GENERAL
Official name of the state
Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Capital
Sarajevo.
Geography
According to topschoolsintheusa, Bosnia-Herzegovina borders Serbia to the east and Montenegro to the southeast and Croatia to the north and west. The 28 km long Adriatic coast in the southwest offers the country’s only access to the sea.
Bosnia-Herzegovina consists of two territorial units, the Bosniak-Croatian Federation (BKF) and the Serbian Republic (RS) with the regional capital Banja Luka. Sarajevo serves as the common capital of both areas.
Government
Democratic state. Constitution of 1995. Since the 1995 Daytona Agreement, Bosnia-Herzegovina has consisted of two territorial units, the Federacija Bosne i Hercegovine (Bosniak-Croatian Federation) and the Republika Srpska (Serbian Republic). Both appoint their own president, but there is a directly elected 3-member praesidium (each consisting of a Bosniak, a Croat and a Serbs with a chair that rotates every 8 months.
Head of state
President of the State Presidium: Mladen Ivanic (since November 2016).
Head of government
Denis Zvizdic, since February 2015.
Electricity
220 V, 50 Hz, adapter not required.
Time zone
Central European Time: CET +2 (CET +3 from March 26 to October 29, 2017)
GETTING THERE
Arriving by plane
Germanwings (4U) flies to Sarajevo from Berlin, Cologne, Stuttgart, Vienna and Zurich. Lufthansa (LH) flies daily from Munich to Sarajevo. Austrian Airlines (OS) flies via Vienna and Adria Airways (JP) via Laibach.
Wizz Ai r (W6) flies from Dortmund and from Basel-Mulhouse to Tuzlan.
Departure fee
18 €. Transit passengers who do not leave the transit area are exempt from this.
Arrival by car
Maintenance and repair work on the roads is ongoing. Entry by car is possible via Croatia, the green insurance card must be presented. There are regular bus connections from Sarajevo to several Central and Eastern European cities.
Long-distance bus: Eurolines buses (Internet: www.eurolines.com) travel to and from Bosnia-Herzegovina. Timetable and tariff information is available from the Bosnian Eurolines general agency (Centrotrans Bus, Internet: www.centrotrans.com) or the Eurolines agencies in
Germany (Deutsche Touring GmbH, Address: Am Römerhof 17, D-60486 Frankfurt / M. Tel: (069) 79 03 50. Internet: www.deutsche-touring.com),
– Austria (Eurolines Austria – Blaguss Reisen GmbH, Internet: www.eurolines.at) and
– Switzerland (Alsa + Eggmann, Internet: www.alsa-eggmann.ch).
Arriving by train
There are connections to Zagreb, Belgrade, Ljubljana and Ploce from Sarajevo, Mostar, Doboj and Banja Luka. However, the trains are slow.
ON THE GO
Departure fee
9 € for domestic flights.
On the way by car / bus
Many roads are still in poor condition. The landmine danger has decreased, mines are marked. Driving at night is not recommended.
Sarajevo is a traffic junction, the main roads lead to Banja Luka in the northwest and on to the Croatian capital Zagreb; in a northerly direction to Doboj and on to Osijek in Croatia; in the east to Zvornik and on to Belgrade (Serbia); in a southerly direction to Mostar and the Adriatic coast as well as to Foca in the southeast and on to Podgorica (Montenegro).
The ADAC international emergency call station in Zagreb (see Croatia) is also responsible for Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Documents:International driving license and international green insurance card with abbreviation BIH are required. It is strongly recommended that you also take out comprehensive insurance and passenger accident insurance in your home country.
On the go by train
Train connections exist from Sarajevo to Mostar and on to Ploce on the Croatian coast and to Banja Luka. From there trains go to Zagreb (Croatia).
TRAVEL WARNING
Overview Bosnia and Herzegovina
Security
advice from the Foreign Office: As of: January 26th, 2017
Unchanged valid since: January 23rd, 2017
Country-specific safety information
When traveling to Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is recommended not to leave the paved roads due to the continued risk of mines.
MONEY
Currency
1 convertible marka = 100 fening (Kf). Currency abbreviation: KM, BAM (ISO code). Banknotes are available in denominations of 200, 100, 50, 20 and 10 KM. Coins are in circulation to the denominations of 5, 2 and 1 KM as well as 50, 20, 10 and 5 Fening. The Marka has been linked to the Euro since 2002 (€ 1 = 2 Marka).
Credit cards
Increasingly accepted in hotels, restaurants and shops, especially in Sarajevo. Details from the issuer of the respective credit card.
