An Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Poland and the Government of the Russian Federation on the Rules of Local Border Traffic was signed on 14 December 2011 in Moscow. The residents of the area covered by the agreement, including parts of Pomerania, Warmia and Mazurian regions, are not obliged to acquire a visa to cross the Polish-Russian border. It is enough for them to present a valid passport (travel document) and a special permit for local border traffic. The agreement on local border traffic covers only land (road and railway) border crossings.

The agreement on local border traffic enables the residents of the border areas of both countries, including all the residents of the Kaliningrad Region on the Russian side (ca. one million residents), and residents of large areas of the Pomorskie Voivodship (Pucki, Nowodworski, Malborski, Gdański poviats and the cities of Gdynia Sopot and Gdańsk) and Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodship (Elbląski, Braniewski, Lidzbarski, Bartoszycki, Olsztyński, Kętrznyński, Mrągowski, Węgorzewski, Giżycki, Gołdapski, Olecki poviats and the cities of Elbląg and Olsztyn) to travel across the Polish-Russian border repeatedly.

The permit allows for multiple entry, exit and stay in the border area of both countries. Persons with a permanent residence in the border area for at least three years are eligible for the permit. The local border traffic covers also spouses and children supported by the residents, even if they have lived in the border area for less than three years. Visa facilitation is also applicable to residents of third countries who live in the Kaliningrad Region and Polish border area.

Embassy of the Russian Federation in Warsaw, General Consulate of the Russian Federation in Gdańsk is the issuing body for the permits for Polish citizens, and the Consul of the Republic of Poland in the Kaliningrad Region for the permits for Russian citizens. The fee for the examination of the application and issuance of the permit is EUR 20. Like in the case of the local border traffic agreements with Belarus and Ukraine, children and teenagers younger than 16, persons older than 65 and the disabled with accompanied by carer are exempt from the obligation to obtain a permit.

The first permit will be issued for two years, with each subsequent one valid for five years. A traveller who crosses the border using the permit for local border traffic is entitled to a single entry to stay in the designated border areas for 30 days from the day of entry. However, the total stay may not exceed 90 days from the day of entry.

The residents of the Russian border area who is a subject of an alert for the purposes of their with entry refusal in the Schengen Information System or pose a threat to the public order or internal security of Poland.

The agreement on local border traffic covers only land (road and railway) border crossings. Land border crossings between Poland and the Russian Federation covered by the local border traffic agreement include the crossings in Gołdap, Bezledy, Grzechotki and Gronowo, whereas the railway border crossings (for passenger trains) in Braniewo.