In Bosnia and Herzegovina, changes to regulations related to vehicle registration, driver’s licenses and licensing of professional drivers have entered into force. The goal of these changes is to simplify procedures, reduce administration and harmonize the system with European Union standards.
One of the more important innovations is the possibility of issuing an additional, or third, license plate in case of loss, theft or damage to the existing one. This option will especially facilitate the work of transporters, as the vehicles will not have to wait a long time to be in use again. The table is issued within eight working days, and in urgent cases in three days. Also, it is no longer necessary to publish the loss or theft of plates in the “Official Gazette”.
The president of the Association of International Road Carriers at the Foreign Trade Chamber of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Žarko Brković, told “Avaz” that this is a big relief for professional drivers and companies in the transport sector, above all.
– When one truck loses its license plate, it is not a problem to change the license plate, but the problem is changing the licenses, changing all the highways that are in Western Europe, so the problem is that everything is pulling each other. The costs are high and we cannot solve it within ten days to return everything to its original state – said Brković for “Avaz”.
Alignment with EU practices
The changes also apply to motorcycles, which now receive new license plates with a blue field and the BiH mark, similar to passenger vehicles. Two dimensions have been introduced: larger for motorcycles over 101 cubic meters and smaller for motorcycles with a lower volume.
Facilitation has also been introduced for the registration of certain vehicles such as old-timers, tractors, work machines, motor cultivators and vehicles up to 50 cubic meters. Their registration will no longer have a time limit, but owners must still carry out regular roadworthiness tests and have insurance.
Replacement driver’s license
Changes were also introduced to driver’s licenses. Professional drivers who have been banned from driving a certain category of vehicle can now be issued a replacement license. In this way, they can continue to work with other categories of vehicles for which they do not have a ban.
The system of training professional drivers is also new. The so-called “centers of excellence” have been introduced, which enable large transport companies to organize part of the training within their own companies, while the exams are still taken before authorized institutions. This is also a big relief for professional drivers.
– Before, we had to allocate a driver to be at the lecture for three or four days, he cannot drive, he has to sit in the lecture. And these are all drivers with experience, drivers who have been driving for companies for five years each. After five years, his license has to be renewed, and in order to renew his license, he has to go through training, which requires the driver to take days off to renew that license. So, all in all, there is a lot of relief for us drivers – said Brković for “Avaz“.
