Useful Info

Useful Info

Accessibility – While in Bosnia and Herzegovina, individuals with disabilities may find accessibility and accommodation very different from what you find in the west. The law prohibits discrimination against persons with physical, sensory, intellectual, and mental disabilities and mandates that all public buildings be retrofitted to provide access to persons with disabilities. However, in practice, buildings and public facilities are rarely accessible to persons with disabilities. Before you travel, we suggest you obtain detailed accessibility information about the buildings, facilities and services you will be using.

Accommodations – There is a wide range of establishments available around the country that provide tourists with accommodation, either with or without the provision of meals and other accessory services. This includes hotels, boutique hotels, bed & breakfasts, tourist apartments (private), country houses, camps and youth hostels. Accommodations in Bosnia can be booked through all main internet booking outlets including Airbnb, Booking, Expedia, Travelocity, Tripping, Agoda, Airasiago, Hotels, Lonely Planet and many others.

Communications – Telephone: Telephone numbers in Bosnia are composed of eight or nine digits and have a prefix zero (0). To call a number in Bosnia, one must have to dial the country code (+)387 and then the phone number without the prefix (0). To call abroad from Bosnia, one has to dial 00, the country code, then the phone number.

Mobile Phones: There are numerous mobile network service providers that have roaming agreements with most international mobile phone companies and provide users with a good coverage nationwide. SIM cards are inexpensive and can be obtained and topped up at newspaper kiosks, most supermarkets, post offices and mobile phone specialty shops. The Law forbids the use of mobile phones while driving, unless you’re using hands-free equipment or an earphone, and fines for using while driving can be pretty hefty.

Internet: Free Internet access is available in most cafés, restaurants and shopping centers, as well as the hotels and public facilities, like Airports. These areas are typically marked with “wi-fi” signs to indicate free wireless Internet access.

Cost (Prices) – Before traveling, solicit average prices of certain products and services, in order to project the cost of your trip to Bosnia & Herzegovina. As a general rule, the prices are roughly 50-75% of the price of a comparable product in the European Union or United States.

Driving – Vehicles drive on the right in Bosnia & Herzegovina. Unless otherwise indicated, vehicles coming from the right have priority in squares and at intersections. At junctions with roundabouts, vehicles already on the roundabout have right of way. Seat belt use in front seats is compulsory. Road signs comply with international rules. You must drive with dipped headlamps at all times, not just after dark. If you are involved in an accident, stay at the scene until the police arrive. The police may breathalyze those involved. Traffic police can impose on the spot fines for any traffic offense. Between 15 November and 15 April you are legally required to use winter equipment on your vehicle. Compulsory documents for driving:

• Personal ID
• Drivers license
• Motor insurance certificate
• Vehicle registration or equivalent

Fines: Fines have been upgraded in early 2017 and are pretty high. For example, the fine for failing to wear a seat belt is 100 KM ($55) for first offense, 200 KM ($110) for second offense and 300 KM ($165) for third offense. After that the drivers license is suspended. The Law forbids the use of mobile phones while driving, unless you’re using hands-free equipment or an earphone. There is zero tolerance for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Speed limits for cars without trailers and motorcycles:

• 40-60 kph – in settled areas
• 80 kph – on regular roads, outside settled areas
• 100 kph – regional roads
• 120 kph – on motorways

Car rentals: There are car rental services at airports, railway/bus stations and in all significant towns and cities. To rent a car one must be at least between 21 and 25 years old, depending on the company’s rental policy; show identification (identity card for EU citizens or a valid passport for other nationalities); have had a driving license for more than one year.

Road tolls: Some motorways require toll payments. More info can be found here: http://www.highwaymaps.eu/bosnia.

Duty and Tax Exemptions – Visitors can carry items for personal use in their luggage that do not exceed the following limits:

• 200 cigarettes or 20 cigars or 100 cigarillos or 250g of tobacco
• 2 liters of table wine
• 1 liter of liquor or spirits with more than 22% of alcohol
• 60ml of perfume
• 250ml of eau de toilette
• Gifts of value up to 76.70 Euros

Prohibited: Illegal drugs; guns, explosives and ammunition; knives and deadly weapons; plants and plant products; antiques and valuable works of art; domestic animals; counterfeit money or goods; pornographic material.

