Living in Bosnia and Herzegovina as a French National: Stay, Housing, School and Daily Life

Bosnia and Herzegovina appeals with its mountain and river landscapes and its heritage, visible in the old districts of Sarajevo and Mostar. France Diplomatie (the French foreign ministry’s travel advice) mentions among the most visited places Sarajevo, Mostar, Medugorje and Mount Trebević, and flags for hiking enthusiasts the Prenj, Čvrsnica, Čabulja and Treskavica massifs, where the use of licensed guides is recommended. Institutionally, the country comprises the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republika Srpska and the Brčko District: some everyday rules, such as taxation, social contributions or health, vary from one entity to another.

Among the strengths that public data make it possible to document are a currency pegged to the euro, an average net salary close to KM 1,700 (Statistics Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina) and social contributions calculated on the gross salary according to a published scale (CLEISS, the French liaison centre for social security abroad). On the points of caution, the country is not a member of the European Union: it obtained candidate country status in December 2022 and the Commission recommended opening negotiations in March 2024 (European Commission). The European Health Insurance Card is therefore not valid there, and residence procedures follow the regime applicable to third-country nationals.

To enter Bosnia and Herzegovina, an individual French passport valid for three months after the planned return date opens a visa-free stay of 90 days at most. A valid national identity card is also accepted for the length of the stay, except for cards issued to adults between 2004 and 2013, which the local authorities refuse although they remain valid in France (France Diplomatie). A minor travels with their own document, and an exit authorisation signed by the parents is required when they travel alone. The Service for Foreigners of the Ministry of Security specifies that the visa-free stay is assessed over any period of 180 days.

To stay longer, the law on foreigners provides for temporary residence, granted for up to one year on the basis of a legal ground: family reunification, studies, humanitarian reasons, work with or without a work permit, real estate ownership with an effective link to the country, or other justified reasons. The common conditions are a passport valid at least three months beyond the period requested, sufficient means of subsistence, suitable housing, health insurance, a medical certificate of less than three months, a certificate of no criminal record of less than six months and proof of payment of the administrative fee. The first application is in principle filed with the embassy or consulate of Bosnia and Herzegovina; it may exceptionally be filed on the spot with a D visa or a visa-free right of stay, at least 15 days before it expires. Extension is requested at the latest 15 days before expiry and remains tied to the same ground.

Permanent residence is unlimited. It requires five years of continuous temporary residence, a valid passport, regular means, housing, health insurance, knowledge of one of the official languages and one of the official alphabets, as well as certificates of less than six months. Once residence has been granted, the identity card for foreigners is requested within eight days. The Service for Foreigners can be reached on +387 33 772 950 and at info@sps.gov.ba for particular cases.

Any stay of more than three days requires registration with the police within 48 hours of arrival. Hotels and official hostels do it for their guests; in private accommodation or at a campsite, the procedure is done in person with the local police or the Service for Foreigners, and failure to register exposes the person to a fine (France Diplomatie). For a temporary stay, the declaration is renewed within 48 hours after the permit is handed over or on arrival at the address, and at every change of address; for permanent residence, the deadline is eight days. When the person is staying with a private individual, the obligation falls on the host. This declaration certifies the address, without proving the lawfulness of the stay.

After a residence permit is granted, a personal identification number is assigned to the foreigner. Administrative fees are paid by payment slip to the State Treasury, whose procedures and scale are published by the Service for Foreigners. On the French side, the embassy invites residents to register on the register of French nationals living abroad, useful for consular procedures, voting and school grants. Before leaving, reporting your departure to the CPAM (the local health insurance office), the CAF (the family allowances fund) and France Travail (the employment agency) avoids overpayments, as CLEISS reminds readers.

The residence application requires proof of suitable housing; the exact nature of the documents accepted (lease, title deed, accommodation certificate) should be confirmed with the Service for Foreigners depending on the ground invoked. Buying real estate is among the grounds for temporary residence when an effective link with the country exists; the outlines of this link are specified by the regulation on the entry and stay of foreigners. Rents and property prices vary markedly between Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Mostar, Tuzla or Zenica; as no official rent statistics were found for this page, these levels should be checked with local agencies and listings at the time of the project.

The currency is the convertible mark (KM, code BAM), issued by the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina under a currency board system. Its fixed rate is KM 1.95583 for €1, the value displayed by the Central Bank. This parity simplifies budget planning for a household that receives income in euros. As a reference for the standard of living, the average net salary paid is close to KM 1,700 (Statistics Agency). The guide to working abroad helps to build a budget that takes contributions and health insurance into account.

In Sarajevo, the Collège International Français de Sarajevo (CIFS) offers trilingual teaching in French, Bosnian and English, in line with the curricula of the French Ministry of National Education (French embassy). The AEFE record attaches it to the network of French schools abroad, with 262 pupils and 15 accredited levels from the first nursery class to the final year; the embassy for its part describes a course from nursery to year 10, supplemented by a year 11 class provided with the CNED (the French distance-learning service) since September 2013. The levels open for the current school year should therefore be confirmed directly with the school. Families whose French child attends an AEFE-accredited school may apply for a school grant under conditions, through the consular section.

The French presence also includes the French Institute of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which promotes the French language and culture in the country, and the Campus France spaces in Sarajevo, Banja Luka and Mostar for plans to study in France. The embassy and its consular section are located in Sarajevo (Mehmed-bega Kapetanovića Ljubušaka 16). The consular section’s telephone is +387 33 911 340 from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Paris time); in a proven emergency outside these hours, the duty officer answers on +387 61 144 613. The embassy also keeps a list of translators and French-speaking professionals. For a family, expat family insurance usefully supplements local cover.

France Diplomatie classes almost the whole territory under normal vigilance, with heightened vigilance in mined areas: it is recommended to stay on tarmac roads and well-used paths, particularly outside towns and along the former front lines, and to consult the EUFOR maps (the European Union force). Petty crime mainly concerns pickpockets on trams and in the old town of Sarajevo, as well as thefts from parked vehicles in summer. Road accidents are among the most frequent in Europe: be careful, drive slowly and avoid driving at night. Unsupervised open-water swimming is strongly discouraged. In conversation, France Diplomatie advises reserve on political subjects linked to the country’s recent history.

On health, three practical points of reference: air pollution by fine particles from December to February in Sarajevo, Tuzla and Zenica, linked in part to coal heating, which leads frail people to limit their outings; ticks in forests in spring and summer, with tick-borne encephalitis vaccination to be discussed before rural stays; and the need for insurance covering care, hospitalisation and repatriation, as the French State does not pay these costs. The page on the healthcare system of Bosnia and Herzegovina details how care is organised and the emergency numbers.

The climate varies with altitude and season: France Diplomatie recommends protecting yourself from heat, sun and altitude depending on the planned outings. As for language, permanent residence requires knowledge of one of the official languages and one of the official alphabets, and the French school in Sarajevo teaches in French, Bosnian and English, which makes children’s schooling easier.

Sarajevo is home to the embassy, the French Institute, the French school and the major hospital facilities presented in the healthcare system page. Banja Luka, in the Republika Srpska, hosts a Campus France space. Mostar also has a Campus France space and attracts visitors around its old bridge. Tuzla and Zenica are, with Sarajevo, among the towns affected by the winter pollution mentioned above. Each town comes under its own entity and canton, which influences the competent health insurance fund and the contributions.

A settling-in project rests on three simultaneous procedures: the residence permit, complete health cover and tax and social preparation, detailed in the pages on working in Bosnia and Herzegovina, healthcare reimbursement and retirement. Expavy helps to compare cover solutions before departure; see also expat health insurance.