Bosnia on an Indian Licence 2026: 1949 IDP Meets 1968 Rules

Do Indian visitors need an international driving permit for Bosnia and Herzegovina? In practice, yes. Global Affairs Canada tells its drivers to carry one, and UK advice adds that a firm hiring a car inside the country will want a 1968 IDP. That second point is the snag for an Indian driver. The UN treaty records show India is a party only to the 1949 Geneva Convention, while Bosnia and Herzegovina is a party to the 1968 Vienna Convention. An RTO in India can issue only a 1949 permit.

Getting the permit question settled

Carry the Indian licence, the 1949 IDP and your passport together. Before you pay a deposit, ask the rental company to confirm in writing that it accepts that combination. A written “yes” from the hire firm protects you at the desk and, more usefully, at a roadside check where an officer may ask about it. The permit cannot be issued in Bosnia, so it must come from India before you fly. If your itinerary also covers Croatia or Montenegro, use the Driving Permit Checker for those border crossings.

Left to right, on mountain roads

India keeps left; Bosnia keeps right. Most routes are two-lane roads through hills and gorges, with tunnels, tight bends and slow lorries, so allow far more time than the map suggests. Pull-outs from petrol stations and turns at junctions are where the old habit returns.

Notice that the only road where Bosnia is faster is the motorway, and there are few of them. Town limits are 20 km/h lower than in India’s record.

Planning a first day

Collect the car in daylight and walk round it with the agent, photographing each panel. Ask where the winter equipment is if you travel in the cold months, and check the spare tyre and jack. Sarajevo, Mostar and the river valleys are close on a map but slow by road, so choose a short first leg and finish it before dusk. Keep the licence, the permit and the written confirmation from the hire firm in one folder, and keep it on you, not in the boot.

Police, accidents and mines

Police can collect fines on the spot, so keep the paperwork in order. After an accident you must stay at the scene and leave the car where it is until the police arrive. Unexploded mines and ordnance remain in rural areas, so stay on main roads and paved surfaces, and never walk onto verges or open ground.

Winter, alcohol and kit

Cars must have winter tyres from 1 November to 1 April, with snow chains carried for heavy snow; a winter hire should come equipped, but check. The alcohol limit is 0.03%, the same as India’s 30 mg per 100 ml, and a passenger who has been drinking may not sit in the front.

Bosnia also requires a first aid kit, reflective vest, spare bulbs and a warning triangle in the car. India asks for the first aid kit and a fire extinguisher, with the triangle recommended, so the vest and bulbs are new. Count them at pickup.

Emergency numbers

The general number 112 is listed in Canadian advice, but Bosnia also keeps separate lines: 122 for police, 123 for fire and 124 for an ambulance. Winter road help and towing is 1282. India’s 100, 101 and 108 do not connect.

Read the Bosnia and Herzegovina driving guide and our page on who pays driving fines abroad for the rest.

Sources

• Global Affairs Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina travel advice (carry an IDP; winter tyres and chains; 0.03%; mines; 112/122/123/124/1282; on-the-spot fines): travel.gc.ca
• BIHAMK, winter equipment compulsory 1 November to 1 April: bihamk.ba
• UK Foreign Office, Bosnia and Herzegovina travel advice: safety and security (1968 IDP for local hire): gov.uk
• WHO Global status report on road safety 2023, Bosnia and Herzegovina profile (50/80/130 km/h; 0.03 g/dl): who.int
• UN Treaty Collection, 1968 Convention on Road Traffic (Bosnia and Herzegovina a party; India not): treaties.un.org
• UN Treaty Collection, 1949 Convention on Road Traffic (India 1962): treaties.un.org
• India, Motor Vehicles Act 1988 section 185 (30 mg per 100 ml): indiacode.nic.in