Advokatska kancelarija BAKIĆ — Law Office

Legal & Tax One Stop Shops · 01 / 12

Legal Entity Setup and Corporate Changes Registration in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Comprehensive, efficient and coordinated legal structuring and corporate registrations

Designed for companies, organizations, and investors seeking strategically structured, legally compliant, and operationally efficient market entry and business establishment in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).

What We Do and How We Do It

  • Efficient, structured, and compliant provision of legal and tax regulatory advice, as well as legal representation in legal entity setup and corporate change registrations in BiH
  • Coordination of procedures before judicial and administrative authorities in BiH (state, entities, district, cantons, municipalities)
  • Effectively managed, clearly defined, and phase‑based process from initial incorporation structuring to full operational readiness before competent judicial and administrative authorities
  • Fulfilment of all post‑registration obligations (registration with competent tax authorities, statistical offices, etc.)
  • Drafting and alignment of contractual and corporate documentation in accordance with applicable regulations and legal and tax practice
  • Timely identification of potential legal and tax implications of the project (in advance – prior to its implementation)
  • Dedicated support to investors entering and establishing business operations in BiH
  • Single point of contact throughout the entire process (One Stop Shop approach)
  • Preparation and verification of complete documentation prior to submission of applications
  • Effective management of deadlines and regulatory requirements
  • Legal certainty through precise application of regulations and regulatory practice across all levels of judicial and administrative authorities in BiH
  • Mitigation of risks related to regulatory obstacles, delays, incomplete registrations, and regulatory sanctions
  • Parallel coordination of legal and tax regulatory aspects of business operations
  • Continuous communication and timely client reporting
  • Optimization of time and resources through efficient project management
MORE INFORMATION: What We Do and How We Do It+

Comprehensive legal support for the establishment and/or registration of corporate changes of legal entities in BiH, covering all phases – from initial planning/structuring to full operational readiness. Through our One Stop Shop approach, the client has a single point of contact throughout the entire process, with clear communication, efficiency, and regular written updates on all initiated or completed legal actions.

Within this One Stop Shop, we provide services of "full registration" of the establishment (or registration of corporate changes) of the following types of legal entities (all collectively referred to as: Legal Entity) in BiH:

  • companies;
  • branch offices/business units of a foreign or domestic company;
  • representative offices of foreign companies (commercial representative offices);
  • clinics, polyclinics and various types of doctor's specialist offices;
  • non-governmental organizations/foundations or representative offices of foreign non-governmental organizations/foundations in BiH, etc.

"Full registration" means that we do not leave the client at the most important moment – when the client receives a judicial or administrative decision on the establishment (or a decision on the registration of corporate changes). Namely, at that moment, the Legal Entity is, in essence, still not operational, because not all legally required post-registration activities have been completed with various administrative authorities in BiH (at the level of cantons and/or entities/district and/or the state), which have their own requirements, deadlines and misdemeanor sanctions in case of non-fulfillment. Only after the completion of all post-registration activities, the Legal Entity becomes legally and factually operational for work. Further details are available in the explanation below.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Implementation – Phase by Phase+

When it comes to the corporate registration of the Legal Entity in BiH (where most of the actions listed below also apply to the registration of corporate changes), these activities, in principle, are divided into three phases:

Phase 1Preparatory actions

In order to create the prerequisites for the registration of the Legal Entity with the competent judicial or administrative authorities, in principle, it is necessary to perform the following actions:

  1. prior consultations with the client for a thorough acquaintance with the project;
  2. analysis of relevant regulations and judicial/inspection practice (if necessary);
  3. drafting the necessary legal documents;
  4. delivery of instructions to the client for signature and/or certification of documents;
  5. other legal advice to a founder of the Legal Entity.

Phase 2Registration with the competent judicial or administrative authorities

In this phase, in principle, we perform the following actions:

  1. preparation of applications for registration and other legal documents/forms;
  2. certification of documents and payment of taxes in the name and on behalf of the client;
  3. submission of the application for registration to the competent judicial or administrative authority with the necessary documentation;
  4. oral and/or written communication (including urgencies) with the competent authorities;
  5. obtaining of a decision on establishment/registration of the corporate changes.

Phase 3Post-registration actions

In this phase, in principle, we perform the following actions:

  1. production of seals (if applicable), including form/design advice, organization of production and delivery of seals to the client;
  2. registration of the Legal Entity with the competent tax authority (direct taxes), i.e. obtaining an ID/tax number – with the application of actions from PHASE 2;
  3. registration with the competent statistical administrative authority, i.e. obtaining a statistical number – with the application of actions from PHASE 2;
  4. providing instructions to a founder and/or management of the Legal Entity regarding the opening of a bank transaction account (advisory support);
  5. registration of the Legal Entity with the competent tax authority (indirect taxes), i.e. obtaining VAT/customs number (if applicable) – with the application of actions from PHASE 2;
  6. registration with the competent ministries or other administrative authorities in BiH (if applicable), depending on the client's registered business activities – with the application of actions from PHASE 2;
  7. drafting a Book of Shares (if applicable), including advice on its completion and certification.

Note: If the director of the Legal Entity is a foreign person, it is necessary to obtain a personal tax number with the competent tax authority (this also applies to procurators), as well as a work (if applicable) and/or residence permit (if applicable) with the competent administrative authorities in BiH. Law Office BAKIĆ also provides these types of services.

All One Stop Shops