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Information for incoming students and staff

Information on Visa and Temporary Residence

Before arrival in Banja Luka

Visa

Students from the following countries do not require a visa to participate in a one-semester mobility at the University of Banja Luka:

Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belgium, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Estonia, El Salvador, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Norway, Oman, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Türkiye, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, The Holy See, The Order of Malta.

(The list is valid as of November 23, 2024, current information is available here)

Students from other countries, regardless of whether a visa-free regime for stays of up to 30 or 90 days exists, are required to obtain a D visa for exchanges lasting one semester.

All students, regardless of their country of origin, must bring the following documents before arriving in Banja Luka:

  • valid passport
  • certificate confirming that no criminal proceedings are being conducted against the individual, and a certificate confirming that the individual has not been convicted of a criminal offense, issued by the competent authority of the country where the individual resides (depending on the country, this may be a single document). The certificates must be either the original or a certified copy, and cannot be older than 6 months. For countries that are members of the Hague Convention on the Abolition of the Need for Legalization of Foreign Public Documents, the certificate must be authenticated with an apostille. For non-member states, the certificate must be legalized 

 

Visa D procedure

Before submitting a request for a visa D to the competent embassy or consulate, the invitation letter must be prepared and certified.

The invitation letter form for legal entities (available here) and the request form for certifying the invitation letter (available here), based on the documentation submitted by the student, must be fully completed by the coordinator for international cooperation and the secretary of the receiving faculty. The invitation letter must be filled out without any technical errors; otherwise, it may be returned for reprocessing.

Both documents must be printed double-sided, and the signatory on behalf of the faculties is the dean.

Along with the completed invitation letter, signed and certified by the dean, the following documents must be submitted:

  1. Request for certification of the invitation letter, addressed to the Service for Foreigners' Affairs - Field Center Banja Luka;
  2. A certified copy of the legal entity's registration decision from the court register, along with a document showing who is authorized to represent the entity (contact the Legal Affairs, Personnel and Administrative Department of the Rectorate);
  3. Proof of solvency of the issuer of the invitation letter, certified by a commercial bank, which is no older than 90 days (contact the Finance and Accounting Service of the Rectorate);
  4. Certificate from the tax administration on settled tax obligations and specific unique identification number of the taxpayer (JIB), which is not older than 90 days (contact the Finance and Accounting Service of the Rectorate);
  5. Certificate from the Indirect Taxation Authority on settled liabilities based on indirect taxes that is not older than 90 days (contact the Finance and Accounting Service of the Rectorate);
  6. Proof of payment of 50 BAM for certification of the invitation letter - administrative fee that is paid in accordance with the Order on payment accounts for administrative fees (Official Gazette of BiH, number 30/23 of 28/04/2023), copy available here (paid by the accounting service of the receiving faculty)

    - Tax amount - 50 BAM
    - Recipient:
    - RT Treasury of BiH: - Deposit account, account number: 3380002210018390 (UniCredit Bank d.d. Mostar),
    - RT Treasury of BiH: - Deposit account, account number: 5517902220404858 (UniCredit Bank, a.d. Mostar),
    - RT Treasury of BiH: - Deposit account, account number: 5556000060067744 (Nova Bank a.d. Mostar),
    - RT Treasury of BiH: - Deposit account, account number: 1341021020000276 (Asa banka Naša i  Snažna d.d. Sarajevo),
    - Purpose of the remittance – Fee for issuing an invitation letter,
    - For the benefit of the recipient – JRT Treasury of BiH tax,
    - Type of revenue – 722101,
    Budget organization – 0923999,
    Taxpayer number – JIB of the legal entity (receiving faculty);
     
  7. A photocopy of the travel document of the mobility student (does not have to be certified).
  8. Letter of acceptance issued by the receiving University of Banja Luka member unit (available here)

Documents under 2), 3), 4), 5) can be either originals or photocopies certified by the competent service of the Banja Luka City Administration.

All documentation is submitted separately for each mobility student.

All documentation is submitted in person to the Banja Luka Field Center of the Service for Foreigners' Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

After the invitation letter is certified by the Field Center of the Service for Foreigners' Affairs, the faculty sends the letter, along with any accompanying documentation, to the student via express mail (DHL or similar).

The procedure for issuing a D visa is prescribed by the Regulations on Issuing Long-Term Stay Visas (D Visa) at Diplomatic and Consular Missions of Bosnia and Herzegovina (the Regulations are available here).

Based on the submitted certified invitation letter, the student schedules an appointment for visa issuance at the appropriate diplomatic and consular mission of Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to their place of residence.

The application for a D Visa must be submitted in person no earlier than three (3) months and no later than one (1) month before the date of the intended trip.

