Balkan hauliers block borders with the Schengen Area – list
As of Monday, 26 January, hauliers from several Balkan countries have launched a coordinated protest action that has led to the blocking of border crossings and terminals, including those on the borders with the Schengen Area. The effects of the protest are already visible, among others, at Serbian–Hungarian border crossings, where truck traffic lanes have been closed.
From Monday, 26 January 2026, hauliers from Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia began a coordinated protest action involving blockades of border crossings and terminals across the Balkans, including borders with the Schengen Area. The impact of the protest is also being felt on the Serbian–Hungarian border, where truck traffic lanes have been closed, including at Tompa, Röszke and Hercegszántó.
The immediate cause of the protests is an EU regulation governing the stay of third-country nationals in the Schengen Area, under which drivers from outside the EU may not remain in the Schengen Area for more than 90 days within any 180-day period. Haulage organisations from Balkan countries stress that these rules make it impossible to carry out the profession of a driver in normal conditions, lead to the criminalisation of professional work, and result in drivers being treated as illegal migrants.
An additional factor exacerbating the situation is the implementation of the EES (Entry/Exit System), which includes, among other things, an obligation to register biometric data. According to the protesters, this further complicates the daily operations of drivers performing international road transport. According to the organisers’ announcements, the protest began on 26 January 2026 and is expected to last at least seven days. During this period, at many border crossings:
▪️truck traffic is blocked,
▪️vehicles loaded in the Balkan region in recent days are not being allowed to pass,
▪️passenger car and bus traffic is not affected by the blockades.
Demonstrators allow only trucks transporting:
▪️medicines (into Serbia),
▪️live animals (in both directions, loaded vehicles only),
▪️humanitarian aid,
▪️ammunition, explosives and weapons.
⭕ List of border crossings affected by blockades on the Serbian side
▪️ Batrovci - Felsőlipóc (RS-HR) - map
▪️ Šid - Felsőtárnok (RS-HR) - map
▪️ Neszt - Újlak (RS-HR) - map
▪️ Bácspalánka - Újlak (RS-HR) - map
▪️ Gombos - Erdőd (RS-HR) - map
▪️ Bezdán - Kiskőszeg (RS-HR) - map
▪️ Béreg - Hercegszántó (RS-HU) - map
▪️ Kelebia - Kelebia (RS-HU) - map
▪️ Horgoš - Röszke (RS-HU) - map
▪️ Szerbcsernye - Zsombolya (RS-RO) - map
▪️ Versecvát - Temesmóra (RS-RO) - map
▪️ Iron Gates (Đerdap) border crossings (RS-RO) - map
▪️ Gradina - Kalotina (RS-BG) - map
▪️ Vrska Čuka - Vraska Čuka (RS-BG) - map
▪️ Strezimirovci - Strezimirovci (RS-BG) - map
▪️ Preševo - Tabanovce (RS-NMK) - map
Blockades are also possible at border crossings in Kosovo and Metohija if the organisers deem it justified. As the protests are concentrated on borders shared with the Schengen Area, key Hungarian-Serbian border crossings, including Tompa, Röszke and Hercegszántó, are in practice also impassable. The blockades are being carried out on truck lanes near weighing stations and control points.
⭕ Authorities recommend the following detours for drivers:
▪️Csanádpalota and Nagylak II,
▪️on the M4 expressway - Nagykereki (Bors II).
On the M6 motorway, due to the complete closure of Hercegszántó, exiting towards Serbia is not permitted. Truck traffic is being redirected towards Croatia and further along Croatian transit routes.
⭕ Services emphasise that:
- waiting on emergency lanes is strictly prohibited and dangerous,
- police will intervene against drivers violating the rules,
- drivers should consider waiting at large truck terminals if they do not plan detours via Romania or Croatia,
- it is recommended to have adequate supplies of fuel, food and drinking water.
In addition, blockades have been announced on the North Macedonian–Greek border (Bogorodica–Evzoni, Medžitlija–Niki, Star Dojran–Doirani). Supporters of the protest from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia have declared that they will launch similar actions at all their border crossings. Support for the protest has also been announced by Turkish hauliers, who are sending vehicles towards Serbian border crossings. At the crossings affected by the blockades, truck traffic congestion is increasing, and at present there is no information on a planned end date for the protest.
