Driving Permit for Bosnia & Herzegovina

Bosnia & Herzegovina drives on the right-hand side of the road and recognises the International Driving Permit under the 1968 Vienna Convention, which the country succeeded to in 1993. Foreign visitors should carry a 1968-format IDP together with their original national licence: UK government travel advice states you must have the 1968 IDP with you when renting or using someone else's vehicle, and the US State Department likewise tells American drivers they need an IDP alongside their US licence. An IDP cannot be issued inside Bosnia, so arrange it in your home country before you travel.

Expect document checks. Police patrols are a normal part of driving here, and you should keep your licence, IDP, passport, vehicle registration and proof of insurance in the car at all times. The minimum driving age is 18, and rental companies generally require drivers to be at least 21. Since 2 August 2021 a Green Card is no longer demanded at the border, but not every foreign insurer covers Bosnia & Herzegovina, so confirm your policy in advance or buy frontier insurance on arrival.

Local rules are strict but simple: dipped headlights must be on at all times, the blood-alcohol limit is 0.03% (with zero tolerance for novice and professional drivers), and winter equipment is compulsory from 1 November to 1 April. There is no vignette — the A1 motorway charges distance-based tolls at exit plazas, payable in convertible marks or by card. Speed limits run 50 km/h in towns, 80 km/h on open roads, 100 km/h on express roads and 130 km/h on motorways. Outside the cities most routes are winding two-lane mountain roads, and travellers are advised to stay on paved roads in rural areas because of residual landmine risk from the 1990s.