Bosnia Schengen Visa

26 different countries come together to form the Schengen region, one of the most popular destinations for tourism, studies, and business alike. However, travelling to any of them, just like other foreign countries, will require you to finish quite a lot of paperwork and obtain important documents like the Schengen visa.

At the same time, it’s necessary to remember that getting your Schengen visa might be a lengthy process but doesn’t require a lot of hard work as long as you are aware of the steps to be followed. This article will cover all the work and important information that goes into applying for a Schengen visa for Bosnians including the types of visa, methods of application, documents required, and more.

Beginning with the most pertinent question here –

Do You Need Schengen Visa If You Are a Bosnian Living in the UAE?

Bosnian citizens are not required to get a Schengen visa to visit any Schengen country for durations lesser than 90 days. All short-term visits to the Schengen region can be made without a short-stay visa for such citizens. The 90-day stay duration is applicable for a 180-day period.

However, Bosnian passport holders will need to get an electronic entry permit from November 2023 onwards to enter the Schengen region visa-free.

Long-stay visas, on the other hand, must be obtained by all Bosnian citizens planning to visit the Schengen region for a longer duration. Long-stay Schengen visas, given for special reasons like studies, work, research, and so on, are valid for 6 months to 5 years. Holders can renew their long-term visa if their visit gets extended.

Requirements to Apply for Schengen Visa

Given below is the list of all common documents required to apply for a Schengen visa for Bosnian citizens in the UAE:

• A properly filled Schengen visa form for all travellers planning to visit the region – separate forms are required for all travellers 
• 2 passport-sized photographs – must not be more than 3 months old
• Valid Bosnian passport which should be valid for at least 3 months beyond your Schengen trip dates and must not be older than 10 years
• Valid resident visa for the UAE with validity extending to at least 3 months beyond the trip dates 
• Round-trip flight tickets for the trip with dates of your trip mentioned clearly 
• Travel itinerary of the trip explaining the action plan for the time you wish to spend in the Schengen region

Note: That the aforementioned are only the basic documents required, as you will be required to submit additional documents as per the purpose of your visit. For illustration, a university acceptance letter, transcripts from the current university, and a few other documents will be required for a student Schengen visa. Similarly, additional documents will be required for training and research visas, work visas, business visit visas, and so forth.

Simply connect with the Schengen embassy to get the list of documents required for the kind of visa you wish to apply for.

How to Apply for Schengen Visa for Bosnians Citizens in the UAE?

You can follow the below-given steps to apply for your Schengen visa for Bosnians living in the UAE:

• Find out the relevant authority you need to reach out to 
• Collect all the relevant documents as per the type of visa you need and get a visa form from the embassy website or office located near you
• Fill out the paperwork properly and submit everything on the day of your visa appointment
• Attend the visa interview as scheduled and wait for the results 
• The visa centre/embassy will contact you once the results of the interview are out 
• You can collect your visa if it is approved on the assigned collection date

Schengen visa application can be filed at the embassy or general consulate of the Schengen country you plan to visit. Embassies also authorise third-party visa centres to help visitors apply for Schengen visas. You can either file your application at the embassy/general consulate or find a suitable visa centre.

Visa centres located in Abu Dhabi accept visa applications from residents of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. Residents of all other emirates can use visa centres in Dubai to submit their Schengen visa applications. It must be noted that applying for a visa through a visa centre may attract additional charges.

Do I Need Travel Insurance for Schengen Visa?

The requirement for travel insurance depends on whether an applicant is required to get a Schengen visa, which, in turn, depends on the duration and nature of their visit. Schengen visa is not required for short-term trips for Bosnians, and travel insurance is not mandatory in this case either. The purposes of visits that can be covered without a short-term visa include tourism, transit, short-term study courses, short business trips, training, internships, and so forth.

Short-stay Schengen visa is not required as long as your trip ends within 90 days. Long-stay visa, however, must be obtained before entering the Schengen region. In this scenario, it is mandatory to get a proper travel insurance plan.

