Company Formation in Bosnia

How long does it take to form a company in Bosnia?

• Usually, the company formation process in Bosnia takes 10-15 days;
• The registration can theoretically be done in a couple of days if you decide to visit us in Bosnia and get assistance from one of our local advisors.

Can I form a company in Bosnia remotely?

The whole incorporation process can be conducted remotely. No travel is necessary, but notarization of documents is necessary.

• A Power of Attorney (POA) from (all) partners/shareholders is needed;
• The POA is sent to you by us based on the services you want;
• You have to certify the POA by a notary and, in some cases, legalize it by apostille (some countries need full legalization);
• Once you have the POA on you, we double-check, and you send us the original form (physical document!) via courier to our address;
• Bosnia is part of the Hague Convention of the Apostille.

Necessary information to begin with company formation in Bosnia

• 3 options of your desired name for the company and a company contact email address;
• Names, addresses, and emails of all shareholders and board members;
• Short description of your company's activity.

Without a VAT number in Bosnia

• Your company will not be eligible to receive VAT refunds, which means everything bought is 17% more expensive (important: B2B payments between two VAT-exempt companies are not more expensive);
• Your company will not have to file monthly tax returns (prerequisite: no one receives a salary), which means low costs.

With a VAT number in Bosnia

• The company will be eligible to receive VAT refunds, which means you can make use of the reverse-charge mechanism;
• Monthly tax returns have to be filed even if no transactions occur;
• The standard VAT rate is 17%;
• Any company engaged in the supply of goods and services that exceeds a turnover of 50,000 BAM (approximately 25,6k EUR) has to register for VAT;
• Financial services are exempt from VAT in Bosnia;
• VAT has to be paid every calendar month.

Before we help you to apply for a VAT number, you should carefully think about the advantages and obligations that go along with it. Registering as a VAT payer might be either voluntary or obligatory, depending on the turnover.

Required documents to provide to register a company in Bosnia

• Passport copies (scans) of shareholder/s and director/s, also beneficiary owner if applicable;
• A Power of Attorney (in case of a remote company registration);
• Certified company documents (in case at least one of the shareholders is going to be a foreign company).