Is a visa required to visit Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2021 for Ukrainians, Kazakhs and Russians. How to get a work visa in this country and what attractions you must visit. Do you need a visa to Bosnia and Herzegovina? It depends for what purpose and for how long, you want to go to this Balkan state. What do you need to know so that your holiday in this country will be remembered for a long time and not be interrupted by unforeseen difficulties. Let's look at some features of a visit to Bosnia.
Bridge over the river in the city of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Do I need a visa for tourists in 2021?
In 2021, Russians do not require a visa to Bosnia and Herzegovina. If the purpose of your visit to this country is tourism, visiting family or friends, and not a long business visit, then you can stay there for up to 30 days. Please note that this must be within every next 60 days from your first entry.
To cross the Bosnian border, you only need to present a currently valid passport. Its validity period must cover your entire stay in Bosnia. You must also have health insurance for a minimum amount of thirty thousand euros.
You also need to prepare for the fact that border guards have the right to demand the presentation of tickets - back or to another country, or funds (cash or on a bank card), which should be sufficient to stay in the country.
In practice, such cases are quite rare, but they should not be excluded.
Example of a Bosnian passport stamped at the border
Tourists who intend to visit Bosnia in transit have the right to stay within the country for no more than 7 days. If your trip to Bosnia passes through Croatia, you will need to obtain a visa to enter these countries.
In addition, the right to a visa-free regime can be used by those traveling on a business or private visit, for sports, cultural or social activities, for treatment in a sanatorium or medical center.
To do this, you need to present thematic documents, invitations and agreements. When traveling with a child, you must take his birth certificate and permission from both parents to take the minor out of the country.
Entry rules to Bosnia and Herzegovina
When crossing the border, border guards may require an insurance policy and proof of sufficient funds to stay in the country. In practice this rarely happens.
If you are traveling with a pet, you must provide a vaccination certificate and a certificate from a veterinarian to the migration service. When departing from the country, you must pay a $12 airport tax per pet.
Required documents for crossing the border
- A foreign passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation is valid for at least 3 months from the end date of the trip.
- If you plan to enter the country in a personal car, you will need an international driver's license, registration document and Green Card.
Crossing the border with children
- A child over 14 years old must cross the border using his own passport.
- For young children, an entry in the parents' passport is suitable if the passport is not biometric. If the child is over 6 years old, the parents' passport must contain his photograph.
- A minor child can enter the country with one of the parents without a power of attorney from the other if the surnames of the parent and child are the same. However, keep in mind that Russian border guards may ask for a power of attorney when leaving.
- To travel with third parties, you will need a notarized power of attorney from both parents.
Obtaining a long-term Bosnian visa
If you are traveling for more than 30 days to Bosnia and Herzegovina, you will have to go through the visa procedure.
To do this, you need to submit an application to the Bosnian Embassy, which is located in Moscow.
This is what a long-term visa to Bosnia and Herzegovina looks like
You will need to prepare all the necessary documentation, which consists of a questionnaire (), round trip tickets and a tourist voucher (it must indicate the address of the hotel or other place of residence for the period of your stay in the country).
There is a fee for obtaining a visa to Bosnia. You will also need to pass an interview, after which your results will be known. Upon completion of this entire procedure, the production of the visa itself will begin, which usually lasts from five days to two weeks.
If you need to find work in Bosnia, you need to get yourself a work visa, since without official permission, all your actions will be considered illegal.
You can obtain this type of visa at the embassy of a Balkan state.
Russians have the opportunity to visit the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina, located in Moscow.
There you can get answers to all questions that may arise during preparation for visiting the country.
Bosnia and Herzegovina Embassy building
The Bosnian Embassy intends to provide Russians with all the necessary information related to the state.
You may also need help upon arrival in Bosnia. To do this, you should write down the address of the Russian Embassy in Sarajevo (Urijan Dedina St., 93), which provides a number of services and assistance to Russians.
Obtaining a visa
To obtain a visa, Russians apply to the consular department of the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Russian Federation. It is located in Moscow at Mosfilmovskaya Street, building 50. Only personal appeal is possible. The amount of the consular fee is:
- €31 — for single-entry visas;
- €57 — for multiple entries with a validity period of up to 90 days;
- €72 — for permits valid for more than 90 days.
The processing time for an entry permit, depending on the workload of the consular department, can range from 5 to 14 working days.
Important! The Consular Section of the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina has the right to invite the applicant for a personal conversation to identify the true purposes of visiting the country.
It is extremely rare for a visa to be denied, but such cases do occur. In such situations, the applicant is issued a letter detailing the reasons for the refusal. If they are easily remedied, it makes sense to apply again. When the letter indicates more serious reasons, it is advisable to file an appeal and undergo an interview with the consul. The most common reasons for refusal are:
- errors in documents;
- forgery of papers;
- indication of knowingly false information in the application form;
- non-compliance of the international passport with the required validity period.
How to get to Bosnia on your own
The choice of routes is not so great (if you miss the option of hitchhiking and hitchhiking, as well as extreme tourism).
- For Russians, the optimal flight would be from Moscow to Sarajevo. However, this flight operates on certain days of the week.
- Flight with a transfer in Munich, Istanbul or Vienna.
- You can also fly from Russia to Montenegro, Serbia or Croatia, and then continue your journey by bus or train. Trains and buses run regularly, on schedule, but it is better to purchase a ticket in advance (if you are already there, then at least 2 hours before departure).