As per the travel laws of the Schengen region, travel insurance plans must come with medical benefits worth at least EUR 30,000 and must be valid across all 26 Schengen countries.

Benefits of Schengen Travel Insurance

The real-time benefits provided by each travel insurance policy for Schengen visas for Bosnian citizens may differ slightly due to the difference in the comprehensiveness of each plan. However, a few features stay common across all plans and policies available with travel insurance companies in the emirates.

Let’s have a quick glance at them:

• Baggage Cover: All comprehensive car insurance plans offer baggage cover to compensate for any loss you may experience with respect to your trip luggage and checked-in baggage. Compensation is offered for the inconvenience caused by delayed checked-in baggage and for luggage items lost during the trip. Keep in mind that the compensation amount offered for each benefit may differ as per plan limits.
• Emergency Medical Treatment: Another basic benefit that can be found with all travel insurance plans is the emergency medical benefit. It covers any medical treatment that you might need to get during your trip. In addition to that, emergency medical evacuation, emergency dental treatment, repatriation of mortal remains, and hospital cash benefits are also covered.
• Trip Cancellation: The pre-booked non-refundable expenses of your trip are compensated for in case you have to cancel it due to an unavoidable unforeseen reason. Trip cancellation reasons may be subject to the coverage of each individual plan. Trip cancellation benefit starts the very day you purchase the plan, unlike other covers that take effect once you depart from the UAE.
• COVID-19 Cover: Most travel insurance plans offer optimum coverage to protect policyholders if they contract COVID-19. The plans offer coverage for medicines, RT-PCR tests, and quarantine expenses for 7-14 days. The coverage comes into effect only if the policyholder tests positive for COVID-19 infection.
• Trip Curtailment Cover: Travel insurance plans cover the pre-booked non-refundable expenses if you have to cut your trip short. Trip curtailment benefit comes into effect if you have more than 50% of your trip remaining. The curtailment benefit may also include coverage for the additional money you have to spend to book a new flight to get back sooner than expected.
• Personal Liability Cover: Incurring liabilities in a foreign country while you are on a trip can lead to hefty unexpected expenses. The personal liability coverage of travel insurance policies can help manage these accidental liabilities more smartly and conveniently.

Types of Schengen Travel Insurance Plans

Schengen travel insurance plans can be divided into a few categories as per the duration and frequency of trips, purposes, and the types and numbers of travellers. Here is a quick description of the different kinds of Schengen travel plans available in the country:

As Per the Duration and Frequency of the Trips

• Single-Trip Travel Insurance: As the name suggests, these plans cover only a single trip, with the coverage beginning from the day your trip starts and ending with the end of the trip. Most plans available in the UAE offer a maximum of 90 days, although a select few may offer extended coverage till 180 days.
• Annual Multi-Trip Travel Insurance: Annual multi-trip travel insurance plans come with a tenure of one year and cover all trips taken within that tenure. The sub-limit on the number of days covered for each individual trip during the tenure of the plan may range from 30 to 90 days. The policyholders can renew these plans every year as per requirements.

As Per Number and Types of Travellers

• Family Travel Insurance: Family travel insurance plans can be used to cover spouses and children in addition to the policyholder, with children younger than 18 years and older than 30 days allowed to be added to the plan. The benefits of the plan are extended to all insured members.
• Senior Citizen Travel Insurance: These are special plans designed to cover senior citizen travellers as generic plans only offer coverage till the age of 65. The plan benefits are in-line with the special needs of senior citizens.
• Individual Travel Insurance: Individual plans cover only a single individual and are ideal for solo travellers. These plans, like the other two plans in this category, can be taken as single-trip or annual trip plans as per requirement.

