Biometric System Outage Delays Visa and Residence Permit Processing in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina has been experiencing difficulties in issuing visas and residence permits to foreign nationals for several weeks due to problems affecting the country’s biometric data processing system, according to a report by Klix.ba.

According to the report, technical issues with the biometric data processing software emerged approximately three weeks ago, resulting in a partial system outage and delays in the issuance of documents required by foreign nationals seeking to regulate their stay in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina has confirmed that the source of the problem has been identified and that relevant services are working to restore full functionality.

“We would like to inform the public that a problem has been identified in the operation of the biometric data processing software. The competent services of the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in cooperation with international partners and the Delegation of the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina, are working intensively to resolve the issue and restore the system to full functionality as soon as possible,” the Ministry stated.

Although no specific timeline has been provided, the Ministry said it expects the difficulties to be resolved as quickly as possible, after which the collection and processing of biometric data at Bosnia and Herzegovina’s diplomatic and consular missions will continue without disruption. The authorities also stated that the public will be informed in a timely manner about all relevant developments and the resumption of normal operations of the biometric system, which plays a key role in the country’s visa and residence permit issuance process for foreign nationals.