Bosnia and Herzegovina
Located in Eastern Europe yet outside of the EU and Schengen Area, Bosnia and Herzegovina has strong and far-reaching ties to EU as a whole.
ETIAS for Citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina in brief
Bosnia and Herzegovina citizens required to hold a valid ETIAS starting from 2025 for short term journeys to 34 European Countries
All ETIAS candidates must have a valid Bosnia and Herzegovina biometric passport
ETIAS application to be created and submitted electronically only
ETIAS as a prerequisite for trips whose purpose is alternatively business, leisure, transit or medical therapy
Permanence in the ETIAS Member Countries as an ensemble must never exceed 3 out of every 6 months.
EU – Bosnia and Herzegovina
Located in Eastern Europe yet outside of the EU and Schengen Area, Bosnia and Herzegovina has strong and far-reaching ties to EU as a whole. It is therefore no wonder that Citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina were granted Visa Waiver rights to the Schengen Area countries years ago.
These rights have been confirmed by the 2016 EU provisions and the incumbent inauguration of the ETIAS protocol is hence expected to sponsor and enhance even better exchanges between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the ETIAS Member Countries.
According to the protocol validated by the European Union in 2016 the ETIAS Visa Waiver requirement, will come to its inception in early 2025 and has been indeed confirmed to also involve holders of passports from Bosnia and Herzegovina.ETIAS terms for Bosnian travelers
As a matter of fact, Citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina with a valid biometric passport will, from 2025, be able to electronically submit their application for European Union’s Visa Waiver ETIAS.
It is very important to notice that applicants from Bosnia and Herzegovina must be in possession of a valid biometric passport in order to submit an ETIAS application.
Those who do not hold such kind of passport are required to apply for a Visa at the relevant Consulate of the Schengen Country they wish to visit.
The primary intent of ETIAS is indeed to secure the EU Borders on the one hand while also on the other hand facilitate the travel experience to the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the other 59 Visa Waiver Nations.Passport related requirements and validity
When applying for ETIAS all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, including minors through the support of parent or legal guardian, are asked to have a biometric passport whose validity can cover for the whole stay of their planned trip to the EU plus three exceeding months.
Travelling with a passport expiring during the stay in the ETIAS Area or in less than ninety days from the scheduled departure date could actually lead to rejection of entry at the Schengen Area External Borders.
To this extent, in order to prove the planned duration of the trip, it is always recommended for each visitor to hold, upon arrival, a confirmed return ticket or a confirmed onwards ticket to a non-ETIAS Country where the person has a proven right to enter.Qualifying for ETIAS
As previously stated in the conditions’ s summary, qualifying for ETIAS is not only connected to traveler’s nationality and passport type but also to the reason why the journey is being taken and to its duration.
ETIAS can in truth be used only for trips whose purpose is for either:- Commerce
- Leisure
- Transit
- Medical care
Family and friends visit journeys are also allowed since they are considered to fit in the leisure and tourism category.
Work and long-term study are not allowed on ETIAS; still, the Visa Waiver can be used by Nationals of Bosnia and Herzegovina for short term study programs if the stay in the ETIAS countries area will not pass the threshold of 90 days within 6 months. Concerning this specific matter it is anyway important for each traveler to check, before applying for an ETIAS, if the receiving school or institute in Europe accepts to enroll scholars with a Visa Waiver and not with a Schengen Study Visa.EU residents
As a consequence to these eligibiliy conditions (click here for further details) travelers that already have a valid Schengen Visa on their passport or that hold a Permit of Stay issued by a Schengen Member Country are not required to apply for ETIAS to enter any of the 34 Member Countries.
Conversely citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina willing to live, work or study in any of the Schengen Nations on a long-term basis will not be considered eligible for ETIAS and will be still required to apply for Consular Schengen Visa.Other ETIAS terms of use and exceptions
No ETIAS is required to citizens of Bosnia that hold a valid Schengen Visa or a Permit of Stay issued by any of the Schengen Area Member and de facto Member Nations (therefore currently excluding Cyprus that is committed to adhere to the border free travel area in the near future) while, on the other hand, a Schengen Visa will be necessary to all those travelers whose situation does not fit in the ETIAS eligibility criteria. To this extent in must be added that until its respective membership in the Schengen Area is perfected a national Visa or Permit of Stay issued by Cyprus will not be considered a valid exemption criterion from the obligation to hold an ETIAS or Schengen Visa, while ETIAS will be required to Visa Waiver visitors entering the insular State.
Also, there currently is one EU Member Nation that is not to any legal extent connected to the Schengen Area and that therefore will not be applying the obligation for ETIAS to Visa Waiver Visitors and that Country is the Republic of Ireland (EIRE).
The same condition applies to other countries that are geographically located in Europe but that are outside both EU and Schengen Area such as, for instance, Serbia, North Macedonia and Albania.