Good to know

Currency:

The national currency is the (Euro-pegged) Convertible Mark (KM), controlled by the currency board. It is divided into 100 pfenning.

All banknotes (except 200KM banknote) are made in two versions depicting famous writers from two parts of the country (Bosnian Federation and Republic of Srpska), but both versions can be used in both parts.

Coins: 5, 10, 20 and 50 pf; 1, 2 and 5KM

Banknotes: 10, 20, 50, 100, 200KM

Power supply: 220 V, 50 Hz

Banks & postal service:

Banks and post offices can be found in every city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and most towns and villages as well. They are mostly opened from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays and from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays.

Shops:

Grocery stores open around 6:00 a.m. every day in a week and work until 8:00 p.m. at least on weekdays and Saturdays and until 3:00 p.m. on Sundays. Stores open 24 hours can be find in all cities and most of towns.

Credit cards:

International credit cards Visa, MasterCard, Diners etc. are accepted in the majority of stores, hotels and restaurants. However, you should bare in mind that there are still places in the country (even in bigger cities) where credit cards are not accepted at all.

Medical care:

There are many public health clinics in Bosnia and Herzegovina and emergency medical service is available everywhere 24 hours a day. Private medical practices are common in cities. In major centres, there are many pharmacies; there is usually at least one that is open 24 hours a day.

Telephones:

To phone Bosnia and Herzegovina from abroad, the country code is +387. When phoning from Bosnia and Herzegovina dial 00 plus country code without the 0 – number.

Mobile operators:

There are six mobile operators in Bosnia and Herzegovina

BH Telecom www.bhtelecom.ba

Haloo www.haloo.ba

Happy www.happy.ba

HT Eronet www.eronet.ba

Izi mobil www.izimobil.ba

M:tel www.mtel.ba

BH Telecom, HT Eronet and M:Tel offer both prepaid and post-paid services and packages and Haloo, Happy and Izi mobil offer prepaid services only.

Internet:

Bosnia and Herzegovina has 2.7 million Internet users and 67.9% penetration rate. Internet country code is .ba. Most of cafes and restaurants in the urban areas have open wireless connection. In Sarajevo there are several free Wi-Fi hot spots, notably the one on Baščaršija provided by Stari Grad Municipality.

Holidays and non working days:

January 1st & 2nd – New Year

January7th – Orthodox Christmas

January 9th – Republic Day (Republic of Srpska)

January 14th – Orthodox New Year (Republic of Srpska)

March 1st – Independence Day (Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina)

April the 16th 2017 – Catholic Easter (Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Orthodox Easter (Republic of Srpska)

April the 1st 2018 – Catholic Easter (Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina) April the 8th 2018 – Orthodox Easter (Republic of Srpska)

May the 1st and the 2nd – Labour Day

June the 25th 2017 – Eid ul-Fitr (Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina)

June the 15th 2018 – Eid ul-Fitr (Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina)

August the 31st 2017 – Eid al-Adha (Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina)

August the 22nd 2018 – Eid al-Adha (Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina)

November the 21st – Dayton Agreement Day (Republic of Srpska)

November the 25th – Statehood Day (Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina)

December the 25th – Christmas (Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Car rental:

Bosnia and Herzegovina hosts a range of global rent-a-car companies, with outlets all across the country. Cars can be booked over the phone, Internet or at airports and city offices.

Airports:

There are several airports in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Sarajevo Airport and Banja Luka International Airport are used the most for both transportation of passengers and cargo services, but Mostar International Airport is also used for cargo and charter flights. Tuzla International Airport is a civilian airport and a military airbase. There are numerous military airports and public airports that are not in use all over the country.

Roads:

There are 21,846km of road in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Roads are mainly single lane in either direction with lower speed limits (mostly 80kph). Driving with your lights ON (day or night) is obligatory.

Highway is still in construction. At the moment, 94km out of planned 338km are finished and functioning.

Mines:

There are mines in Bosnia and Herzegovina and, with the clearing process progressing slowly, there will continue to be mines for the decades to come. But that does not mean that visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina is unsafe. So far, no visitor has ever been involved in a mine incident.

For more information, you could visit the Mine Action Centre (MAC; Zmaja od Bosne 8 in Sarajevo) or visit the center’s website (www.bhmac.org)