Bosnia and Herzegovina permanent residence

Some kinds of stay do not lead to permanent residence: temporary or international protection and pending asylum claims, diplomatic status, humanitarian residence in most forms, seasonal work, intra-company redeployment, short work with a certificate of work registration, serving a sentence, daily migrants, and family reunification with a foreigner whose own ground does not lead to permanent residence.

Two exceptions soften the rule. Half of the time on residence for higher education is counted, although the application itself cannot be filed while on study residence. Residence as a company founder working without a work permit is counted in full.

Article 79 of the Law on Aliens requires at least five years of uninterrupted residence in BiH on temporary residence permits immediately before the application, a valid passport, sufficient and regular means of subsistence, adequate accommodation, health insurance, knowledge of one of the languages and scripts in official use in BiH, and certificates from the country of origin and from BiH, each not older than six months, showing no criminal proceedings or convictions. You must hold approved temporary residence when you apply and while the decision is pending.

Residence counts as uninterrupted if, during the five years, you were absent several times for up to 10 months in total, or once for up to six months. For holders of the BiH Blue Card the limits are 18 months in total or 12 months at once.

Knowledge of Bosnian, Croatian or Serbian is shown with a certificate from a university, secondary school or adult education institution approved by the education ministry to run language programmes and examinations; the applicant pays for any course and test. Preschool children, people who attend or completed primary, secondary or higher education in one of the official languages and people over 60 who are not working are exempt.

Means of subsistence can be shown with a guarantee from close BiH citizen relatives with proof of income, bank certificates, pension slips, employment contracts, a work permit, cashless payment means recognised in BiH, real estate or foreign investment. The Service's checklist SB-1 also asks for copies of the temporary residence decisions or stickers for the last five years and a birth certificate.

The application is filed in person at the competent Service field office in BiH or, from abroad, through a BiH mission, with biometric data and the BAM 200 fee. You receive an attestation of the submitted application. The Service decides within 60 days on applications filed directly and within 90 days on those filed through a mission. If the application is approved, you receive a decision on permanent residence with the permanent residence permit. While the application is pending you can, if needed, amend it into a request to extend your temporary residence.

A permanent resident must register the permanent residence, and any later change of address, within eight days of receiving the decision, arriving at the address or moving. After receiving the decision on the personal identification number (JMB), you have eight days to apply to the competent authority where you live for an ID card for aliens, which is valid for five years. Loss of the card must be reported immediately.

Permanent residents may work without a work permit, may issue invitation letters and can sponsor family reunification for their spouse, children and dependent parents. Their spouses and children can receive work permits outside the annual quota.

If the application is refused or rejected, you can appeal to the Ministry of Security within 15 days of receiving the decision, and you cannot be expelled while the appeal deadline runs or while the appeal is decided. The refusal sets a voluntary departure period of no more than 30 days, unless you hold residence on another ground.