Developing the border with Slovakia: pedestrian crossing opened at the Uzhhorod – Vyšné Nemecké checkpoint

A pedestrian crossing has started operating at the Uzhhorod – Vyšné Nemecké border crossing point on the Ukrainian–Slovak border. The decision is the result of intergovernmental agreements between Ukraine and the Slovak Republic and was implemented within a short timeframe.

The relevant agreements were officially approved on 17 October last year, when Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine and Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, and Peter Kmec, Deputy Prime Minister for the Recovery Plan and Knowledge Economy of the Slovak Republic, signed a Protocol amending the existing Intergovernmental Agreement on Border Crossing Points.

As early as the beginning of January 2026, the pedestrian crossing was opened to the public. To enable this, the checkpoint’s infrastructure was modernized.

On 14 January, the operation of the new pedestrian crossing was inspected by Serhiy Derkach, Deputy Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine; Viktor Mykyta, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine; Myroslav Biletskyi, Head of the Zakarpattia Regional State Administration; and Myroslav Kastran, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Slovak Republic.

The Slovak side was represented, in particular, by Daniela Klučková, State Secretary of the Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic; Denisa Žiláková, State Secretary of the Ministry of Transport of the Slovak Republic; and Michal Kaliňák, State Secretary of the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic.

The pedestrian crossing significantly simplifies and accelerates border crossing for residents of border communities, citizens traveling for personal, work, or humanitarian reasons, and also reduces the load on vehicle traffic.

 “The pedestrian crossing in Uzhhorod is not a symbolic decision, but a concrete response to a real demand from people. In October, we formalized this decision in an intergovernmental protocol, and already at the beginning of January the crossing became operational. Nearly 4,000 people used it in the first days alone – this is a clear indicator of demand. For us, it is important that the border ceases to be a barrier and becomes a service: convenient, predictable, and human-centered. This is exactly how we approach the development of border infrastructure, even in wartime,” emphasized Serhiy Derkach.

The opening of the pedestrian crossing is part of a broader package of decisions aimed at developing border infrastructure between Ukraine and Slovakia. This was the focus of a bilateral meeting between the Ukrainian and Slovak delegations.

In particular, preparations are underway for the construction of a passenger terminal, which will separate passenger and freight flows and increase the checkpoint’s capacity by approximately 20%. It has also been previously agreed to increase the load capacity of the Malyi Bereznyi – Ubľa checkpoint to five tonnes.

Separately, the parties are working to reduce border crossing times for passengers, including by increasing the number of border guard and customs officers and preparing an Agreement on Joint Control, which is currently under review by the European Commission.

The Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, together with international partners, continues systematic work on developing border checkpoints and increasing their capacity to ensure safe, convenient, and predictable border crossing for citizens and businesses – even in wartime conditions.