For clients abroad: lawyer in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Author: Azur Prnjavorac, attorney at law | Updated:
In brief. A considerable share of the office's clients have never been to Tuzla: they live in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the United States and other countries, and we conduct their matters in Bosnia and Herzegovina on the basis of a power of attorney, by email, post and telephone. This page covers what applies to everyone; the country pages explain where in that country the power of attorney is certified, whether an apostille is needed and who issues it, how you pay and how long it takes.
Key facts
- Certifying the power of attorney
- At any embassy or consulate of BiH (valid at once) or before a notary in your country of residence, with an apostille where required.
- Apostille
- Needed from Germany, Switzerland and the United States; not needed from Austria (1954 treaty) or on consular certification.
- Representation without travelling
- Probate, real estate, recognition of judgments, citizenship and debt collection are handled under a power of attorney, by email and post.
- Price and payment
- Written estimate in advance under the Attorney Tariff of the Federation; payment by bank transfer from abroad.
Clients in Germany
Consulates in Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart and the Embassy in Berlin, or a German notary with a Landgericht apostille. Dual citizenship, probate, real estate.
Clients in Austria
Embassy in Vienna or an Austrian notary and district court, no apostille thanks to the 1954 treaty. Renunciation of citizenship, probate, real estate.
Clients in Switzerland
Embassy in Bern or a notary with the apostille of the cantonal chancellery. Payment in euros or francs. Probate, real estate, citizenship.
Clients in the United States
Embassy in Washington, Consulate in Chicago or a notary public with a Secretary of State apostille. Citizenship by descent, probate, real estate, calls in your morning.
How we work with clients abroad
Everything starts with an email in which you describe the matter and attach the documents you have. You receive a written assessment, the proposed steps, timelines and a cost frame. If you decide to go ahead, we draft a power of attorney tailored to the matter; you have it certified at a BiH consulate or before a notary in the country where you live and send it by post. From then on the attorney files submissions in your name, attends hearings, concludes contracts before the notary, registers titles and collects decisions, and you receive a report after each stage. As a rule you do not need to travel to BiH.
Power of attorney and apostille by country
A power of attorney certified at any BiH embassy or consulate is a document of our mission and is valid in BiH without any further certification, from any country. A power certified before a foreign notary is a foreign public document: from Germany, Switzerland and the United States it needs an apostille (in Germany the president of the Landgericht, in Switzerland the cantonal Staatskanzlei, in the USA the Secretary of State of the state), from Austria it needs nothing, thanks to the bilateral treaty on mutual legal relations of 1954. Foreign documents before authorities in BiH are accompanied by a translation by a court interpreter appointed in BiH, which we organise. Everything about certifications: apostille and legalisation. Content, form and certification of the power of attorney by country: power of attorney for a lawyer in Bosnia from abroad.
Timelines, costs and payment
How long it takes depends on the type of matter and on the court or authority handling it, so we give ranges from practice and a precise estimate only after reviewing the documents. Probate without a dispute among the heirs usually takes a few months from the application, considerably longer if the heirs disagree or the property is not registered in the deceased's name. A sale or purchase of real estate with a clean land register entry is completed within a few weeks of receiving the certified power of attorney; if the entry is not in order, the title is put right first, which can take months. Recognition of a foreign divorce judgment is a non-contentious procedure normally finished in a few weeks to a couple of months. Renunciation of BiH citizenship takes about a month from the power of attorney to the decision. Debt collection depends on whether the debtor disputes the claim: with an authentic document enforcement starts at once, litigation takes longer.
The price is known in advance. An attorney in the Federation of BiH charges under the Attorney Tariff of the Federation (point value 6.50 KM, that is 3.32 EUR in 2026), and a different arrangement may be agreed with the client in writing: a fixed fee for a defined piece of work, an hourly rate or a ceiling that will not be exceeded. With clients abroad we usually work exactly that way, because they want to know the full amount before we start; an exchange of emails containing the essential terms counts as a written agreement. Court and notary fees, the sworn translator's charges and, for real estate, the transfer tax come on top, and we tell you about them beforehand. You receive the estimate in KM and euros; from Europe you pay by transfer in euros, from Switzerland in euros or francs, from the United States in euros or dollars, and the bank converts at the rate of the day. Details: attorney tariff and notary fees.
What clients abroad most often need
Probate of your parents' estate in BiH
You give the declaration of inheritance at the consulate or before a notary; we conduct the probate, sort out unregistered property and have the title registered in the heirs' names.
