In most of the countries you will find diplomatic missions, which usually refers to an embassy and/or a consulate. Diplomatic bodies represent other country interests in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the aim of strengthening international relations between the states and providing services for their citizens in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Embassies and consulates are considered legal territories of their home countries. They are not "foreign territory" but they are protected and considered the property of the country using them, meaning that Bosnia and Herzegovina does not have jurisdiction over the embassy or consulate of another country.

What is the difference between Embassy and Consulate?

The Vienna Convention on Consular Relations international treaty defines the diplomatic mission’s purpose and framework. The various diplomatic missions offer several services and carry out different missions. For example:

• Embassy: This is the primary diplomatic representation of a country’s government and is headed by an ambassador. An embassy is the main location for a diplomatic presence of one country in another. A country has at most one embassy in another country, and is always established in the capital city of the host country. In the absence of a consulate in a country, the embassy has also a consular section to carry out all the relevant consular services (see below).
• Consulate General: This is a diplomatic mission, headed by a consul that provides a full range of services such as: issuing passports/visas, keeping birth and marriage records, assisting expats, providing legal information, translations etc. It can be located in any major city of the host country, although often in the capital city (in certain cases, in the same building as the embassy). In major countries and large territories, you often have more than one consulate.
• Honorary Consulate: It supplements the Consulate to provide a limited range of consular services and is headed by an honorary consul. They help nationals abroad. For example, in the event of a hospital stay, missing person, death, natural disaster or other emergency. They can also issue emergency travel documents and consular declarations for which the applicant is required to appear in person.

NB: You will usually apply for a visa at the Consulate of the country you want to visit. However, if there is no such representation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, you can apply for a visa at the embassy.

Where to find Consulates and Embassies in Bosnia and Herzegovina?

Not all countries have an Embassy and/or a Consulate as it depends of the political situation, the relationship with the host country, the size of the country, and the number of foreign citizens living there.

In some cases, countries can share representations and you can be assisted by the services of another embassy or consular service to get the information you need.

We recommend you register/contact your country’s embassy at your destination. It is a free service provided by any diplomatic mission and it will allow them to record information about your upcoming trip abroad. It can be used to assist you in case of an emergency.

Registration will also allow you to get routine information from your nearest embassy or consulate, as citizen residing abroad.

The Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, hosts 43 embassies.

There are also 15 consulates and 3 other representations in Bosnia and Herzegovina (European Union, Sarajevo’s Delegation, Belgium’s Representative Office and both United Stated and United Kingdom Embassy Branch Offices in Banja Luka).

All consulates and honorary consulates are located in Sarajevo, except for those countries who own an embassy in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina and might have another diplomatic mission outside the capital.

You will find below a list of selected countries (the list is not exhaustive) that have a diplomatic mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The list includes embassies, consulates, honorary consulates and sometime other official representations for you to be able to get information and services.

Embassies and Main Consulates in Sarajevo

China

Embassy of China in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Address: Braće Begić 17, Sarajevo 71000
Telephone: (+387) 33 215-102
E-Mail: chinaemb_ba@mfa.gov.cn (Consular and Visa Section)
Opening hours: 8:30-12:00 and 14:00-17:00, Monday and Friday

The Embassy of China provides a range of services such as visa and passport processing as well as notary certification and legalization of official documents.

France

French Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Address: Mehmed-bega Kapetanovića Ljubušaka 18 - 71000 Sarajevo
Tel: (+387) 33 282-074 (Consular service located in the same building)
E-Mail: sarajevo.consulaire@diplomatie.gouv
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/france.bosnie/
Opening hours: Monday-Friday: 09:00-12:30 and 14:30-17:00

The French consulate provides services such as the reception of the public (consular affairs), register of French nationals established outside France, identity cards and passports, civil status: marriages, births ..., other steps (legalization of signature, driver's license...), elections, national service and assembly of French nationals abroad.

Germany

Embassy of Germany in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Address: Skenderija 3, 71000 Sarajevo
Tel: (+387) 33 565-300
E-Mail: FORM and info@sarajewo.diplo.de
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/AuswaertigesAmt/ and https://twitter.com/auswaertigesamt
Opening hours: Monday to Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 04:45 p.m. and on Friday from 07:30 am to 13.30 p.m

The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bosnia provides passports and ID cards’ services, nationality, family and inheritance matters, criminal records, visa and entry, lawyers, doctors and translators and customs service, etc.

Japan

Embassy of the Japan in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Address: Bistrik 9, Sarajevo 71000
Tel: (+387) 33 277-500
E-Mail: japanbih@sx.mofa.go.jp
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/EmbassyofJapaninBH/
Opening hours: Monday-Friday 8:30-17:00

The Japanese embassy provides a range of consular services such as visa and passport processing as well as document legalization. Contact them directly to check exactly the full list of services available.

Russia

Embassy of Russia in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Address: Ul.Urijan Dedina 93-95, 71000 Sarajevo
Tel: (+387) 33 668-147
E-mail: rusembbih@mid.ru and konzulat.bih@mid.ru (Consulate Section)
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/rusembbih and https://twitter.com/RusEmbBih
Opening hours: Monday 9.00 - 12:00; Wednesday 9.00 - 12:00; Friday 9.00 - 12:00.

The embassy and consular department do not work on weekends and holidays of the Russian Federation. Consulate opening times: Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 10am to 12pm

The Russian consulate shares the same buildings as the embassy. It provides a range of services such as visa and passport processing as well as document legalization and notarial services.

United Kingdom (Great Britain)

British Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Address: Hamdije Čemerlića 39a, 71000 Sarajevo
Tel: (+387) 33 282-200
E-Mail: BritishEmbassy.Sarajevo@fcdo.gov.uk
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/BritishEmbassySarajevo and https://twitter.com/julianreillyuk
Opening hours: Monday to Friday: 8:30- 05pm and Friday to 12pm

The British embassy provides a range of consular services such as emergency visa and passport processing as well as document legalization and notarial and documentary services.

USA (United States of America)

Embassy of the United States of America in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Address: 1 Robert C. Frasure Street 71000 Sarajevo
Tel: (+387) 33 704-000
E-Mail: SarajevoACS@state.gov
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/usembassy.bih and https://twitter.com/USEmbassySJJ
Opening hours: Monday-Friday: 08:00-17:00

The US representation in Bosnia provides a range of consular services such as regular passport applications and renewals, Consular Reports of Birth Abroad (CRBA), and notarial services.

Honorary Consulates in Sarajevo

Contact directly the Embassy/Consulate website for more information.

For countries with no consulates or embassies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Honorary Consulates are supervised by diplomatic representations located in other country, often Vienna, in Austria or Zagreb, in Croatia for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Honorary Consulates in Sarajevo

• Albania
• Australia
• Cyprus

Honorary Consulates in Mostar

• Croatia
• Hungary
• Slovakia
• Spain (consuladoesp.mostar@gmail.com)
• Turkey (trconmos@cob.net.ba)

Honorary Consulates in Banja Luka

• Croatia
• Hungary
• Turkey