Insolvency & Debt Recovery · Bosnia and Herzegovina
Find insolvency lawyers in Bosnia and Herzegovina who know which court and which law apply to your file
Debt, restructuring and insolvency work in Bosnia and Herzegovina turns on entity-level law, so the adviser you choose matters as much as the rulebook. Tell us what has happened and we match you with a lawyer who handles these files in the Federation, the Republika Srpska or the Brčko District.
- Free matching, no obligation to instruct
- Lawyers entered in an entity bar association register
- First response usually within 24–48 hours
Free service for clients. This page provides general information only, not legal advice.
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Tell us about your situation and receive a free, confidential case review.
Before you instruct
How insolvency and debt matters work in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Insolvency work in Bosnia and Herzegovina rarely follows a single national rulebook. Because the State, the Federation of BiH, the Republika Srpska and the Brčko District each legislate and adjudicate for themselves, the court that hears your case, the limitation period that applies and the fee you pay can all depend on where the company, the debtor or the assets are connected. Insolvency lawyers in Bosnia and Herzegovina work inside that structure every day: they read the entity law that governs the file, appear before the commercial courts of the Republika Srpska or the municipal and cantonal courts of the Federation, and know how the State-level Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina fits in. Describe your situation and we match you, free of charge, with a lawyer who handles this kind of matter.
Country specifics
What makes Bosnia and Herzegovina different for creditors and debtors
Bosnia and Herzegovina has no single body of private law and no single judiciary. The State, the two Entities and the self-governing Brčko District each legislate and adjudicate for themselves, so the applicable rules, the competent court and even the limitation period depend on where your case is connected. The points below show what that means in practice.
Four court systems, one legal market
There is no unified judiciary. In the Federation of BiH, municipal courts decide at first instance, cantonal courts hear appeals and the Supreme Court in Sarajevo sits at the top. In the Republika Srpska, basic and district courts decide at first instance, with district commercial courts, the High Commercial Court and the Supreme Court in Banja Luka. The Brčko District has its own basic and appellate courts.
The applicable law follows the territory
Because core private law is enacted at entity level, materially identical situations can be governed by different rules. The clearest example for a creditor is the general limitation period for contractual claims: five years in the Federation of BiH and ten years in the Republika Srpska. Establish which entity law applies before you assess whether a claim is still live.
Representation by an admitted attorney
Admission to a bar association is compulsory in order to practise law. An attorney is entered in the directory of the regional bar association covering the seat of their office, and only attorneys on those registers may represent parties in court. Representation in contentious proceedings must normally be undertaken by an attorney, and extraordinary remedies before the supreme courts require one.
Court fees and who ultimately pays
Court fees apply before the courts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but the FBiH, the Republika Srpska and the Brčko District each apply their own fee laws. Where a court orders payment of a fee, it must be met within 15 days. The losing party may generally be ordered to reimburse the prevailing party’s costs, including attorney fees assessed under the applicable tariff.
Lawyers’ fees and free legal aid
Lawyers’ fees are governed by the official tariffs adopted by the entity bar associations, which set minimum or guideline rates, while you remain free to agree a fee in writing with your attorney; no binding State-wide tariff applies. Free legal aid exists before State institutions and the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in civil cases a court may exempt a party from the costs of proceedings where payment would jeopardise the party’s subsistence.
Language, the ECHR and formal acts
Proceedings and official documents may be conducted in Bosnian, Croatian or Serbian. Under Article II of the Constitution, the European Convention on Human Rights and its Protocols apply directly and take priority over all other law, so fair-trial arguments can be raised before domestic courts. Where a transaction touches immovable property, a notarial deed is required and is a precondition for land-register registration.
The country data on this page is drawn from official sources — the Constitution and courts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the entity bar associations, the Ministry of Justice and the European e-Justice Portal — consulted in 2025.
- e-Justice — National justice systems: Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bar Association of the Federation of BiH
- Law on Obligations — limitation periods (Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina)
- Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina — Free legal aid
- Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina — Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Law on Notaries of the Federation of BiH
Common problems
Where insolvency files get complicated in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Most difficulties we hear about are not about the merits of the case, but about working out which rules and which forum apply.
