road travel | On My Canvas

Bosnia and Herzegovina Visa for Indians: Landing in Sarajevo and Immigration

Though I had cancellable bookings for 20 days, a bank account statement, life insurance, my itinerary on Google Maps, an idea of entering Montenegro from Bosnia and Herzegovina via a bus booked through Flixbus, and so on, I wasn’t asked anything at the Bosnia and Herzegovina immigration at Sarajevo airport.

The lady officer saw my US visa, looked through it for a few seconds, and stamped my passport. No questions asked.

I had flown in from Yerevan, where the exit immigration had been smooth too. They had stamped the passport easily as well. While boarding Pegasus Airlines, the young angry employee checked my passport, looked at my visa, and asked his colleague, “Hindustani America visa…” something something. The airline employee must be Turkish; his manners were definitely Ottoman. Dressed in a crisp white shirt and ironed pants, he was blonde, with blonde hair, and a temper that could singe anyone. He wasn’t easy.

I hitchhiked to Sevan City, the biggest town on the banks of the giant freshwater Sevan Lake in the middle of Armenia, from Alaverdi in the North. The distance was 120km, and I was going down, towards the south of Armenia. First, I got a ride from the upper Alaverdi that dropped me near the bridge in lower Alaverdi. You can read about the fascinating town in the link I shared above (coming soon).

I walked in the direction of Sevan, both my bags strapped onto me. On the highway, I was picked up by two men in a small truck-van sort of thing. The guy sitting between me and the driver flirted with me all the way. He wanted me to stay back with him in Vanadzor so that he could show me the beach and take me out for a drink. I told him I had friends coming to Sevan from Yerevan and I couldn’t hang out with him. The insistence and rejection went back and forth for seventy-five percent of the ride, after which the lover gave up, the driver increased the volume of the music, and we drove on.

Armenia Visa for Indians: My Experience

Indian citizens who hold a valid visa or residence permit from the US, EU/Schengen, UK, or GCC countries can receive a visa on arrival for Armenia.

I showed my US visa at the land border between Georgia and Armenia. The officers didn’t ask me anything. I had to fill a form with information about where I would stay during my visit, my passport details, place of birth, countries visited in the past five years, was it my first time in Armenia, my profession etc. The visa fee was about 3000 Armenian drams or 9 USD (which I paid with my Wise VISA travel card). The visa was printed instantly, and the officer stuck it to an empty page on my passport. It was valid for twenty one days.

The officers were friendly. The one who was processing my visa exclaimed at reading writer as my profession, and I showed him my book. Then I passed through the biometric counter where my picture was taken.