So you decided you would like to permanently move to Bosnia. There are several ways you can do this.
According to Article IV of the constitution: (English Translation)
Citizenship of BiH is acquired in accordance with the provisions of this law:
- descent
- birth on the BH territory
- adoption
- naturalization
- international agreement
By Descent
Child born by one or more Bosnian parents if they declare by the age of 23 can become a citizen
By Birth on BH Territory
Stateless child of unknown parents can become a citizen if found on BH territory and has not been given other citizenship by the age of 14
By Adoption
Child under the age of 18 who has been adopted by a Bosnian citizen can become a citizen
By Naturalization
Non-Marriage
An individual who is over the age of 18 who has been in Bosnia for over 8 years can apply to become a citizen. They most be able to speak one of the official languages of Bosnia (Bosnian, Croatian, or Serbian). If individuals spend more than 3 of the 8 years in prison they are however not eligible.
Marriage
An individual married to a Bosnian citizen for 5 years and living in Bosnia for 3 can apply to become a citizen.
Children
Children of naturalized citizens are eligible for citizenship as well.
By International Agreement
Other
You may also get citizenship if you meet the following conditions:
- Are a returning emigrant from Bosnia (With a possible 2 years of residency)
- Are a 1st or 2nd generation descendant of an emigrant
- Deemed a person of “particular benefit” to Bosnia
Losing your Bosnian Citizenship
There are many ways to lose your citizenship:
- Voluntary acquisition of another citizenship without a bilateral agreement (86,000 Bosnians have done this as of Oct 31st 2018)
- A child losses citizenship when it is adopted outside the country
- A child who has left Bosnia and has obtained citizenship of that other country
- A citizen of Bosnia joins a foreign military force
The Commision
To decide on the matters of citizenship a commision is formed appointed by the Council of Ministers and the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. The Commission consists of nine members, two Bosniacs, two Croats, two Serbs as well as three representatives who are not citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina or of a neighbouring country. All members of the Commission are appointed by the Council of Ministers. The three non-bosnian representatives vote if there is no agreement.
Dual Citizenship
With over half the population of Bosnians living outside of the country the subject of Dual Citizenship is heavily on many of their minds. The US does not have a bilateral agreement but Germany and Denmark do.
(86,000 Bosnians have renounced their citizenship as of Oct 31st 2018 because a bilateral agreement with their new country could not be reached)
This question will be addressed in later articles as it is a fairly complex subject.
I requires the information of be citizen from BH if have married American. Assist me?
Hello, Thank you for your comment, Sadly I do not understand your sentence. Can you please rephrase or type in Bosnian.
Thank you
how can i get Bosnian Citizenship, is there any investment program,
That is a great question if you as an investor would be “Deemed a person of “particular benefit” to Bosnia” by the 9 person committee. I will need to do a bit more research to find the committee’s contact information to find out more. Stay tuned!!
i am india 27 year old guy working in muscat oman my question is how i can get citizenship of Bosnia?
This article if you read it will tell you.
i want a job in bosnia in logistics field can i get it ?
Perhaps, are you qualified and is someone willing to hire you?
I was born in Bosnia and moved to the US. I took American citizenship when I was allowed to but could not keep dual citizenship with Bosnia because at that time it was not allowed. Could I apply for Bosnian citizenship now and become a dual citizen?
The US does not recognize Bosnian citizenship.