Wills & Succession · Bosnia and Herzegovina
Wills lawyers in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Succession here is governed by entity and district law, so the right adviser depends on where the estate is connected. Tell us what you need — drafting a will, checking a reserved share, or administering an estate — and we match you with a specialist. Free, confidential and with no obligation.
- Matching that respects FBiH, RS and Brčko District rules
- Wills, reserved shares (nužni dio) and probate
- Free matching, first replies usually within 24–48 hours
Free matching · Confidential · No obligation to instruct
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The situation
Succession law depends on where your case belongs
Making a will in Bosnia and Herzegovina is not a single, uniform exercise. Because succession law is enacted separately for the Federation of BiH, the Republika Srpska and the Brčko District, the rules that shape your will — and the reserved share your family can claim — depend on where you and your property are connected. Wills lawyers in Bosnia and Herzegovina work within that multi-layered system every day: they draft testamentary documents that fit the right entity law, advise on notarial form for real property, and guide families through probate after a death. On this page you can describe your situation in a few lines and we will match you, free of charge, with a lawyer who handles wills and succession in the relevant part of the country.
Local context
How wills and succession work in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Succession is not regulated at State level. Each entity and the Brčko District has its own inheritance statute, its own notarial rules and its own bar association, and private law sits largely outside State competence. Before a will is drafted or challenged, the first question is always which of those legal orders applies to your case.
Succession is entity law, not State law
Bosnia and Herzegovina has no single body of private law. Succession is regulated separately by the Law on Inheritance of the Federation of BiH, the Law on Inheritance of the Republika Srpska and the Law on Inheritance of the Brčko District. Which statute governs an estate depends on the deceased’s connection to the territory concerned, so comparable family situations can be treated differently depending on where the case belongs.
The reserved share (nužni dio) limits testamentary freedom
All three inheritance statutes restrict what a will can achieve. Descendants, the spouse and, in certain cases, parents are ‘necessary heirs’ entitled to a reserved share (nužni dio) — a portion of the statutory share they would have received on intestacy. A will cannot defeat that share except on narrow statutory grounds of grave misconduct against the testator.
Notarial form for real property
Under the Law on Notaries of the Federation of BiH, the transfer and encumbrance of immovable property, and other acts for which the law requires solemn form, must be executed as a notarial deed. The notary verifies identity and capacity, controls legality and gives the act public force, and registration in the land register depends on it. Equivalent notary laws apply in the Republika Srpska and the Brčko District.
Who is entitled to act for you
Admission to a bar association is compulsory in order to practise law. An attorney is entered in the register of the regional bar association covering the seat of their office and thereby becomes a member of the entity-level bar. Only attorneys on those registers may represent parties in court, and contentious proceedings and extraordinary remedies before the supreme courts normally require an attorney-at-law.
Fees, cost shifting and legal aid
Lawyers’ fees follow the official tariffs (advokatska tarifa) adopted by the bar associations for each entity, which set minimum or guideline rates, while you remain free to agree a fee in writing. A losing party may be ordered to reimburse the prevailing party’s costs, including attorney fees assessed under the tariff. Free legal aid exists at State, entity and cantonal level for those who qualify.
Language of proceedings and Convention rights
Court proceedings and official documents may be conducted in Bosnian, Croatian or Serbian, and documents are served in those languages. 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 — including the Article 6 fair-trial guarantee, which can be invoked before the domestic courts and the Constitutional Court.
All country details on this page come from official sources — the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the EU e-Justice Portal, the entity bar associations, the entity inheritance and notary laws, and the Ministry of Justice — consulted in 2025.
- Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina — Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina
- EU e-Justice Portal — National justice systems: Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bar Association of the Federation of BiH
- Law on Inheritance of the Federation of BiH (Official Gazette of FBiH 80/14)
- Law on Notaries of the Federation of BiH (Official Gazette of FBiH 45/02, as amended)
- Laws on Obligations — limitation periods (Parliament of BiH document repository)
- Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina — Free legal aid
Common problems
What brings people to a wills lawyer
Most enquiries start with uncertainty about which rules apply, or with a family disagreement about what the testator was entitled to do.