You cannot tell which law applies
The State, the Federation of BiH, the Republika Srpska and the Brčko District each legislate and adjudicate separately. A contract that looks straightforward can be governed by different rules depending on where the debtor or the assets sit.
Time limits differ by entity
The general limitation period for contractual claims is five years in the Federation of BiH and ten years in the Republika Srpska. Diarising the wrong deadline is one of the costliest mistakes a creditor can make.
Court representation is restricted
In contentious proceedings, representation must normally be undertaken by an attorney admitted to a bar association, and extraordinary remedies before the supreme courts require an attorney. An unrepresented party can lose ground quickly.
Why use the matching service
Matched with a lawyer who works on your kind of file
You describe the matter once, and we point you to practitioners whose day-to-day work covers insolvency, restructuring and debt recovery in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Matched on entity and sector
We look at where your file is connected — Federation of BiH, Republika Srpska or Brčko District — and at the court likely to handle it, then propose lawyers whose practice matches.
Lawyers on a bar register
Only attorneys entered in the register of a bar association may represent parties in court. Every lawyer we propose practises through one of the entity bar associations.
Clarity on costs early
Court fees follow the law of the court hearing the case, while lawyers’ fees follow the applicable bar tariff or a written agreement. Your lawyer explains the basis before you instruct.
No cost to be matched
The matching service is free for clients. You speak to a lawyer who handles insolvency and debt matters, and you decide afterwards whether to instruct.
Cross-border matters
Working with Bosnia and Herzegovina and its neighbours
Creditors, suppliers and parent companies outside the country often need advice that covers more than one jurisdiction. These are the markets our network is most often asked about alongside Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Questions clients ask
Insolvency and debt recovery in Bosnia and Herzegovina — frequently asked questions
Which court hears a commercial or insolvency-related dispute in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
There is no single commercial court for the whole country. In the Republika Srpska, district commercial courts sit at first instance with the High Commercial Court above them. In the Federation of BiH, such matters are dealt with inside the ordinary court structure of municipal, cantonal and supreme courts. Which court is competent therefore depends on the entity or district your case is connected to.
Do I need an attorney to represent my company in court?
In civil and commercial proceedings a party may in principle appear in person or through a representative, but representation in contentious proceedings must normally be undertaken by an attorney-at-law admitted to a bar association. Extraordinary legal remedies before the supreme courts require an attorney. For a company facing a debt or insolvency file, instructing an admitted attorney early is the safer route.
How long do I have to recover a debt in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
It depends on the entity and on the type of claim. The general limitation period for contractual claims is five years in the Federation of BiH and ten years in the Republika Srpska. Commercial claims between legal entities for the sale of goods and services are subject to three years, as are rent and other periodic payments, while household utility claims are subject to one year.
Can insolvency lawyers in Bosnia and Herzegovina act for a foreign creditor?
A foreign creditor acting before a court in Bosnia and Herzegovina will normally work through an attorney admitted to one of the bar associations. Proceedings and official documents may be conducted in Bosnian, Croatian or Serbian, so your representative handles questions of service, translation and language with the court on your behalf.
What will instructing a lawyer cost?
Lawyers’ fees follow the official tariff adopted by the relevant entity bar association, which sets minimum or guideline rates, but you may agree a different fee in writing. Court fees are set by the fee law of the court hearing the case. If you cannot afford proceedings, free legal aid or an exemption from costs may be available, subject to eligibility.
How does the free matching service work?
You describe your situation once, using our short form. We then match you with a lawyer whose practice covers insolvency, restructuring and debt recovery in the relevant part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The service costs nothing for clients, and you decide whether to instruct the lawyer after the first conversation.
Next step
Tell us about your file and we will find the right lawyer
Describe the company, the debtor, the entity you are dealing with and what has already happened. We will match you with insolvency lawyers in Bosnia and Herzegovina who work on this type of matter, at no cost to you and with no obligation to instruct.