Poland has joined a growing list of European countries, including Sweden, Germany, France, Ireland, Denmark and Romania, where travelers are encountering tighter controls and new documentation checks at borders. At the same time, Thailand, one of the world’s most popular long-haul holiday destinations, is rolling out stricter visa and entry rules aimed at curbing abuse of its generous visa waiver schemes. Together, these parallel trends mark a notable shift in how both Europe and Southeast Asia are managing tourism flows, security concerns and long-stay foreign visitors.
From Open Borders to Targeted Checks Across Schengen
The Schengen Area was built on the idea of passport-free travel across much of continental Europe. In practice, however, a growing number of member states have reintroduced targeted internal border checks in response to security concerns, irregular migration and cross-border crime. Recent advisories show that countries such as Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovenia and Sweden all have internal checks in place on some borders through at least the first half of 2026.
For travelers, this does not mean Schengen has been dismantled, but it does mean that journeys that once felt like seamless domestic travel now involve sporadic passport inspections. On trains between Germany and Poland, at road crossings between Denmark and Germany, and at certain air and sea borders overseen by France and Sweden, border guards may ask for passports or national identity cards, and in some cases may run more detailed checks. Tourists accustomed to tucking their passports into hotel safes will increasingly need to keep them to hand whenever they move across internal European borders.
The shift is particularly noticeable because it overlaps with peak holiday periods. Summer road trips through Scandinavia, rail itineraries linking Berlin, Warsaw and Paris, or fly-drive breaks that hop across borders in Central Europe may all encounter short waits at checkpoints. Authorities stress that these are temporary, security-driven measures, but for travelers on tight schedules or connecting services, even a modest delay can disrupt carefully planned itineraries.
Poland Joins the List: What It Means for Cross-Border Travelers
Poland’s inclusion among the countries conducting internal Schengen checks brings central and eastern European routes firmly into this new reality. Controls have been applied on certain crossings, particularly on borders with Germany and potentially other neighbors, as part of broader efforts to manage irregular migration routes and clamp down on organized crime. For visitors using Poland as a gateway between western and eastern Europe, this creates an extra layer of formalities that did not exist only a few years ago.
The practical impact for most tourists is straightforward but important. Travelers should expect that crossing between Poland and neighboring Schengen countries can involve spot checks, even if there are no permanent border booths. Those driving rental cars should factor additional time into journeys, especially during weekends, holidays and peak summer weeks when traffic is heaviest. Rail passengers may see police or border officers board trains near frontiers to verify documents.
Equally crucial is the need to respect the 90-days-in-180-days stay limit that applies to non-EU visitors in the Schengen Area. With more countries actively enforcing rules at internal borders, overstayers who once slipped under the radar are increasingly at risk of fines, entry bans and deportation. Travelers combining Poland with Germany, France, Sweden or other Schengen destinations should keep a careful count of their days on the continent and retain proof of entry and exit where possible.
Schengen’s New Tech Era: EES Now, ETIAS Next
Overlaying these targeted national checks is a broader transformation of how Europe manages its external borders. The Entry/Exit System, known as EES, began its phased rollout in October 2025 and is scheduled to be fully operational by late 2026. Once complete, it will replace passport stamping for non-EU nationals entering and leaving the external borders of almost all Schengen states.
Under EES, travelers from outside the EU will have their passport data, facial image and fingerprints recorded electronically on first entry, and each subsequent entry and exit will be logged in a central database. The system is designed to automatically flag overstays, detect document fraud and support law enforcement, while in the long term streamlining processes at well-equipped border posts. In the short term, however, authorities and travel bodies warn of teething issues and potentially longer queues as both staff and travelers adapt to the new procedures.
Following EES, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, or ETIAS, is expected to go live in the last quarter of 2026. ETIAS will require visa-exempt visitors from many countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and others, to apply online and pay a fee before traveling to the Schengen Area. Once approved, the authorization will typically be valid for multiple entries over several years, but border guards will still be able to deny entry if a traveler fails to meet immigration or security criteria.
The combined effect of internal checks, biometric border technology and ETIAS will be a Schengen Area that feels more controlled and data-driven than the largely stamp-based, trust-heavy system familiar to many travelers. It does not signal an end to easy travel across Europe, but it does require more pre-trip administration, more attention to documentation and more patience at key gateways.
Thailand’s Crackdown on Visa Runs and Long-Stay Loopholes
On the other side of the world, Thailand is undertaking its own recalibration of travel rules, particularly for tourists who have historically used the country’s visa exemptions and extensions to remain for months at a time. Authorities have expressed concern over foreigners using 60- or 90-day visa waivers to work illegally, run businesses under the radar, or participate in scams and other criminal activities, especially in hotspots such as Pattaya, Phuket and Hua Hin.
In response, Thai immigration officials have tightened screening and limited the ways visitors can string together multiple short stays. Under rules formalized through 2025 and late 2025, the previous pattern of repeated “visa runs” to neighboring countries, then immediate reentry under the visa exemption scheme, is under far more scrutiny. Travelers making more than two such runs in a short period or showing a clear pattern of serial entries may now be refused entry and told to apply for an appropriate visa abroad instead.
Authorities have also moved to cap the total time tourists can remain in Thailand using extensions of stay. For many nationalities benefiting from the 60-day visa-exempt or visa-on-arrival regime, extensions at immigration offices are now strictly limited, often first by 30 days and then, at most, by an additional brief extension. That reduces the maximum continuous stay available without a longer-term visa and aligns practice with the notion that visa exemptions are intended for short holidays, not semi-permanent residence.