Restricted: Weapons and ammunition brought into the country for the purpose of hunting will need a special permit issued by the police authorities. Plant and meat products will need permission from the Ministry Of Agriculture in order to be granted access into the country.

Currency allowance: Unknown.

Electricity – Electrical sockets (outlets) in Bosnia & Herzegovina supply electricity at between 220 and 240 volts AC. If you’re plugging in an appliance that was built for 220-240 volt electrical input, or an appliance that is compatible with multiple voltages, then an adapter is all you need. But travel plug adapters do not change the voltage, so the electricity coming through the adapter will still be the same 220-240 volts the socket is supplying. If your appliances/gadgets are built for different voltage, you will need a power converter. For more detailed info: https://www.adaptelec.com/index.php?main_page=document_general_info&products_id=131.

Meals – As a rule, the Bosnians have three meals a day. Between 7:30 and 10 a.m. they have a breakfast. The main meals are lunch, between 12:00 and 2:30 p.m., and dinner between 7:30 and 10:30 p.m.

Money/Currency – Most transactions in Bosnia and Herzegovina are in cash. The local currency is the Bosnian Mark. Cashing travelers’ cheques is possible at some banks. ATMs are available in all cities. Credit and debit cards may be accepted outside Sarajevo and other larger cities, but you should make sure you have enough cash with you when traveling outside major cities in the countryside. For currency exchange rates check the Central Bank of Bosnia & Herzegovina web site: http://www.cbbh.ba/?lang=en.

Pets – Cats, dogs and other pets being imported will require a veterinarian health certificate confirming the pets’ healthy state and vaccination against rabies.

Public Holidays – Public holidays are different in different parts of Bosnia & Herzegovina. Only two holidays are celebrated throughout the entire country: January 1 and 2 (New Years Day and the day after) and May 1 and 2 (Labor Day and the day after). Full list of holidays can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina.

Services – Banks & Post Offices: Banks are open from 8.30 am to 4 pm Monday-Friday. Some banks are open on Saturdays until noon or 1 pm. Most ATMs operate 24 hours per day.

Pharmacies: In general, pharmacies are open on weekdays between 9 am and 7 pm and on Saturdays between 9am and 1pm. Some are open longer. Typically in larger cities some pharmacies are open 24 hours.

Shops: Traditionally, shops are open from Monday to Friday, from 9 or 10 am to 7 pm. Larger shopping centers in the cities are usually open from 10 am to 10 pm every day of the week.

Time – Bosnia Herzegovina is in the Central European Time Zone. Central European Standard Time (CET) is 1 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+1). Like most states in Europe, Summer (Daylight-Saving) Time is observed in Bosnia Herzegovina, where the time is shifted forward by 1 hour;  2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+2). After the Summer months the time in Bosnia Herzegovina is shifted back by 1 hour to Central European Time (CET) or (GMT+1).

Useful Phone Numbers

• 112 – General emergency
• 122 – Police
• 123 – Fire department
• 124 – Ambulance
• 1261 – SOS hotline for prevention of human trafficking
• 1262 – Search and rescue services
• 1282 – Road assistance in Federation of Bosnia & Herzegovina
• 1285 – Road assistance in the Republic of Srpska

More info can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_numbers_in_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina.

VAT – Bosnia & Herzegovina VAT rate is 17%. Prices charged include VAT. VAT is not charged to activities in public interest, financial and monetary services and international transport. Foreign visitors are not excluded from VAT and VAT is not reimbursable at the point of departure.

Weights and Measures – Metric system is used in Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Weights: 1kg (kilogram) = 1000g (grams).

Measures: 1m (meter) = 100cm (centimeters)

Volume: 1l (liter)

Conversion factors:

1 cm = 0.39 inches
1 meter = 3.28 feet / 1.09 yards
1 km = 0.62 miles
1 liter = 0.26 gallons (USA) / 0.22 gallons (UK)
1 inch = 2.54 cm
1 foot = 0.39 meters
1 yard = 0.91 meters
1 mile = 1.6 km
1 gallon (USA) = 3.78 liters
1 gallon (UK) = 4.54 liters