NEWS FLASH
Three international airports in Bosnia and Herzegovina - Sarajevo, Banja Luka and Mostar - have launched preparatory work for the introduction of electronic passport control (eGates), aimed at significantly speeding up border procedures and reducing congestion. The project, led by the Agency for Identification Documents, Registers and Data Exchange of Bosnia and Herzegovina (IDDEEA), recently brought together representatives from the Border Police, the Bosnia and Herzegovina Air Navigation Services Agency and the three airports. The parties agreed to establish dedicated teams that will develop a pilot project and prepare an application for European Union funding. Sarajevo Airport will take responsibility for ensuring the technical conditions for the installation and adaption of designated areas, while the Border Police will handle procurement and integration of the equipment with IDDEEA’s system. In the first phase, the eGates will be available to Bosnian citizens, with access later expanding to foreign travellers.
eGates typically operate through a two-step process. Passengers first scan their passport, which opens the initial gate. A photo is then taken for facial recognition, after which a second gate opens, allowing the traveller to continue their journey. Within the former Yugoslavia, Belgrade Airport currently boasts passport eGates for arriving and departing passengers. They are available for passport holders from Serbia, as well as Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Hungary, Germany, Norway, Romania, Slovakia, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Sweden, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Last year, Singapore's Changi Airport became the first in the world to process all arriving and departing travellers exclusively through eGates, regardless of their nationality.
Well done Bosnia!
ReplyDeleteSuper👍
ReplyDelete"with access later expanding to foreign travellers."
ReplyDeleteI will never understand this. While US & UK are raising visa fees for our countries, we are giving them preferential treatment. Sad.
I can give you multiple reasons why this is good. Let’s start with the fact that it is goint to increse the efficency at the airport, giving border police and airport staff a chance to focus on safety and service (has nothing to do with BiH or foregin passport). 2. Keep in mind that the US and UK did not push for visas due to any bad intention, these countries have serious issues with illegal migration, drug dealing etc. The amount of UK or US citizens aiming to illegally enter BiH is pretty much zero. 3. As tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in BiH its indeed positive that people have simple and quick access in to spend more money in the country. Keep in mind BiH is the one needing them not the other way around. Its not always about ”eye for an eye” ots about understanding your own circumstances and do whats in your strategic interest. :)
DeleteAnon 10:10. Good point. Thank you for elaboration
DeleteLiterally none of the points are valid, though.
Delete1) eGates have nothing to do with "efficiency" and everything to do with staff reduction.
2) The UK and US have serious issues with illegal migration, none of which are due to Bosnian (or indeed Serbian) citizens.
3) Not a single tourist in history has made the decision on whether or not to visit a country based on the availability of eGates.
1. I do not agree with you, as someone who have had years of work experience at a non-balkan airport i know for a fact that egate helped the staff to put focus on other important segments of the work instead of scanning a passport which indeed isn’t hard, just time consuming. 2. Ofc, Bosnian or serbian citizens are not the main issue but they are stil societies at high risk, maybe not much in the sense of illegal migration or drug import, but rather in the sense that a high amount of the population would leave if it was easier. You can argue its collateral damage, but in the end of the day an avarge serbian or bosnian citizen has a much higher risk of trying to get to the US and stay there longer than legally allowed than an avarge swiss, danish or dutch citizen. 3. Indeed, you’re right! People don’t make their final decission based on egates, but it is a smoother and nicer experience, a nice experience leads to a better image which I believe is something a tourist oriented country should aim for. I do understand your frustration of not having the same welcoming atittude when travelling to the US, UK or EU as a serbian national, but I stil argue that there is no valid reason to hold on to ”eye for an eye” approaches. Egates is a win-win for both the locals and the visitors :)
DeleteWe will control you, make you pay outrageus fees, interview you, reject you, stress you, threat you like a second class citizen, but oh the e gates are a win win cause we can get intonyour country hassle free ^^. Jesi se zahvalio Djuri sto te tukao anone?
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2025/09/bosnia-and-herzegovinas-airports-plan.html
DeleteThere's no inherent "preferential treatment" in using e-gates. It's literally just a machine checking you instead of a person. You might have had to pay big money for a visa anyway, for example (like in the UK, where you can go through the e-gates if you are, for example, Australian on a spouse visa which costs thousands of pounds).
Delete''There's no inherent "preferential treatment" in using e-gates.''
DeleteTheres delusional and then theres whatever you are. If its not ptrferential why not allow everyone to use it?
@admin
ReplyDelete"Within the former Yugoslavia, Belgrade Airport currently boasts passport eGates for arriving and departing passengers. "
Zagreb airport does as well, not sure about Ljubljana airport, but I think they also might have it.
There are DTC gates, but there are no face recognition gates in Zagreb. LJU does not have them.
DeleteGdje je Tuzla u svemu ovom i ona je BiH ?
ReplyDeleteBravo BiH
ReplyDelete