Due to the new Law on Residence, many will lose benefits of large urban centers

Due to the new Law on Residence in BiH, many will lose benefits of large urban centers, because they will have to register at the address where they actually live, and not in municipalities or cantons that provide more benefits, writes the news agency Patria.

Tens of thousands of citizens from all over BiH are registered in larger centers, which often offer better benefits than smaller local communities. For example, it is assumed that several tens of thousands of citizens have registered residence in Sarajevo, even though they do not live there, all in order to be able to receive treatment in one of Sarajevo's hospitals, or so that their children can apply for some of the scholarships offered by this city or canton.

Until now, a mere verbal statement was sufficient to register a residence, while as of July 29 this year, the registration of residence is a much more complex process. According to the new BiH Law on Residence, to register an address as a place of residence, you need to own a property at the address you specify, or have a signed contract with the landlord.

Verification of residential addresses will be carried out by professional services over the next five years. Those who do not meet the conditions will have to change their addresses.

Although, practically, the new Law will not fully bring order when it comes to the place of residence in BiH, because the possibility of manipulation still exists, it is clear that many will lose benefits, such as the right to treatment in larger centers.

Sevima Sali-Terzić, a human rights expert, explains to the news agency Patria that the new law should in no way be seen as an attack on citizens, because it is natural for people to have their place of residence registered where they actually live, and that they should exercise their basic human rights in that place.

It is true, says Sali-Terzić, that due to the new Law on Residence in BiH, many will lose the possibility of treatment in large centers, but the authorities now need to go a step further, i.e., to provide everyone in the country with quality treatment conditions as well as the exercise of other human rights.