Currency exchange
You should not immediately exchange all your money for Bosnian marks, because when leaving Bosnia you will have to exchange them for another currency. Many tourists claim that you can pay in euros almost everywhere, but dollars are not accepted in the country.
Hotels, restaurants, and modern shopping centers accept euros and bank cards, but to travel on public transport, go to the market, or pay for street entertainment, you need to stock up on Bosnian stamps. You can exchange money at banks, hotels and exchange offices.
Money
The country's monetary unit is the Convertible Mark (BAM), 1 mark is equal to 100 fenings. Current rate: 1 BAM = 46.03 RUB (1 USD = 1.6 BAM, 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM).
Despite having their own currency, tourists can pay in euros almost everywhere - not only in hotels, but also in regular shops, restaurants and gas stations. For this reason, it is better to bring European currency into the country, since US dollars are not accepted in cash everywhere, and they will have to be exchanged for Bosnian marks.
You can exchange currency for stamps at banks, exchange offices, and at hotel receptions. Receipts of exchange must be kept, as when leaving the country they will be needed to exchange stamps back into euros. In the capital and tourist cities there will be no problems with withdrawing funds from a bank card (Visa and Mastercard systems), but when going to travel around the country, it is better to stock up on cash.
Banks are open from 8:00 to 19:00 from Monday to Friday.
Tips are standard - 10% of the bill amount; they are not mandatory, but desirable.
Methods of transportation
If you decide to vacation in Bosnia, then it is advisable to know that it is better to travel between cities by buses than by trains, since the railway can present you with a lot of unwanted surprises. Travel around the city is inexpensive; you can get to almost any point by tram, bus or trolleybus.
Trolleybus in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina
To avoid getting lost, don’t hesitate to ask locals for directions. It's 2021, not the humble seventies. A good attitude towards Russians is by no means a myth.
What documents will you need to collect?
It is worth noting that in order to stay in Bosnia and Herzegovina visa-free, you need to have a special tourist voucher. Additionally, when going through customs control, you will be asked to present:
• passport valid for 90 days after departure; • tourist voucher issued by a Bosnian company; • medical insurance; • a document about your financial situation.
It is worth saying that sometimes the last point is not asked, but the opposite is also possible, so prepare this document in advance.
What to visit in Bosnia
The sights of Bosnia are quite diverse and are almost evenly distributed throughout the country. Let’s say right away that a holiday in Bosnia and Herzegovina involves complete immersion in the natural world. There are beautiful mountain slopes, mysterious valleys and an abundance of beautiful plants around.
Wonders of nature
Natural attractions are topped by the Great Pyramids in Bosnia. In their size they surpass even the famous Egyptian ones. The highest of them (Visocica) was made of a material identical to concrete, however, over many centuries it was covered with dense and durable vegetation, which veiled the pyramid, making it an ordinary mountain.
UNESCO World Heritage Waterfall in Jajce, Bosnia and Herzegovina
It is impossible to imagine complete relaxation without enjoying this landscape, which is why you should put the pyramids in Bosnia at the top of your travel list.
The sights of Bosnia are not limited to this. Tourists who are interested in history will be able to see architectural monuments of the Byzantine and Ottoman periods. After this, many even think about the possibility of emigrating and moving for permanent residence to Bosnia Herzegovina.
Capital of Bosnia Sarajevo
Let's look at what might surprise Russians in the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo. When you get to this city, you can temporarily forget that it is 2021, because it fully and colorfully reflects the past centuries. Be sure to visit the city center, which has a huge number of retail outlets and cafes. The central districts are somewhat reminiscent of eastern cities.
Sarajevo is famous for its Sebilj Square (or the famous Pigeon Square), where you can look at the large fountain and cool off a little.
On the square there are many cafes where you can drink Turkish coffee, and pastry shops where you can taste the most delicious oriental sweets.
Medjugorje and Mostar
Some of the most popular places among Russians are Medjugorje and Mostar. In Mostar you can visit the “old bridge”, which is recognized as one of the main architectural monuments of the country and a unique structure of the Middle Ages.
Medjugorje is located 17 kilometers from the previous town. Now it is a popular tourist center, which is also a place of pilgrimage. Modern Medjugorje is surrounded by numerous restaurants and shops. All this is equipped for an ideal holiday for tourists.
Holidays at sea
A visit to Bosnia cannot be complete without relaxing at sea. The Cote d'Azur will be an excellent option for a calm and measured weekend. That is why it is worth visiting one of the towns with access to the Adriatic Sea.
The most popular among Europeans and Russians in 2021 was the settlement of Neum.
You can come to it both in summer and winter, because the weather still remains quite warm. Neum is located between the two Croatian resorts of Dubrovnik and Makarska. This is an ancient, antique city, which is characterized by an abundance of architectural monuments. It’s not for nothing that Neum has become so popular among tourists.
Popular tourist town of Neum
In this town by the sea, prices are much lower than in neighboring towns. The infrastructure is also well developed here, which makes your stay more comfortable. There are many small shops in Neum that have a special flavor.
And most importantly, you can find inexpensive housing here. Local residents, who never lack tourists, do not try to profit from them. That is why you can find a decent apartment or a nice house at a reasonable price.
Advice from experienced visitors - take a rug. Most beaches are pebble. The pebbles are quite large, so you need to buy special shoes, as this can slightly spoil your vacation experience.
Another reason for the popularity of this cute town is that there are regular excursions on ferries and yachts. Such boat trips can easily diversify any vacation, making it more eventful and educational.
