Expat insurance and health insurance in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Bosnian healthcare system reflects the country’s constitutional set-up, which stems from the 1995 Dayton Accords that ended the conflict and split the state into two entities: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH), itself subdivided into ten cantons each with its own administration, and Republika Srpska (RS); alongside these sits the Brčko District, administered separately from both entities. Health insurance is managed separately in each: in the FBiH, the Federal Ministry of Health oversees the Health Insurance and Reinsurance Institute, with resources pooled at cantonal level; in RS, a single health insurance fund, under the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, covers the whole entity; the Brčko District has its own fund, and an employee working there must choose to be attached to the FBiH or RS pension scheme. According to WHO Europe, this set-up results in thirteen health insurance funds and fourteen ministries responsible for health across the country, with population coverage that remains uneven between entities and, within the FBiH, between cantons.

Funding relies on contributions whose rate and employer/employee split differ markedly between entities. In the FBiH, as of 1 January 2026, the sickness-maternity contribution is 12.50% of gross salary borne by the employee and 2% by the employer (plus two further employer contributions of 0.5% each, for civil protection and water protection). In RS, as of the same date, the employee alone bears the sickness-maternity contribution, at 10.20% of gross salary, with the employer paying no social contribution for this risk (subject to a 0.1% levy where the quota for employing disabled workers is not met). France Diplomatie recommends, for any stay, taking out an assistance contract or insurance covering the full cost of medical care — including surgery, hospitalisation and medical repatriation — as the French consular authorities cannot bear these costs.

• Stay of less than 90 days: no visa required for a French citizen holding a passport valid for at least 3 months after the planned return date, or a valid national identity card — except identity cards issued between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2013, refused by the Bosnian authorities even though valid in France.
• Mandatory registration: any foreigner staying more than 3 days must be registered with the local police within 48 hours of arrival (temporary stay certificate); hotels generally handle this, while private accommodation requires doing it yourself.
• Stay of more than 90 days: the exact procedure is not detailed on the France Diplomatie pages consulted; contact the French embassy in Sarajevo before departure.
• Local affiliation: mandatory for any employee or self-employed person working in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the fund of the entity or canton of the place of employment (the FBiH’s Health Insurance and Reinsurance Institute via the canton, the single RS fund, or the Brčko District fund).
• Without local affiliation or cover under the bilateral agreement: care is billed at full rate by the facility, public or private, with rates varying by facility and not published uniformly.
• Student: no EHIC, as Bosnia and Herzegovina is not an EU member (a candidate only since 15 December 2022); a student insurance policy or comprehensive travel insurance remains necessary, as the Franco-Yugoslav agreement opens no cover on the spot for an ordinary French student.
• Seconded employee : stays on the French scheme on presentation of the secondment certificate (form SE 21-01); the maximum length of this arrangement is not stated publicly on the CLEISS pages consulted and should be checked directly with that body before departure.
• Retiree: cover by the local Bosnian fund remains possible, on individual request, if the retiree has no entitlement whatsoever under Bosnian law; the accompanying spouse is not covered by this procedure and must take out their own insurance before departure.

No individual fine is mentioned in the sources consulted for failing to register, but the employer remains required to declare their employee; for the expatriate themselves, the risk is above all financial, with no help from the French embassy for uncovered care.

As Bosnia and Herzegovina is not an EU member (a candidate only since 15 December 2022), coordination with France does not go through EU regulations 883/2004 and 987/2009. It instead rests on an old text: the general Franco-Yugoslav social security convention of 5 January 1950, supplemented by an administrative arrangement of 23 January 1967, made applicable to Bosnia and Herzegovina (as a successor state) by an exchange of letters of 3 and 4 December 2003, in force since 4 December 2003. It coordinates all branches of social security except unemployment insurance.

• Temporary stay: for a French tourist with no dual nationality, the agreement opens no cover on the spot; only a retroactive, optional and non-guaranteed reimbursement of unforeseen care remains possible on return to France. An exception exists for a Bosnian national resident in France, returning home on paid leave: form SE 21-04 A (certificate of entitlement to benefits in kind), requested before departure, covers care during the stay and certain daily allowances, excluding planned care and repatriation.
• Secondment: secondment certificate (form SE 21-01), sent to the relevant Bosnian body, keeps the employee on the French scheme with no local contribution; medical expenses incurred locally can be submitted for reimbursement via form S 3125c. The sources consulted do not give a specific maximum duration for this arrangement.
• Long-term move (expatriation): direct affiliation with the fund of the entity or canton of the place of employment; form SE 21-02 (certificate of French insurance periods), requested before departure, lets the Bosnian authorities take periods already contributed in France into account when establishing entitlements.
• Retiree: a holder of a French pension with no entitlement of their own in Bosnia and Herzegovina can request cover from the local fund of their place of residence, which first checks there are no local entitlements before forwarding the file (form SE 21-34) to the French pension fund, which replies with form SE 21-35 (approval) or SE 21-36 (refusal). The accompanying spouse is not covered by this procedure.

1. Before departure: notify the French agencies of your departure (CPAM, CAF, France Travail, pension funds).
2. For any stay, including a temporary one: take out travel insurance or an assistance contract covering the full cost of medical care and medical repatriation, as the Franco-Yugoslav agreement opens no cover on the spot for an ordinary French tourist.
3. Seconded employee: request the secondment certificate (form SE 21-01) from your French fund before departure.
4. Long-term move: request form SE 21-02 (certificate of insurance periods) from your French fund before departure.
5. Retiree: contact CLEISS or your pension fund before departure to start, if needed, the request for local cover (form SE 21-34).
6. For a stay of more than 90 days: contact the French embassy in Sarajevo before departure to find out the applicable procedure.
7. On arrival: register with the local police within 48 hours (generally handled by the hotel for a hotel stay).
8. Locally hired employee: check with your employer that you are affiliated with the relevant fund (FBiH/canton, RS, or the Brčko District).
9. Self-employed: register and contribute directly with the fund of the relevant entity.
10. Register with the roll of French nationals living abroad (French embassy in Sarajevo).