3.06.2016 16:01 "Brian (bex) Exelbierd" <bex(a)pobox.com> wrote:
In connection with Catholic Youth Day festivities. Poland will impose
border controls at all of its national borders from July 4 to August 2,
and visitors to Poland during this period should be prepared to show
their passport and undergo stricter security screening throughout Poland.
Thank you, Brian, for providing this information. Yes, these are the
exact dates when Schengen acquis rules will be suspended and the
border controls will be imposed. To be more precise, WYD will not be
the only reason, the second one (or even the first one, in chronological
order) is NATO summit. Note that most of Flock attendees are probably
going to arrive on August 1 so they will not avoid these difficulties.
EU citizens must have their passports or ID cards (it's recommended
to have both). Non-EU citizens must have their passports and visas
if needed. See the list of countries whose citizens do not need visas:
http://www.msz.gov.pl/en/travel_to_poland/entering_poland/visa_free/
Note the citizens of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia,
Moldova, Montenegro, and Serbia: only holders of biometric passports
are allowed for visa-free travel. Shortly, everything like when
crossing non-EU country border.
Border control will not be obligatory, though. The border guard may
decide whether to screen or not to screen each traveler. Don't be
surprised if they just tell you to go free or if you don't see any
staff.
There will also be special regulations in Krakow. Regarding August 1
car traffic in large areas of the city center will be restricted,
only local citizens of the area, public transport, taxis etc. will
be allowed to drive. Note that it applies to August 1 only, the day
when most of you are supposed to arrive, and the restricted area
includes the main railway station and intercity bus station.
See the map here:
http://krakow.pl/zalacznik/257903/3
This does not impact the hotel area, the airport, etc.
If you ask about previous days then almost whole area of the town
will be restricted from car traffic (except local citizens etc.)
The short message is: arrive at Flock as late as you can unless
you are also going to attend at WYD.
But there are also some good news. Public transport will be promoted,
there are 700 additional trains already announced plus many additional
bus connections. Noise pollution regulations will be suspended to allow
the airports operate 24h/day. There are plans to let the day city bus
lines in Krakow to operate until 1am. Several museums will be
open free of charge also in August.
This note is based on information provided by the US Department of
State. It will mostly impact travelers coming to Flock by ground
transport.
As far as I know there are no different regulations for different
ways to cross the border. Brian, are you sure that air and sea travelers
will be less impacted than ground travelers? I suggest to verify
this information and remove this sentence from the web page if it
turns out to be false.
EU Citizens should be able to use their ID instead of their
passport.
As I wrote above, this is true but I still suggest to have both.
Best regards,
Rafal
