Starting from February 2022, all Bosnian citizens without an EU passport will have to undergo tightened biometric checks, Svevlad Hoffmann, Deputy Director of Bosnia's Border Police told N1 on Tuesday.

“The measures are aimed at outside the European Union. Due to the fact that ‘morphing attacks’, which is a special method of changing the photo on one's travel documents became so prevalent, the EU ordered the establishment of stronger biometric controls from 2022. This means that all those who do not own EU travel documents will have to present their valid travel documents and be subjected to biometric face scanning and digital fingerprint scanning the first time they enter the EU. Every other border crossing will be easier and passengers will scan only their index finger and show their travel document,” Hoffman explained.

Hoffmann said Bosnian citizens will have to do one more thing if they want to enter the EU.

“Specifically, the EU will introduce the ‘European travel information and authorization system’ which is a system that deals with additional computerization when travelling. All our citizens will have to fill out a special web form before deciding to travel to the EU, where they will provide certain information and must pass basic security checks,” he noted, adding “this system will result in our passengers, being granted EU entry and it will be valid for three years or until the expiration of their travel document.”