Polish authorities have confirmed the arrest of a 26-year-old Nigerian citizen for using a counterfeit residence document in Poland.

The man was apprehended by the Polish Border Guard (Straż Graniczna) during an ongoing crackdown on irregular migration and document forgery. The arrest was first reported on Thursday, September 4, 2025, through the official news outlet of the Border Guard Headquarters, and later obtained by PUNCH Online on Friday.

According to the report, the Nigerian man confessed that he had ordered the fake residence permit online while still in the UK, paid €2,000 for it, and received it by post. Investigations revealed that he had no legal basis to remain in Poland and had already overstayed illegally for four days.

As a result, the Border Guard Commander ordered him to leave Poland within 20 days and imposed a three-year ban from entering the Schengen Area. He was also charged under Article 270 § 1 of the Polish Penal Code for the use of counterfeit documents.

Though he pleaded guilty and accepted the penalty, he declined to give further details. Reports suggest that many individuals caught with fake documents often fall victim to well-organized criminal scams.

The case highlights Poland’s intensified efforts to tackle document forgery and illegal migration. Recently, Europol supported a large-scale operation in which dozens of suspects were arrested and thousands of counterfeit residence permits, visas, and IDs were seized.

Immigration experts continue to warn travelers about the dangers of purchasing fraudulent documents online, stressing that such actions often result in severe legal consequences and long-term travel bans.