Which entity’s law applies?
Bosnia and Herzegovina has no single succession statute. The Federation of BiH, the Republika Srpska and the Brčko District each apply their own inheritance law, so a will that looks straightforward in one place can raise hard questions in another.
Testamentary freedom has a ceiling
Descendants, the spouse and, in certain cases, parents are necessary heirs with a reserved share. Wills that leave them out are open to challenge, and the narrow statutory exceptions are easy to misread without an adviser who works with these statutes.
Form and registration trip people up
Real property has to be dealt with through a notarial deed, and registration in the land register depends on it. Missing formalities can hold up an estate and leave relatives arguing over what the testator actually intended.
How we help
What you get when we match you
A short description of your situation is enough. We then route it to a lawyer whose practice covers exactly that kind of succession work.
Entity-aware matching
We route your enquiry to a lawyer who works with the succession law governing your case — the Federation of BiH, the Republika Srpska or the Brčko District.
Wills, reserved shares and probate
Whether you are drafting a will, assessing a nužni dio claim or administering an estate, the lawyer matched to you handles that work routinely.
Clear on costs from the start
Fees follow the official bar tariffs of the entity concerned or an agreed written arrangement, so you understand the basis before you instruct anyone.
Free and confidential
Describing your situation costs nothing and commits you to nothing. Matching is free, and it is entirely your decision whether to go on and instruct the lawyer.
Cross-border
Wills and estates across Europe
If your estate or your family has links to more than one country, the succession law of Bosnia and Herzegovina may sit alongside another legal order. Our network covers the countries below.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Which law decides how my will is treated in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
Succession is not regulated at State level. The Federation of BiH, the Republika Srpska and the Brčko District each have their own inheritance statute, and the applicable one usually follows the deceased’s connection to that territory. Before drafting or contesting a will, a lawyer will establish which of those legal orders governs your situation.
Can I disinherit my children or my spouse in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
Not entirely. All three inheritance statutes protect ‘necessary heirs’ — typically descendants, the spouse and, in certain cases, parents — who are entitled to a reserved share (nužni dio) of what they would have received on intestacy. A will cannot normally defeat that share, and only narrow statutory grounds of grave misconduct against the testator allow it to be reduced.
Do I need a notary when a will deals with real property?
For the transfer and encumbrance of immovable property, the law requires a notarial deed (notarski akt). The notary verifies identity and capacity, controls the legality of the act and gives it public, executory force, and the notarial deed is a precondition for registration in the land register. Equivalent rules apply in the Republika Srpska and the Brčko District.
How do I find wills lawyers in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
You describe your situation — a will to draft, a reserved share to assess or an estate to administer — and we match you free of charge with a lawyer who handles wills and succession in the part of the country connected to your case. First responses usually arrive within 24 to 48 hours, and no fee is charged for the matching itself.
Can I go through probate without a lawyer in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
In civil proceedings a party may in principle appear in person or through a representative, but contentious proceedings must normally be conducted by an attorney-at-law admitted to a bar association. Extraordinary legal remedies before the supreme courts require representation by an attorney. Where an estate is simple and uncontested, the lawyer’s role may be limited to advice and document checks.
What does a wills lawyer cost, and is legal aid available?
Fees follow the official bar tariffs of the entity concerned, which set minimum or guideline rates, but you may agree a different fee in writing with the attorney. If you lose, a court may order you to reimburse the other side’s costs, including attorney fees. Free legal aid exists at State, entity and cantonal level, and courts may exempt a party from costs.
Next step
Speak to a wills lawyer in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Tell us in a few lines what you need and where the estate is connected. We will match you with a wills lawyer in Bosnia and Herzegovina at no cost, and you stay in control of what happens next.