ATMs
ec / Maestro card / Sparcard
cards with the Cirrus or Maestro symbol are accepted throughout Europe and worldwide. Further information from banks and credit institutes.
Attention: Travelers who pay abroad with their bank customer card and want to withdraw money should find out about the possibilities of using their card from their bank before starting their journey.
ATMs are widely available in all major cities; in remote areas you should have enough cash with you.
Bank opening times
Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Foreign exchange regulations
Unrestricted import and export of local and foreign currencies.
Currency Exchange
Euros and US dollars are the easiest to exchange. In some cases, euros are also accepted as a means of payment.
LANGUAGE
Overview
Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian. The Serbs use the Cyrillic alphabet, the Croats and Bosniaks the Latin.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
Annotation
In addition to the specified public holidays, every citizen of Bosnia-Herzegovina has the right to two days off a year to practice their religion. This regulation was created to recognize religious and ethnic diversity in the country.
DUTY-FREE SHOPPING
Overview
The following articles can be imported into Bosnia-Herzegovina duty-free (people aged 17 and over):
200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 100 cigarillos or 250 g tobacco (people aged 17 and over);
1 l of spirits with an alcohol content of more than 22% or 2 l of spirits with an alcohol content of no more than 22% or sparkling wine (people aged 17 and over);
4 l table wine;
16 l of beer;
1 bottle of perfume;
Gifts worth up to € 75.
Prohibited exports
Works of art.
ECONOMY
Business etiquette
Delegation of the German economy
Strossmayerova 1, BA-71000 Sarajevo
Tel: (033) 26 04 30.
Internet: www.ahk.hr Chamber of
Commerce of Bosnia-Herzegovina
Branislava Djurdjeva 10, BA-Sarajevo
Tel: (033) 66 36 36.
Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Marsala Tita 25, BA-71000 Sarajevo
Tel: (033) 27 81 00.
Internet: http://cbbh.ba
Opening hours
Business hours: Usually: 8.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
COMMUNICATION
Phone
The country code is 00387. The international switchboard number is 1201. The directory assistance number is 1182 for national telephone numbers and 1183 for international telephone numbers.
Cellphone
GSM 900/1800. Network operator: Ua HT Eronet (Internet: www.hteronet.ba). Roaming contracts exist.
Internet
The local Internet provider is Inecco (Internet: www.inecco.net). Internet connections are available in some of the larger hotels in Sarajevo.
Post Office
National and international delivery services are provided by the state post office BH Post (Internet: www.bhp.ba). HPT Mostar is the regional post office in Croatia, in Banja Luka the Serbian government runs the Srpske Poste. Post office opening hours: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Mail to Europe takes around 1 week and heavy parcels take up to 10 days.
Radio
Since the use of shortwave frequencies changes several times over the course of a year, it is advisable to contact Deutsche Welle customer service directly (Tel: (+49) (0228) 429 32 08. Internet: www.dw-world.de) to request.
CULINARY
ACCOMMODATION
Hotels
There are a number of national and international hotels, especially in Sarajevo and the larger cities. Other accommodation options such as guest houses are also available. The offerings and facilities in smaller cities have improved significantly in recent years, and hotels and other accommodation options can now be found in almost all parts of the country.
CULTURE
Religion
Mostly Muslim (40%), also Serbian Orthodox (31%) and Roman Catholic (15%) religious members.
Social rules of conduct
Bosnia and Herzegovina is characterized by its ethnic and religious diversity and visitors should respect the customs and habits of the different groups, drinking in public is frowned upon. The inhabitants of Bosnia-Herzegovina are generally referred to as Bosnians, who can be of religiously Muslim, Catholic or Russian Orthodox origin (on ethnic background there are also the terms Bosnian Muslims, Bosnian Croats and Bosnian Serbs). As a sign of the mutual recognition of these three religious groups, the government allows citizens two religious holidays per year.
Bosnians are very hospitable, and they shake hands when they greet. If you already know each other, you greet each other with 4 alternating kisses on the cheeks. Shoes are removed before entering the apartment.
Smoking: The nationwide smoking ban applies particularly to authorities, public buildings and restaurants. There are smoking rooms.
Tip: A tip of 5-10% is expected in restaurants. In general, it is customary to give porters, taxi drivers and housekeeping a small tip.
CLIMATE
Best travel time
Continental climate with hot summers (July / August) and cold winters with snowfall (December to March) inland. The winters on the coasts are milder and more humid than inland.
COUNTRY DATA
Area code +387 Area (square km) 51 129 Population 3867055 Population density (per square km) 76 Population in 2015 Member of the EU No main emergency number 112
