Reception centers of the Service for Foreigners’ Affairs represent a key infrastructure for migration management in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Unlike the Immigration Center, which has the character of a detention facility (detention under supervision), reception centers are intended for temporary accommodation of migrants and asylum seekers, while ensuring basic humanitarian conditions.
These centers operate in cooperation with international organizations such as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and domestic institutions, and their role is:
- providing accommodation, food and basic medical care
- registration and identification of migrants
- support in the asylum seeking process
- management of migration flows and reduction of irregular movement
These centers have significantly larger capacities than the Immigration Center and are adapted to accommodate a larger number of people, including families, minors and vulnerable categories.
Unlike the Immigration Center:
- staying in reception centers is not detention, but voluntary or administratively regulated accommodation
- users have greater freedom of movement (with certain rules)
- the focus is on a humanitarian approach, not on the level of surveillance
The duration of stay in reception centers depends on:
- status in the asylum procedure
- possibility of returning to the country of origin
- movement of migration routes through the region
SPS Reception Centers, together with the Immigration Center, form an integral system of migration management in Bosnia and Herzegovina – where some have a security-administrative function, and others a humanitarian and logistical one.
