Administrative law · Bosnia and Herzegovina
Find an administrative law lawyer in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Administrative decisions shape permits, inspections, tax assessments, public employment and social entitlements. Bosnia and Herzegovina has no single judiciary, so the correct forum depends on which authority acted. Tell us what happened and we match you with a lawyer whose practice covers the level of government involved.
- State, entity, cantonal and Brčko District procedures
- Representation before administrative bodies and in administrative disputes
- Free matching with a specialist practice, no obligation
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Tell us about your situation and receive a free, confidential case review.
The problem you are facing
When a public authority decides something you believe is wrong
Public bodies take decisions that shape your business and your daily life: permits, concessions, inspections, tax assessments, social entitlements, appointments in public service. When you consider such a decision unlawful, the route forward normally runs through administrative procedure and, in many cases, an administrative dispute. Because Bosnia and Herzegovina has no unified judiciary, the authority that hears your case depends on whether the decision came from a State institution, an entity, a canton or the Brčko District. An administrative law lawyer in Bosnia and Herzegovina works inside that layered system routinely. Describe your situation and we match you, free of charge, with a lawyer whose practice covers the authority and the level of government concerned.
How it works in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Administrative law across four court systems
Administrative review in Bosnia and Herzegovina follows the continental, codified tradition, but it is spread across separate State, entity, cantonal and district structures. Which law applies, and which court reviews the decision, turns on the authority that issued it and the territory concerned.
A multi-layered legal order
The Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Annex 4 of the Dayton Peace Agreement, establishes the State, two Entities — the Federation of BiH, itself divided into ten cantons, and the Republika Srpska — plus the self-governing Brčko District. Each level has its own legislature and judiciary, so administrative competence is shared rather than centralised, and the identity of the deciding authority usually determines the review route.
Which court hears an administrative dispute
There is no single unified judiciary. At State level the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo has an administrative division and reviews acts of State institutions within the jurisdiction assigned to it by State law. In the Federation, administrative disputes reach the Supreme Court of the Federation of BiH, and in the Republika Srpska the Supreme Court in Banja Luka, while the Brčko District has its own courts.
Who may represent you
Practising law requires admission to a bar association: the Bar Association of the Federation of BiH, the Bar Association of the Republika Srpska or the Bar Association of the Brčko District. An attorney is entered in the register of the regional bar association covering the seat of the office. Admission requires citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a law degree, the bar examination and the attorney examination, and at least two years of legal work experience.
Court fees in administrative proceedings
Court fees are enacted separately at each level. Before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Law on Court Fees in proceedings before that court sets a fixed fee of 100 KM for a lawsuit in an administrative dispute and 200 KM for a judgment. The courts of the Federation of BiH, the Republika Srpska and the Brčko District apply their own court-fee laws instead.
Free legal aid and cost relief
Free legal aid before the State institutions and the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina is regulated by the Law on Free Legal Aid and administered through the Office for Free Legal Aid of the Ministry of Justice. It covers legal information, advice, the drafting of submissions and representation before administrative bodies and the court. Eligibility follows status categories or an assessed poor financial situation, and entity-level institutions provide aid separately.
Convention rights apply directly
Under Article II of the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the European Convention on Human Rights and its Protocols apply directly and take priority over all other law. Parties can therefore invoke Convention guarantees, including the right to a fair trial, before domestic courts and before the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Proceedings and documents may be conducted in Bosnian, Croatian or Serbian.
Every country detail on this page is taken from the official sources listed above — the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the e-Justice Portal and the entity bar associations; no other information has been added.
- National justice systems — Bosnia and Herzegovina (e-Justice Portal)
- Bar Association of the Federation of BiH
- Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina — Constitutional Court of BiH
- Law on Court Fees in proceedings before the Court of BiH
- Free legal aid — Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Law on Obligations — limitation periods
Why these cases stall
The difficulty is rarely the merits — it is finding the right route
Three situations we see most often when a public authority has decided something a client disagrees with.
You do not know which level decided
A permit, inspection or tax decision may come from a State body, an entity ministry, a cantonal authority or the Brčko District. Each has its own procedure, its own review body and its own applicable law.
You are unsure which instrument fits
It is often unclear whether the next step is an appeal within the administration, an administrative dispute before a court, or a separate constitutional complaint. Choosing the wrong route can cost time.
The file has cross-entity elements
Companies, property and contracts frequently span the Federation and the Republika Srpska, where substantive rules and even limitation periods differ. Determining the governing law comes first.
How we help
A match built around your authority, not a generic list
We do not practise law ourselves. We identify the practices whose day-to-day work fits your file and put you in contact with them.
Practice-area screening
We ask what the decision concerns — licensing, inspection, taxation, public procurement, public employment or social entitlements — and match you with practices that handle that type of administrative matter.
Level-aware matching
Because competence is divided between the State, the Federation and its cantons, the Republika Srpska and the Brčko District, we take the deciding authority into account before proposing a practice.
Cross-border and entity-spanning files
If your matter touches more than one entity or involves a foreign party, we look for practices used to working with divergent substantive rules and languages of proceedings.
A clear, free first step
You describe the situation once. We respond with suitable practices, and you decide whether to instruct. There is no charge for the matching itself and no obligation to proceed.
Also available in
Other European jurisdictions on the platform
We match clients with specialist practices across Europe, including in the following countries.
Common questions
Questions clients ask before instructing
What does an administrative law lawyer in Bosnia and Herzegovina actually handle?
Typically relations between private persons or companies and public authorities: permits and licences, inspections, tax and customs assessments, concessions, public procurement, planning, public-service employment and social entitlements. The work usually combines advice during the administrative procedure with representation if the matter reaches an administrative dispute.
Which court would review a decision taken against me?
It depends on the authority. The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina reviews acts of State institutions within the jurisdiction assigned to it by State law. In the Federation of BiH administrative disputes go before the Supreme Court of the Federation, and in the Republika Srpska before the Supreme Court in Banja Luka. The Brčko District has its own courts.
Must I be represented by an admitted attorney?
Practising law in Bosnia and Herzegovina requires entry in the register of a regional bar association under one of the three bar associations. For contentious proceedings, representation is normally undertaken by an admitted attorney, and extraordinary remedies before the supreme courts require it. A lawyer can confirm what applies to your particular procedure.
What court fees should I expect in an administrative dispute?
Before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Law on Court Fees in proceedings before that court sets a fixed fee of 100 KM for a lawsuit in an administrative dispute and 200 KM for a judgment. Courts in the Federation of BiH, the Republika Srpska and the Brčko District apply their own, separately enacted court-fee laws.
Can I invoke the European Convention on Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
Yes. Under Article II of the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the European Convention on Human Rights and its Protocols apply directly and have priority over all other law. Parties can rely on Convention rights, including the right to a fair trial, before domestic courts and before the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Is free legal aid available for administrative cases?
Free legal aid before the State institutions and the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina is regulated by the Law on Free Legal Aid and administered through the Office for Free Legal Aid of the Ministry of Justice. Eligibility is based on defined status categories or on an assessed poor financial situation. Entity and cantonal institutions provide aid separately.
Next step
Tell us about the decision you are facing
Describe the authority involved, the decision you received and what you want to achieve. We review it and match you with an administrative law practice in Bosnia and Herzegovina that fits the level of government and the subject matter — free of charge and without obligation.