When submitting an application, the foreigner is obliged to:

a) complete the application for a D visa on the appropriate form and sign it in person (available at the diplomatic and consular mission and here);
b) present a valid travel document;
c) present one color photograph, scanned or taken at the time of application, measuring 35x45 mm, which faithfully depicts the holder of the travel document;
d) attach documentation proving:

1) purpose and conditions of the intended stay (the purpose and conditions of the intended stay are demonstrated by an invitation letter, a letter of acceptance for mobility issued by the relevant faculty, and a learning agreement.);
2) provided accommodation or proof of sufficient funds to cover accommodation costs (as evidenced by the invitation letter);
3) provided funds for living expenses in BiH and for return to the country of habitual residence, or proof that they can be legally obtained, including funds for health care (as evidenced by the invitation letter);
4) provided means of travel and intention to return (as evidenced by a return ticket)
5) a medical certificate proving that the individual does not suffer from infectious diseases (required only if coming from an area with an epidemic of infectious diseases);

6) proof of paid travel health insurance, valid for the territory of BiH and covering the entire duration of the planned stay;

e) allow the exclusion of biometric data if applicable (photograph, fingerprints, signature);
f) pay the prescribed consular fee (check the amount with the competent diplomatic and consular mission of BiH).

 

Upon arrival in Banja Luka

Registration of residence (white card)

Foreign students are required to register their residence at the Field Center of the Service for Foreigners' Affairs in Banja Luka within 48 hours of their arrival. If the student is accommodated at the Nikola Tesla Student Center, a hotel, hostel, or any other legal or natural person providing accommodation services within the scope of their registered activity, the accommodation provider will be responsible for registering the student's residence.

In the event that students are staying in private accommodation, they will be required to personally register their residence at the Field Center of the Service for Foreigners' Affairs in Banja Luka, either individually or with the landlord or person who is renting them the apartment. In this case, the following documents will be required for registration of residence:

- A certified photocopy of the passport,

- A certified photocopy of the property owner’s ID card,

- Proof of payment of the administrative fee for the white card in the amount of 10 BAM (the fee must be paid via payment slip; instructions are available here),

- Proof of accommodation (certified apartment lease agreement [example – Attachment 3] or certified statement of the property owner [example – Attachment 4]; certification is done by a notary or by the competent service of the City Administration).

Temporary residence based on higher education

All students are required to regulate their temporary stay based on higher education within at least 75 days of arrival in Banja Luka. However, it is recommended to start this procedure as soon as possible. If the visa is approved for less than 3 months, the request for temporary residence approval must be submitted no later than 15 days before the visa expires.

Documentation required for the regulation of temporary residence:

  1. Request for the issuance of a temporary residence permit in BiH (the form is available at the Service for Foreigners' Affairs Field Centre in Banja Luka or here – must be printed on both sides),
  2. Proof of payment for the administrative fee for the approval of temporary residence in the amount of 150 BAM (Payment instructions),
  3. Two recent photographs, size 35x45 mm,
  4. Certified copy of the passport, valid for at least three months longer than the period for which the temporary residence permit is requested (including the page with general information, the last entry stamp in BiH, and the long-term stay visa, if applicable),
  5. A copy of the foreigner's residence application form (white card),
  6. Proof that the foreigner is enrolled in a higher education institution for the current academic year (original and copy – issued by the faculty student service),
  7. Proof that the foreigner is coming as part of a student mobility program (learning agreement, cooperation agreement between HEIs)
  8. Proof of provided funds necessary for support during the current academic year, amounting to 400.00 BAM monthly, in an account opened in BiH (or, in the case of an Erasmus+ mobility, a grant agreement),
  9. Medical certificate indicating that the foreigner does not suffer from a disease that poses a threat to public health in BiH (original or photocopy), which must not be older than 90 days. The health institutions authorized for performing medical examinations are: Ambulanta porodične medicine u studentskom kampusu, Zdravstvena ustanova “Preventiva Medical”, Kuća zdravlja „Dr Marjanović“, Zdravstvena ustanova „Mediccare”, Zavod za medicinu rada i sporta, Dom zdravlja, Euromedik, Deamedika, Intermedik or other registered medical institutions that can perform the required examinations.
  10. A certificate stating that no criminal proceedings are being conducted against the foreigner, and a certificate confirming that the foreigner has not been convicted of a criminal offense, issued by the competent authority of the state where the foreigner has their usual place of residence (original or certified photocopy, which must not be older than six months). The certificate must be authenticated by an apostille stamp for member states of the Hague Convention on the Abolition of the Need for Legalization of Foreign Public Documents, or by verification at the appropriate diplomatic or consular representation of BiH for non-member states
  11. Proof of secured accommodation in BiH (certified apartment lease agreement) (example – Appendix 3) or a certified statement from the landlord (example – Appendix 4), along with proof of ownership of the residential space, certified by a notary or the competent office of the City Administration.
  12. Proof of provided health insurance in BiH (health insurance policy, photocopy of health card, proof of registration with the Health Fund, proof of paid travel health insurance, or other relevant proof).

All foreign documents must be translated into one of the languages that are in official use in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

 

Opening an account with a domestic bank

(For students who are not part of the Erasmus+ exchange program, i.e., those who do not have a scholarship)

The documentation required to open an account with a domestic bank is as follows:

  1. Signed application form for opening an account (available at banks),
  2. Confirmation of residence registration in B&H (white card),
  3. Passport (a certified copy by the competent service of the City Administration, along with a translation into one of the official languages of B&H, certified by a court interpreter),
  4. JIB (Individual Identification Number) from the Tax Administration of the Republic of Srpska.

 

Registration of foreigners with the Tax Administration of the Republic of Srpska in order to obtain a JIB

The form is available here.

Instructions for filling out the form are available here (English translation available here – Attachment 6).