Chinese Licence in Bosnia 2026: Local Car Hire Is Ruled Out

For a Chinese licence holder, the usual Bosnia plan of flying into Sarajevo and collecting a rental car runs into a document China cannot supply.

The permit problem

The UK Foreign Office sets out the Bosnian rule in its travel advice: whoever is renting or using someone else’s vehicle within the country must have the 1968 international driving permit in the car. China has joined neither the 1949 Geneva nor the 1968 Vienna convention and issues no international driving permit at all, so there is nothing a Chinese driver can take to a Sarajevo rental desk to satisfy that condition.

The same advice treats a home licence as enough in your own car or one hired outside the country, but it is written for British licences. Nothing official extends that to a mainland Chinese card. Before planning to drive a car brought in from Croatia, Serbia or elsewhere, ask the embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina accredited to China whether your licence is accepted, and get the answer in writing. Otherwise, the country’s buses and organised tours are the realistic way to see it.

What the roads ask of any driver

Bosnia has only a short stretch of motorway, so most journeys run on two-lane roads that climb and fall through the mountains. Bends are tight, sightlines are short, and slow trucks on gradients leave few chances to pass. Towns are limited to 50 km/h, rural roads to 80 km/h and motorways to 130 km/h. Traffic keeps to the right, as in China. In remote countryside, landmines from the 1992-1995 war remain, so stay on surfaced, marked roads and off verges and unmarked tracks.

The alcohol limit is 0.03 BAC, marginally above China’s 0.02, and traffic police can fine on the spot for any offence. From November to April, cars need M+S tyres with the snowflake symbol and at least 4 mm of tread, plus snow chains. For emergencies call 122 for police, 123 for fire and 124 for an ambulance.

The Bosnia and Herzegovina driving guide has the full rules, and the Driving Permit Checker covers other licences.

Sources

• UK Foreign Office, Bosnia and Herzegovina travel advice: safety and security (1968 IDP for cars rented or borrowed in the country; winter tyres and chains; landmines; on-the-spot fines): gov.uk
• UK Foreign Office, Bosnia and Herzegovina travel advice: getting help (police 122, fire 123, ambulance 124): gov.uk
• UN Treaty Collection, 1949 and 1968 Conventions on Road Traffic (China a party to neither): treaties.un.org
• WHO Global status report on road safety 2023, Bosnia and Herzegovina profile (speed limits 50/80/130; 0.03 g/dl): who.int