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Bosnia — Regulatory Summary

Bosnia & Herzegovina (BA) Regulatory Requirements

Overview

  • Country Code: BA
  • Currency: BAM (Convertible Mark), symbol "KM"
  • EU Status: Non-member (potential candidate)
  • Open Banking: Not adopted
  • Payment System: Gyro Clearing + RTGS (Real-Time Gross Settlement)

COMPLEXITY: BiH has two entities:

  • FBiH (Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina)
  • RS (Republika Srpska)

VAT is unified at state level. Direct taxes (CIT, WHT) are separate per entity.

VAT (PDV - Porez na dodanu vrijednost)

Rate Type Rate Description
Standard 17% General goods and services (opća stopa)
Zero 0% Exports

No reduced rates

Registration Threshold: 100,000 BAM annual turnover Return Frequency: Monthly Filing Deadline: TBD (check UIO portal) Portal: UIO (Indirect Taxation Authority)

Corporate Income Tax (CIT - Porez na dobit)

  • Rate: 10% (both FBiH and RS)
  • Filing Deadline: March 31
  • Administration: Separate per entity
    • FBiH: Tax Administration of FBiH
    • RS: Tax Administration of RS

Withholding Tax (WHT)

Type FBiH RS
Dividends 5% 10%
Interest 10% 10%
Royalties 10% 10%

IMPORTANT: Dividend WHT differs by entity!

Small Business Regime

  • No specific pausal regime like Serbia or Croatia
  • Standard taxation applies regardless of size

E-Invoice (CPF - Central Platform for Fiscalisation)

Status: PENDING (expected ~2027) Law Adopted: January 2026 (FBiH only) Technical Specs: NOT YET PUBLISHED

Planned Coverage:

  • B2B/B2G: CPF platform
  • B2C: ESET fiscal devices

RS Entity: Separate regulations, no mandate yet

Implementation Note: Monitor for technical specifications publication. Do NOT implement until specs available.

Fiscal Devices (B2C)

Required for: Cash sales System: ESET (Electronic System of Tax Registers)

Chart of Accounts (Kontni okvir)

Regulation: FBiH Pravilnik (2022) Structure: 10-class system (0-9)

  • Class 0: Fixed assets & long-term placements
  • Class 1: Inventory
  • Class 2: Short-term receivables, cash
  • Class 3: Capital
  • Class 4: Long-term liabilities
  • Class 5: Operating expenses
  • Class 6: Revenue
  • Class 7: Financial income
  • Class 8: Financial expenses
  • Class 9: Off-balance sheet accounts

Note: RS may have slight variations - need verification

Accounts: 3-digit base accounts, 4-5 digit analytical accounts

Financial Statement Filing

Institution:

  • FBiH: Agency of Financial Information
  • RS: Tax Administration of RS

Deadline: March 31 Required Statements:

  • Balance Sheet (Bilans stanja)
  • Income Statement (Bilans uspjeha)
  • Cash Flow Statement (large entities)
  • Statement of Changes in Equity (large entities)

Document Retention:

  • FBiH: 10 years
  • RS: 11 years

Bank Integration

Format: ISO 20022 (aligned, not full SEPA) Payment System: Gyro Clearing + RTGS Instant Payments: Not available

Accounting Standards

Adopted: IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) by both entities Optional: IFRS for SMEs

Key Dates

Event Deadline
VAT return Monthly (check UIO)
CIT annual return March 31
Financial statements filing March 31

Implementation Notes

  • Package: @bilko/country-ba
  • CPF integration: DO NOT implement until technical specs published (~2027)
  • Entity handling: Must support FBiH vs RS distinction for CIT and WHT
  • Language: Bosnian (Latin script), Serbian (Cyrillic) also used in RS
  • VAT unified: Single UIO portal for all entities
  • Direct taxes separate: FBiH and RS have different portals and deadlines

Unknowns & Risks

  1. CPF technical specs - Not published, expected ~2027
  2. RS e-invoice mandate - No timeline yet
  3. Specific account numbers - Need actual Pravilnik documents
  4. RS chart of accounts - May differ from FBiH, needs verification

Recommendation: Launch BiH THIRD (after Serbia and Croatia) to allow time for regulatory clarity.