Foreigners must first enter Bosnia with valid visas before obtaining work permits to be employed in the country.
Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has taken a strong stance against visa misuse by foreign workers, revoking the work permits of 39 Pakistani nationals. The Service for Foreigners’ Affairs (SFA) disclosed that these workers had abused their BiH work visas to travel to Croatia and other EU countries, including the Schengen Area.
Authorities have warned that they will continue to revoke work permits for individuals who misuse them for illegal transit. Currently, the SFA is investigating 14 Bangladeshi nationals as part of this crackdown.
This action comes as BiH aims to address labor shortages by attracting skilled workers from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal. While there are employment opportunities within BiH, some migrants have used their visas to move further into the EU.
To work in Bosnia, foreigners must first enter the country with valid visas and then obtain work permits through the Employment Service offices. Employers are responsible for applying for these permits on behalf of their employees. The permits are initially valid for one year and can be extended.
In the first half of 2023, BiH issued 3,230 work permits. The UNIDAD Employment Agency reported around 3,500 permits granted in the first 11 months of 2023, not including those working in BiH without permits under specific conditions.
The number of foreign workers in BiH has doubled since 2020, though it remains much lower compared to Croatia’s 140,000. The most critical labor shortages are in manufacturing, catering, and construction, with many workers coming from Serbia, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Kuwait.