As Per the Purpose of the Visit

• Student Travel Insurance: Students who plan to travel to the Schengen region for a longer duration to complete higher studies will require these travel insurance plans. Student travel insurance plans are designed to be in line with the unique insurance requirements of universities and students themselves, with covers like sponsor protection and study interruption being a part of these plans.
• Business Travel Insurance: These plans can be taken when you plan to visit the Schengen region for business. While generic travel plans (designed for leisure trips) don’t offer coverage for electronic gadgets like laptops and tablets, business travel plans offer extended coverage for these and many other events like replacement business associates. Business travel plans can be purchased by employers to cover the employees or as individual personal plans.

Processing Time for the Schengen Visa

Generally, Schengen visa applications take about 14 days to get processed. Once the processing is done, the visa authorities contact you so that you can come and get your visa stamped. Some cases may take up to 45 days to get processed. However, this is quite rare and strictly limited to a case-by-case basis.

Nevertheless, it is still smart to leave some extra room as a precaution between the visa application date and your trip dates. Errors in the form, missing documents, or some other mishap may lead to a few extra days of work with your Schengen visa application.

When Should You Apply for Schengen Visa?

The ideal time to apply for a Schengen visa for Bosnian citizens is as soon as your flight tickets and trip details have been finalised. The embassy requires you to send in your application for the visa at least 3 weeks before the trip dates, keeping in mind that the processing may take up to 14 days.

A smart move here would be to keep a better margin on hand and apply for your visa as early as possible. As the validity will begin only from the day you enter the Schengen region, receiving the visa early will not impact your trip in any way. You should keep enough room to rectify any errors that may show up on your visa application without any hassles.

Schengen Visa Application Fee for Bosnians in the UAE

The following is a tabular representation of the Schengen visa fee application fee:

Visa Category	Fee in EUR	Fee in AED
Adults	80	340
Minors aged 6 years or less	Free	Free
Minors aged between 6 and 12 years	40	170
Family members of EEA or EU nationals	Free	Free
Service passport holders	Free	Free
Bosnian diplomats	Free	Free

Schengen Visa Validity

The validity of Schengen visas differs as per the type of visa you have chosen for your visit. Given below are the different kinds of Schengen visas and their respective validity conditions –

Type C Schengen Visa

These are short-term visas valid for a maximum of 90-day-long stay in the Schengen region in a period of 180 days. Type C visas are further divided into three types – single-entry, double-entry, and multiple-entry visas. All three visas are valid for a 90-day-stay within a 180-day period.

Single-entry visas allow the holders to enter the region once, double-entry visas allow entry twice, while multiple-entry visas allow multiple entries (within the 180-day-period only). The visas expire if the 90 days of stay are exhausted, the maximum allowed entries are exhausted, or if the 180-day entry period ends.

Type D Schengen Visa

These visas are long-stay visas and can be obtained for varying durations. Type D visa validity can range from 6 months to 5 years at a time. The validity awarded to each Type D visa depends on how long the holder is required to stay in the Schengen region.

For instance, a Type D visa for university students will align with the duration of their course whether it is 6 months or 3 years. Type D visas can be renewed once the validity expires.

Limited Territorial Validity Visa

These visas are special case visas and allow access to only the Schengen country that is mentioned on the visa. Access to other countries is not granted with a Limited Territorial Validity visa, unlike with general Schengen visas.

This visa is to be issued by the Schengen country you plan to visit and shall be valid only for that country. For example, an LTV visa issued by France is valid only for France.

Before Taking Off

Obtaining the right kind of visa is a simple process but requires your utmost attention. You must thoroughly research the visa you will need for your trip, the documents required to apply for it, and the authorities to which you can send the application.

In addition to that, don’t forget to get a suitable travel insurance plan for your Schengen visa. You can visit policybazaar.ae to compare and purchase your travel insurance plan with minimal effort. Our in-house insurance experts will guide you through the whole process and make sure that your trip is well covered against all potential threats.

Make the best of your Schengen trip by handling all travel formalities well in advance and carefully.

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