Poland has stopped accepting asylum claims at its border with Belarus and is now pressing other European countries to adopt the same approach.

The policy marks a significant shift in how an EU member state handles asylum requests at an external border. Instead of processing claims lodged by people crossing from Belarus, Polish authorities are refusing to register them. Warsaw argues the measure is necessary, and Polish officials are actively promoting it as a model for the rest of Europe.

The move responds to the sustained pressure on Poland's eastern frontier, where the government has faced repeated crossings orchestrated or facilitated from the Belarusian side. Poland has for years treated that stretch of border as a security concern rather than a standard migration route.

What does the suspension change?

Under normal asylum procedure, anyone who reaches a country's territory — or presents themselves at a border crossing — can lodge a protection claim, and the state must register and examine it. That obligation sits at the core of international refugee law and of the EU's common asylum framework.

Poland's decision breaks with that principle at the Belarus border. People attempting to claim asylum there are turned away rather than having their applications registered. In practical terms, the border operates as a zone where the asylum door is closed.

The policy effectively extends to asylum seekers the exclusionary approach Poland had already applied to irregular border crossers in the area.

Who is affected?

The suspension directly affects two groups:

• Migrants and asylum seekers at the Belarusian border — people who would otherwise be able to lodge protection claims on Polish territory can no longer do so at that crossing point.

• European Union member states — Poland is lobbying for the practice to spread, which would put the question of border asylum access on the agenda across the bloc.

Why does Poland want Europe to copy it?

Warsaw presents its border policy as a response to what it describes as a weaponised migration situation. Polish officials have argued that neighbouring Belarus deliberately channels migrants toward the EU's external border, and that standard asylum procedures are ill-suited to that scenario.

By publicly urging other European governments to follow its example, Poland is seeking to transform a national measure into a continental norm. If more member states adopt similar suspensions, the pressure on the EU's shared asylum rules would grow.

What happens next?

The question now moves to Brussels and to other capitals. Poland's call puts the EU in a difficult position: member states set their own border-security practices to a significant degree, yet the right to seek asylum is anchored in international commitments that the bloc has signed up to collectively.

Human rights organisations have long argued that denying access to asylum procedures violates the principle of non-refoulement, which bars returning people to places where they face danger. Supporters of the Polish approach counter that states must retain tools to defend their borders.

Whether Europe follows Poland's lead, resists it, or seeks a legal compromise will shape asylum policy at external borders for years to come.

Readers affected by these rules should consult official Polish border and asylum authorities for guidance on current procedures at the Belarus frontier.