Bosnia and Herzegovina's proposed nomad law change leaves 90-day limit in place

Bosnia and Herzegovina's Ministry of Civil Affairs has asked the Ministry of Security to amend the Law on Foreigners so digital nomads get a defined legal status and clear conditions for their stay. The initiative, published Sept. 25, is an early request between ministries, not a draft law or a new visa.

What the ministry is asking for

The country currently has no clearly defined legal framework for a legal, administratively regulated stay by digital nomads, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said. Nomads already live in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but existing rules don't regulate their status specifically. The aim of the initiative is a clearer legal framework covering both their status and the conditions of their stay.

The ministry announced the step after a staff member from its labor and employment sector attended a digital nomad event in Mostar organized by the INTERA Technology Park. No income threshold, fee, permit length or timeline has been published. The Ministry of Security, which received the initiative, hasn't released a draft.

Nomads in Bosnia stay on 90-day rules for now

Nothing changes for remote workers today. Visa-exempt foreigners may stay up to 90 days in total over six months from their first entry, according to the Service for Foreigners' Affairs and must register their residence on arrival.

The Foreign Ministry's visa department said in early 2025 that only a three-month tourist stay was available to digital nomads and that the Law on Foreigners had to change before visa rules could follow.

• Short-stay nomads on visa-free entry: no change; the 90-day limit and address registration still apply.

• Nomads hoping to stay longer: must still use an existing temporary residence ground, none of which is a remote-work category. That means anyone planning a winter in Sarajevo or Mostar beyond 90 days can't count on this proposal.

• Remote workers comparing Balkan bases: Bosnia and Herzegovina has no nomad visa to apply for yet; our Bosnia and Herzegovina guide covers the current entry routes.

A second attempt at nomad rules

This isn't the first push. In August 2023 the Council of Ministers sent amendments to the Law on Foreigners to parliament and said it also wanted to ease and extend nomads' stays through later amendments. By February 2025 nomads still had only the three-month tourist stay.

The new initiative restarts the process at the ministry level, so any nomad route would still need a drafted amendment and parliamentary approval before it applies.