Indian National Banned from Schengen Zone for Two Years After Using Forged Documents in Poland

An Indian national who resided in Poland using forged documents for nearly a year has been banned from entering Schengen Zone countries for two years after being detained by Polish authorities. According to Border Guard Officers, the 25-year-old man stayed in Poland for 272 days, starting in November 2023, without possessing a visa or any other valid documentation that would allow him to legally remain in the EU’s borderless area.

The man informed the Border Guard officers that he held a Polish residence card, which he claimed entitled him to stay in the territory of the Republic of Poland. He presented a temporary residence permit for inspection, but the authenticity of the permit raised suspicions among the inspectors. Upon verifying the document, authorities discovered that it showed signs of forgery.

Border Guard Warrant Officer Tomasz Jarosz stated that further investigations confirmed that the Indian national had never been granted a temporary residence and work permit in Poland. Officer Jarosz revealed that the man had been working in the food industry in Poland's Nowy Targ district.

The 25-year-old admitted to forging the document and agreed to be sentenced without a trial. He was sentenced to six months of imprisonment with a conditional suspension for two years and fined PLN 1,500.

The Commander of the Border Guard Post in Tarnow ordered the Indian national to leave Poland within 30 days. In addition, the man was banned from re-entering the Schengen Zone countries for a period of two years.

In a broader context, Indian nationals have been among the fastest-growing groups in Poland’s Social Insurance System (ZUS). When planning to travel to Poland, and consequently to Schengen Zone countries, Indian citizens are initially subject to visa requirements. A significant number of Indian nationals have chosen to travel to Poland for work purposes. According to figures from Notes from Poland, Indians were among the ten nationalities with the largest increase in Poland’s Social Insurance System last year.

In 2023, the number of internationals registered in ZUS increased by 6 percent, reaching 1.13 million. Immigrants made up about 7 percent of all individuals in the system. The national groups that saw the most significant increases in ZUS registrations in 2023 were Belarusians (21,264), Ukrainians (13,407), and Indians (4,588).

By fLEXI tEAM