The procedure
Certain foreign students need a visa to enter Bosnia and Herzegovina. Here you can find information on whether you need a visa or not.
If the student does not need a visa to enter Bosnia and Herzegovina, these are the steps she or he needs to follow:
- The student needs to register at the Service for Foreigner’s affairs within 48 hours after entering the country (Please note that the entry into the country must be registered in the passport by the Border Police)
- Within 75 days after entering the country, the student needs to apply for temporary residence. The documents required for temporary residence are described here
- When entering the country, the student needs to bring confirmation of no criminal proceedings or criminal offences by the competent authority of the state where the foreigner has his usual residence (original or a certified copy), which may not be older than 6 months. This Certificate must be provided with an apostille as per the Hague Convention to be eligible for a student residence permit in Bosnia. If your country does not support apostille, the certificate must be legalized by the Ministry of External Affairs of your country.
- The passport must be valid for at least 15 months
- When applying for residence, the student must provide a medical certificate that can be issued at authorised health institutions. One of the requirements the medical institutions may ask for is an HIV test and chest X-ray. It is acceptable that the student brings the HIV test and the X-ray (with the doctor’s reading of the X-ray) from their home country.
- The student needs to bring his or her vaccination status report, which shows which vaccines the student has received since childhood.
If the student does need a visa to enter Bosnia and Herzegovina, the procedure is as follows:
- After the student has been admitted to the Faculty, the Faculty sends an invitation letter for the student to the Service for Foreigner’s affairs
- After the verification of the invitation letter, the student applies for a D-visa in their home country
- Upon receiving the D-visa, the student may enter Bosnia and Herzegovina. The student needs to register at the Service for Foreigner’s affairs within 48 hours after entering the country (Please note that the entry into the country must be registered in the passport by the Border Police)
- Depending on the duration of the D-visa, the student needs to apply for temporary residence during the time specified in the visa. The documents required for temporary residence are described here.
- When entering the country, the student needs to bring confirmation of no criminal proceedings or criminal offences by the competent authority of the state where the foreigner has his usual residence (original or a certified copy), which may not be older than 6 months. This Certificate must be provided with an apostille as per the Hague Convention to be eligible for a student residence permit in Bosnia. If your country does not support apostille, the certificate must be legalized by the Ministry of External Affairs of your country.
- The passport must be valid for at least 15 months
- When applying for residence, the student must provide a medical certificate that can be issued at authorised health institutions. One of the requirements the medical institutions may ask for is an HIV test and chest X-ray. It is acceptable that the student brings the HIV test and the X-ray (with the doctor’s reading of the X-ray) from their home country.
- The student needs to bring his or her vaccination status report, which shows which vaccines the student has received since childhood.
When extending the temporary residence
Temporary residence is granted to for one year. At the end of the temporary stay, the student needs to reapply for the extension of the temporary residence. The documents required are described here.
Additional documents
For latest information, please visit the website of the Service for Foreigner’s Affairs.
