INDEPENDENCE, REPUBLIC AND FEDERATION

Following the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the country proclaimed independence on 3 March 1992 and known as the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Later, it was followed by the ethnically-rooted civil war known Bosnian War, lasting until late 1995 among its three main ethnic groups: Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims), Croats and Serbs. 

After the signing of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (also known as Dayton Accords) containing the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina on 14 December 1995 in Paris which officially ended the war, led to a formation of a new state of Bosnia and Herzegovina to reflect the composition of the two political entities: the Bosniak-Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Bosnian Serb Republic (Republika Srpska). Overarching these entities is a central Bosnian government and rotating presidency.

The new name, Bosnia and Herzegovina (Croat: BOSNA I HERCEGOVINA, Serb: БОСНА И ХЕРЦЕГОВИНА) only officially began to be used towards the end of 1997 and during the transition and implementation of Dayton Accords, whilst the old was used on official documents.
 
The Constitutional provisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as outlined in the Dayton Peace Agreement, provide for citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina, regulated by BH, and for citizenship of the two Entities, regulated by each Entity, the Federation Entity and the Republika Srpska Entity. The principle of the legal continuity of citizenship of the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina is affirmed in the Constitution. A reservation is introduced concerning those naturalized after 6 April 1992. The citizenship of this group is to be regulated by the Parliamentary Assembly, as elected under Annex 3 of the Dayton Peace Agreement.

PASSPORT

The Bosnia and Herzegovina passport is a travel document issued only to citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina for international travel.

Bosnia and Herzegovina began issuing their own passports in December 1992 and ceased recognizing the validity of passports issued by the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) in November 1993.

Passport issuance in Bosnia is administered at police stations. Passports for citizens residing outside of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as diplomatic passports, are issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while service passports are issued by the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Every citizen is assigned a 13-digit personal identification number (Jedinstveni matični broj građana, JMBG).

Biometric passport covers are blue with inscriptions in gold; inscriptions vary depending on whether it is a civil, diplomatic or service passport.

SERIES

From 1992 until 2015, there have been seven known series of passports with visual differentiation that can be spotted instantly on the cover. Some edition can be further branched based on major and/or minor varieties.

Passports for adults and children over the age of seven are valid for five years, while passports for children under seven years old are valid for three years.