These measures are paired with intensified on-the-ground enforcement. Immigration officers have publicized arrests and deportations of overstayers, as well as crackdowns on foreigners involved in drug trafficking, online scams and unlicensed work. While high-profile cases are relatively rare compared with the millions of tourists who visit every year, they have reinforced a message that Thailand is no longer willing to tolerate abuse of its visa policies, even if that means some genuine long-stay visitors find entry conditions more demanding.
Proof of Funds, Digital Arrival Cards and Stricter Screening
Beyond limitations on visa runs and extensions, Thailand has reinstated and reinforced financial requirements that had been relaxed in the immediate post-pandemic period. As of mid-2025, both visa applicants and many travelers entering under visa exemption are expected to demonstrate that they have sufficient funds to support themselves. Officials commonly reference a guideline of at least 20,000 baht per person, or 40,000 baht per family, which may be verified using bank statements, credit card limits or cash on hand.
The emphasis on financial self-sufficiency is intended both to discourage potential overstayers without clear means and to ensure that visitors do not become a burden on public services. Travelers who are unable to show adequate funds, or whose documentation does not align with the length and nature of their stay, can be refused entry even if their nationality is normally visa-exempt. This marks a significant culture shift for a destination long associated with a relaxed, come-as-you-are approach to tourism.
At the same time, Thailand has been rolling out the Thailand Digital Arrival Card, a pre-arrival online form that replaces the legacy TM6 paper card once filled out on airplanes. The digital card, which travelers are encouraged or in some cases required to complete up to 72 hours before arrival, collects biographic and trip information in advance, enabling immigration systems to run preliminary checks against watch lists and risk profiles.
Combined with more systematic use of airline passenger data and enhanced questioning at immigration counters, these tools give Thai authorities a clearer picture of who is arriving and why. For genuine holidaymakers with return tickets, clear itineraries and adequate funds, the process should remain relatively smooth, though potentially slightly slower during peak hours. Those hoping to slip through with incomplete documentation or ambiguous purposes will increasingly find themselves facing tough questions or outright refusals.
European Travelers to Thailand: Caught Between Two Sets of Rules
For citizens of Sweden, Germany, France, Ireland, Denmark, Poland, Romania and other European nations, the intersecting policy shifts in Europe and Thailand create a more complex planning landscape. At home, they face evolving internal border controls, the gradual rollout of biometric checks and the upcoming ETIAS authorization. At their favored winter escape, they must now navigate stricter Thai entry rules, financial checks and curtailed options for long stays via back-to-back visa exemptions.
In practical terms, this means that the classic pattern of spending spring and summer hopping freely across European borders, then escaping to Thailand for an open-ended winter with occasional border runs to nearby countries, is far less viable. Travelers whose lifestyle depends on such mobility will need to invest more time in securing the correct visa categories, whether that is a Thai education visa, a business visa, a retirement visa or other long-stay permits, rather than relying on short-term tourist stamps.
Holidaymakers planning conventional two- or three-week trips, by contrast, are unlikely to feel significant disruption beyond longer queues and slightly heavier paperwork. A visitor from France traveling to Poland, Germany and Sweden in one itinerary will largely move as before, provided they keep their passport on them and allow a bit more time for possible checks. A Danish or Irish couple heading to Thailand for a fortnight on the beach, with a clear return date and adequate proof of funds, can still expect a straightforward experience on arrival.
Where the impact is most keenly felt is among digital nomads, seasonal workers, backpackers on open-ended trips and retirees who previously used flexible border policies to stretch tourist stays to the maximum. For these groups, the new rules on both continents demand a more formal, visa-led approach and careful attention to stay limits, documentation and compliance.
How Travelers Can Adapt: Preparation Over Assumptions
As borders recalibrate, the era of planning international trips on vaguely remembered rules or second-hand anecdotes from online forums is rapidly fading. Both Europe’s evolving Schengen regime and Thailand’s tighter visa framework reward travelers who research directly with official sources and prepare documentation in advance. That includes checking whether internal border controls are currently active on specific routes, confirming the latest implementation timelines for EES and ETIAS, and verifying Thai entry requirements with the nearest embassy or consulate before departure.
Carrying physical and digital copies of key documents is increasingly prudent. For European travel, that means a valid passport or accepted national ID card, proof of onward travel where relevant, and evidence of accommodation bookings. For Thailand, travelers should bring bank statements or other proof of funds, return or onward tickets, hotel reservations and, where applicable, proof of enrollment, employment or retirement status supporting a long-stay visa.
Time management has become another critical tool. When crossing between Germany and Poland by road, or between Sweden and Denmark by train or ferry, adding a buffer to your schedule can absorb unexpected delays. At major airports in Bangkok, Phuket or Chiang Mai, arriving with enough time before flight departure reduces stress if immigration queues are slow. Tour operators and airlines are increasingly advising passengers to arrive earlier than they might have done in the pre-EES, pre-digital-arrival-card era.
Ultimately, the emerging pattern across both Europe and Thailand is not an invitation-free world of closed gates, but a rules-based environment where countries seek to welcome genuine tourists while filtering out perceived risks. For travelers willing to do their homework, respect stay limits and carry the right paperwork, the rewards remain the same: easy access to Europe’s cities and landscapes and to Thailand’s beaches, temples and food culture. The difference in 2026 is that spontaneity now needs to be paired with a healthy dose of preparation.