Investment property: Bosnia and Herzegovina

Updated 8 October 2026

Bosnia and Herzegovina: we find a property for your goal, check its legal title and see the deal through to registration.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a small market, inexpensive by European standards, with demand concentrated in Sarajevo and its suburbs and in Banja Luka; a notable share of foreign buyers has traditionally come from the Gulf states. For individuals, a reciprocity principle applies: citizens of countries that grant the same right to Bosnian citizens can buy directly, while others usually have to structure the purchase through a local company. Property ownership is recognized as one of the grounds for a temporary residence permit, but the status is granted at the discretion of the immigration authorities and must be renewed regularly. An additional quirk is the country's two-entity structure: rules and registries differ between the Federation of BiH and Republika Srpska.

The first thing we do is check whether direct purchase is available to you under reciprocity or whether a local company will be needed, and honestly compare the costs of both routes. We then shortlist properties for your goal, verify land registry records, history and encumbrances - critical in Balkan markets, and manage the transaction and title registration. Where needed, we assist with a residence permit application based on property ownership, explaining the realistic chances and the limits of that status without embellishment.

Buying property in Bosnia and Herzegovina: taxes by entity

Bosnia and Herzegovina consists of the Federation of BiH, Republika Srpska and the Brčko District, and the purchase tax depends on where the property is.

How the deal works

• Checking reciprocity for the buyer's citizenship: it is assessed case by case.
• A land register extract from the municipal court: owner, encumbrances, mortgages.
• A written contract: in Republika Srpska and Brčko District it must be a notarial deed, while in the Federation mandatory notarial form was abolished in 2019 and signatures are certified by a notary or a court.
• The tax office's decision on the transfer tax and its payment if the property is in the Federation.
• An application to the land register with the contract, the court fee receipt and the tax decision.

If there is no reciprocity, we structure the purchase through a local company. More on the country's taxes on our Bosnia and Herzegovina taxes page.

What we do

• We check reciprocity for your citizenship.
• We obtain the land register extract and check encumbrances.
• We support the notarised contract and the tax payment in the Federation.
• We file for title entry; without reciprocity we register a company.

Our fee is in the price table; the total depends on the property and the deal structure.

Prices and payments in Bosnia and Herzegovina are in convertible marks pegged to the euro at 1.95583 marks per €1, so currency risk for a euro buyer is minimal. Tax-wise, buying in Republika Srpska is cheaper: there is no transfer tax there, while in the Federation it reaches 5%.

What we do

• Property shortlist for your investment goal
• Legal due diligence on the property
• End-to-end transaction support
• Ownership structuring (company, trust)
• Property management and letting

See also

Business account · Personal account · All country programs

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