New photography ban in Poland: penalties up to 20,000 złoty!

New photography ban in Poland: penalties up to 20,000 złoty!

Polen - From April 17, 2025, a new law comes into force in Poland that prohibits photography of certain public institutions. According to the Ministry of Defense, this ban concerns around 25,000 objects across the country, including military facilities, bridges, tunnels, airports, train stations, government buildings, energy facilities and the buildings of the Polish National Bank. Violations of this ban can be punished with sensitive punishments that can include fines of up to 20,000 złoty (around 4,600 euros) and a possible arrest sentence of up to 30 days. If a violation is determined, the authorities also reserve the right to confiscate cameras or smartphones, such as "https://www.oe24.at/weltchronik/angst-vor-foto-in-polen/630480650"> OE24

This law is part of a comprehensive amendment to the law on national defense and counter -espionage, the aim of which is to better protect the country's sensitive infrastructure. In the past few months, reports of problems with taking pictures of strategically important infrastructure have increased. A railway fan was interviewed by the police in June after taking pictures of rail systems because he was suspected of the espionage. Such experiences do not seem to be isolated, since other similar incidents have been documented on social media.

extended regulations and feedback

A new paragraph in the Polish Homeland Protection Act, which was introduced on August 17, lists other objects that may also not be photographed. These include mobile phone masts, ports, banks, universities and buildings with sensitive research. The penalties for unauthorized photography can be up to 500 PLN. In addition, the camera equipment can be confiscated, whereby the decision about it must only be made by a court. These restrictive regulations give rise to the fact that the police may have arbitrary decisions, which could further complicate the legal framework for photographers, such as Pen-and-tell

The uncertainty is growing, especially because of the reports that photography of bridges could already be considered a crime. Photography can not only be subject to regulations in Poland, but also in other countries such as Croatia and Germany, whereby a free approval in Germany can be applied for for photography of train site as long as the use is not commercial. On the other hand, photographers in Poland have heard the alarm bells ringing because photography of public institutions is exposed to a considerable legal risks.

data protection and photography

In addition, photography should also be considered in the context of data protection questions. In the event of a review by the police, the storage of data in the cloud could lead to the owner's apartment. This raises significant concerns about privacy and data protection, which should not be not taken into account in the discussion about the new law. The legal implications and the practical implementation of the amendment to the law show that topics such as data protection and individual freedoms in today's digital world have to be critically examined more than ever, as detailed in the guidelines of the Data protection is explained.