What documents do I need to travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina?
Travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina on a passport, with 90 days visa-free for most nationalities. It is outside Schengen, and your stay must be registered after you arrive.
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Entering Bosnia and Herzegovina - what you need
There is no arrival card and no online authorisation, so the passport is the main thing. Booking your Sarajevo or Mostar hotel on trip1 in advance also handles the registration step, because licensed properties file it on your behalf.
- A passport valid at least three months beyond your planned departure, with blank pages
- A Bosnian visa, if your nationality is not on the visa-free list
- Proof of accommodation, such as your trip1 booking confirmation
- Your registration record, called the white card, arranged after you arrive
- A green card or valid insurance certificate if you are driving your own vehicle in
Do you need a visa for Bosnia and Herzegovina?
Most Western travellers do not. EU and EEA citizens, along with UK, US, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, Japanese and many other passport holders, get up to 90 days in any 180-day period visa-free.
Some nationalities that would otherwise need a visa can enter on a valid Schengen, UK or US visa or residence permit, but the conditions attached to that route are specific. Check the Bosnian Ministry of Foreign Affairs list for your own passport rather than assuming.
Stays longer than 90 days need a temporary residence permit applied for before your tourist stay runs out.
Registering your stay
Foreign visitors must register their address with the Service for Foreigners' Affairs shortly after arriving, and the deadline is 72 hours. The record is known as the white card.
Hotels and hostels register their guests automatically using the passport you hand over at the desk, so if you are staying in licensed accommodation there is nothing for you to do. Private rentals and stays with friends are where you have to file it yourself.
Keep any registration slip you are given until you leave. Officers can ask for it on departure, and not registering can lead to a fine.
Bosnia is outside Schengen, so your Schengen days are safe
Bosnia and Herzegovina is not in the Schengen Area or the EU. Days you spend there do not count towards your Schengen 90 days in 180, so a week in Sarajevo does not shorten the time you can later spend in Italy or Germany.
Bosnia keeps its own separate 90/180 count, which is why you get stamped in and out. Two independent clocks, not one shared allowance.
Important: Coming from Croatia, your Schengen exit is now recorded by the EU Entry/Exit System. Cross at a proper border post and make sure the exit is registered, because a missing exit record can look like an overstay and get you refused entry to Schengen later.
ETIAS does not apply here either. It is a Schengen system and, as of August 2026, it is not running anywhere and has no confirmed launch date.
Hotel check-in in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bring a passport for every adult in the room. The front desk needs it to complete your white card registration, and a photo on your phone is not accepted for that.
Your trip1 booking confirmation proves the reservation and carries the property address, which is what an officer wants if they ask where you are staying.
Some properties ask for a card at the desk as an incidentals hold. That is the hotel's own policy and has nothing to do with how the booking itself was paid.
Entering Bosnia and Herzegovina - FAQ
UK government advice says British visitors need a passport issued less than 10 years before arrival and valid for at least 90 days after the day you leave, with space for entry and exit stamps. Bring proof of accommodation, such as your trip1 booking confirmation. There is no arrival card or online authorisation, but your stay must be registered after you arrive.
Yes, if you hold an EU, EEA, UK, US, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand or Japanese passport, among many others. Visa-free visitors can stay up to 90 days within a 6-month period. Some other nationalities can enter on a valid Schengen, UK or US visa, but conditions apply, so check the Bosnian Ministry of Foreign Affairs list for your passport.
Yes. Foreign visitors must register with the authorities within 72 hours of arrival. Hotels and hostels do this automatically using your passport, so there is nothing extra to do in licensed accommodation. In private rentals or when staying with friends, register at a Service for Foreigners' Affairs field centre, and keep any slip until you leave.
No. Bosnia and Herzegovina is outside the Schengen Area and the EU, so days there do not count towards your Schengen 90 days in 180, and it keeps its own separate count. If you arrive from Croatia, your Schengen exit is recorded by the EU Entry/Exit System, so cross at an official border post and make sure the exit is registered.
Yes. Bosnia and Herzegovina stamps passports on entry and exit because it runs its own border controls outside Schengen. UK government advice says both stamps are required and a missing stamp can lead to a fine, so check your passport at the border post before you move on.