Prohibition of shooting of public buildings in Poland: What's allowed at the train station and the airport?

From April 17, 2025 there is simply a fresh regulation by the Minister of National Defence (MON) concerning the prohibition of shooting selected state facilities, especially military and critical infrastructure. The rules introduce severe sanctions – from fines to detention – for photographers or filmers without the required permission.

In practice, this applies to places specified as military facilities, military airports, naval units, seaports and border defender facilities. The fresh regulations aim to increase safety and protection of strategical areas of the state.

However, it is worth explaining the situation in the context of public areas specified as railway stations and civilian airports. Does the ban apply to these places? Can you take pictures or selfie there?

Scope of the prohibition and its applicable consequences

The Regulation of the Head of the MON makes it clear that the prohibition concerns primarily military infrastructure and critical infrastructure elements of strategical importance for State security. This includes:

• military facilities and their territory,
• military airports,
• Naval facilities,
• seaports,
• Border defender Stations.

The prohibition of photographing these sites without peculiar approval is intended to prevent possible leakage of information and to impede the action of undesirable operators.

In breach of the prohibition, they endanger sanctions which may include both fine and detention, which makes this regulation peculiarly crucial for those taking photos in places of increased security.

Photographing at railway stations – what is allowed?

We asked straight at the origin – in PKP S.A. – whether the ban besides applies to railway stations, which are places of intense passenger traffic and public spaces.

Explains Michał Stilger, PKP press secretaryThere is presently no ban on shooting at railway stations. Privates can take pictures for non-commercial purposes without having to study this and get peculiar permits.

This applies only to public spaces for passengers and another station users. However, the prohibition shall enter into force in the case of areas of service – places marked as reserved for PKP staff and authorised persons. In specified places, taking photographs is not permitted due to existing laws, not company regulations.

In addition, in the case of premises managed by PKP, but rented to external entities (e.g. shops, service points) it is essential to agree with tenants if we plan to take pictures there. The tenants can apply their own shooting restrictions.

Information on bans and restrictions at stations shall be made available to passengers in the form of rules and visible posters. They are besides available on the PKP S.A. website.

Photographing at civilian airports – selfies allowed

We besides looked at the rules of shooting at the civilian airport, on the example Gdansk Airport.

A spokesperson for Gdańsk Airport reported that it is not planned to ban shooting at the airport at this point. Both passengers and photographers can take pictures and selfies on their own terms.

However, it is not excluded that the situation may change in the future – the current MON rules mainly concern military infrastructure and civilian airports stay outside the scope of the fresh restrictions.

What does the fresh rules mean for the average citizen?

The fresh MON Regulation introduces strong restrictions on the shooting of strategical state facilities, but does not change the rules on most public places specified as train stations or civilian airports. From a regular perspective, this means:

• There is no ban on taking photos in public areas of railway stations – you can shoot and evidence without peculiar permission.
• Prohibition of photographing military facilities and critical infrastructure without consent – breaking the ban threatens with penalties.
• At civilian selfie airports and photos inactive allowedAlthough the situation may change.
• It is worth paying attention to signs and regulations in a given place, especially if they are business areas or rented by external entities.

Expert comment

From the point of view of State security, the tightening of the regulation on the shooting of critical and military infrastructure is justified, especially in the era of rising hybrid and cyber threats.

At the same time, it is crucial that these regulations are precise and do not unnecessarily restrict citizens' rights to usage public space and take pictures for private purposes. The current rules seem to keep this balance, clearly distinguishing military facilities from civilian public places.

This means that users request greater awareness and consideration – especially in advanced safety spaces. Before taking a photograph in an unobvious place, it is worth reading the applicable rules or consulting the admin of the object.

The ban on shooting state facilities introduced in April 2025 focuses primarily on military and strategical infrastructure. In public spaces specified as railway stations and civilian airports, there are presently no additional restrictions on individual shooting. However, compliance with the rules and compliance with the service zones is essential to avoid unpleasant consequences.