually, and a lot was discarded, especially apples. Vegetables, fruits are not allowed, but bananas are… Result — 4 hours 40 minutes for two borders.”

• “Grodno — Warsaw, 28.01. 22:10 — departed. 23:20 — approached the border. 01:30 — departed from the border (Belarusian time). At the Poles', things were scanned — sandwiches and condensed milk were confiscated.”

• “RB — RP, February 11. Arrived at 03:30, no queue for entry. Customs control: for some reason asked to take all suitcases out of the bus. Then an hour in the queue behind trucks to the Poles. First to enter, no queue. Bag checks by the Poles with fines for anyone with any food products. 08:00 — departure from the Poles. ±5 hours of crossing. Belarusian time.”

What products can be brought into Poland from Belarus

First and foremost, Polish customs officers are interested in cigarettes and alcohol. From September 25, 2025, citizens of Belarus can bring one liter of strong alcohol and two packs of cigarettes into Poland via the Terespol border crossing. Some exceed this norm, receive fines, and cause bus delays.

Some manage to bring salo (cured pork fat) into Poland, which is prohibited. Examples from border chats:

• “To understand the situation: we are still at the Poles', waiting for the bus from the X-ray. They caught a man with 5 kg of salo. Apparently, the fine is 500 zlotys.”

• “Not only did the person with salo delay the departure, but we were also transferred to a bus in Poland where there was no space at all. So pay 50 euros and then suffer.”

• “Special thanks to the jerks with 5 kg of salo, ready to choke for an extra pack of cigarettes. Because of you, people then stand for hours, waiting for the bus from the X-ray and missing their flights.”

Belarusians report that condensed milk definitely cannot be brought into Poland. If customs officers find it, they discard it. It usually goes without fines, but not always. Chat users argue about sandwiches: some say they are thrown away, others say they are not. Many believe that everything depends on the customs officer's mood.

However, sweets can be brought (in reasonable quantities).

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