Only four countries have abolished visas to BiH citizens for the past seven years

After the European Union liberalized the visa regime with Bosnia and Herzegovina in December 2010, since our citizens can travel for up to 90 days, but not work in the EU, they have done only four new countries.

As reported from the BiH Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Agreement on the Travel of Non-Visa-Free Citizens for Carrier of Regular Passports was signed with Moldova in May 2015. Otherwise, this poorest country in Europe, where 3.5 million people live, the EU abolished the 2014 visa.

In some countries, no ministers can be without a visa

Belarus is considered to be the last European dictatorship, and its President Alexander Lukashenko, by a decree issued in February this year, allowed BiH citizens to stay for up to five days in that country. It is a condition that we come to Belarus by plane and land at Minsk airport, not to come from Belarus and not to continue flying to Russia. The third country that abolished the visas is Indonesia. This country abolished visa visas for up to 30 days for citizens of 169 countries in May last year, including Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Russia abolished visas to citizens of BiH and BiH to the Russians in October 2013, provided that the total stay does not exceed 30 days within 60 days, starting with the day of the first entry. Visas for some countries, such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, are also required for those who have diplomatic biometric travel documents.

BiH citizens can travel to 101 countries without a visa with ordinary passports and we are ranked 52rd in the world. Interestingly, we were in the 42nd position at the end of 2014. At the end of last year, Albania was the only Balkan country behind us, and Albanians can travel to 100 countries of the world, one less than BiH citizens. Moldova welcomed us, after signing an agreement on visa liberalization with the EU. Of the European countries behind us is only Belarus, after the EU abolished visas to the Ukrainians.

As for the countries of the former Yugoslavia, Slovenia is ranked 12th and its citizens can travel visa-free travel to 164 countries worldwide. Croatians are on the 22nd place and can travel without visas to 149 countries. Serbia is 43rd, Macedonia 45th and Montenegro 47th.

20 states have not admitted us

It is interesting that 20 other members of the United Nations, out of a total of 193, did not recognize Bosnia and Herzegovina, namely the Bahamas, Barbados, Bhutan, Central African Republic, Grenada, Kiribati, Lesotho, Madagascar, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga and Vanuatu. BiH has initiated procedures for these countries, but most of them have never received a response. It is also interesting to have established diplomatic relations with the Coconuts Islands (Cook Islands) of BiH, but has not recognized them as an independent country.

BiH has not admitted Kosovo as an independent country, so BiH citizens wanting to travel to Kosovo must first go to Kosovo's embassy in Zagreb or in Tirana on a valid visa, and they are waiting for "paperwork" more than for applying to the US.
Out of countries that are not full members of the UN, BiH has established diplomatic relations with the Vatican, Palestine and Maltese.

• 21 Jun, 2017
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