Selling and buying real estate
Land register and encumbrance checks, negotiation, contract before the notary, tax and registration, payment to your account abroad. All on the basis of a power of attorney.
Recognition of divorce, registration of marriage
A foreign divorce judgment takes effect in BiH only after court recognition; it is then entered in the civil registers. The same applies to registering a marriage and children born abroad.
Citizenship of BiH
Citizenship by descent, registration of children born abroad, renunciation where your country of residence requires it, and re-acquisition.
Debt collection in BiH
Money owed to you from business, a loan or an unpaid purchase price is collected by demand letter, lawsuit or enforcement, with a check of the debtor's assets.
Money transfer from BiH
Payment of the purchase price or inherited money to your account abroad, with the tax confirmations the bank requires.
Apostille and legalisation
Which documents need an apostille, who issues it in which country and when certification at a BiH consulate is enough.
Tax for BiH citizens abroad
Residence, the 183-day rule and double taxation treaties: what to bear in mind with income from BiH.
BiH embassies and consulates: appointment, passport, documents
Practical details on the BiH missions, addresses, telephone numbers, opening hours and what can and cannot be arranged there, are on the pages: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, USA, Sweden and Norway.
Our main practice areas for clients abroad
Most matters from abroad fall within a few practice areas in which the office has worked since 1993. Each has its own page with the procedure, timelines and costs:
Family and inheritance law
Estates, wills, forced shares, contracts of lifetime support, divorce, maintenance and marital property; the most common practice area for clients abroad.
Inheritance law and probate
Probate after parents and relatives in BiH, declarations of inheritance from abroad, sorting out unregistered property and registering title in the heirs' names.
Divorce
Uncontested and contested divorce before a court in BiH when one or both spouses live abroad, custody, maintenance and division of marital property.
Court proceedings and dispute resolution
Litigation before courts in BiH without your travelling: property, inheritance and contract disputes and damages, from the claim to enforcement.
Land registry
Checking and clearing the land register, registration of title, deletion of encumbrances, reconciling the cadastre and the land register, partition of real estate.
Real estate
Sale, gift and partition of real estate in BiH under a power of attorney, contract, tax and registration; acquisition by foreigners and reciprocity.
Compensation of damage
Damage from traffic accidents, injuries and contracts in BiH, including for clients living abroad; representation towards insurers and before the court.
Commercial law and commercial disputes
Formation and restructuring of companies, contracts and debt collection for diaspora businesses dealing with BiH.
Legislation and sources this page is based on
This page was written by an attorney on the basis of the legislation in force in Bosnia and Herzegovina and its entities. Legal sources verified on 17 September 2026. Statutory texts are in Bosnian.
Contact for clients in other countries
- advokat@advokat-prnjavorac.com. The best first step: describe the matter in a few sentences and attach scans of the documents you have. If a deadline is running, say so in the subject line.
- Telephone
- Office +387 35 258 110, attorney Azur Prnjavorac +387 61 633 539, attorney Alma Prnjavorac +387 61 131 001. We speak English, German and Bosnian.
- Office hours
- Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 16:00 Central European Time.
Where you are Our office hours on your clock Berlin, Vienna, Zurich 08:00 to 16:00 London 07:00 to 15:00 New York, Toronto 02:00 to 10:00 Chicago 01:00 to 09:00 Los Angeles 23:00 to 07:00 Sydney 17:00 to 01:00 Indicative; daylight saving time can shift the difference by an hour.
- Video call
- By arrangement; for clients in the Americas and Australia we schedule calls outside our office hours.
- Documents
- Scans by email; originals and the certified power of attorney by post or courier to: Đorđa Mihajlovića 10b, 75000 Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Before giving any advice the office checks for a conflict of interest, so please name the other party as well. A reply follows once the documents have been reviewed.
Frequently asked questions from clients abroad
Do I have to travel to BiH to instruct a lawyer?
No. You give the instruction by a power of attorney certified at a BiH consulate or before a notary in the country where you live. Travel is needed only exceptionally, when a court expressly requires the party to be heard in person.
From which countries does the power of attorney need no apostille?
A power certified at any BiH embassy or consulate never needs an apostille. A notarial power from Austria does not either, thanks to the bilateral treaty of 1954. From Germany, Switzerland, the United States and most other countries a notarial power needs an apostille.
How do I learn the cost before we start?
After reviewing the documents you receive a written estimate: a fixed fee or a ceiling under the Attorney Tariff of the Federation of BiH, with an estimate of fees, notary costs and translations. Work begins only when you agree.
In which languages do you work?
Correspondence and calls in English, German and Bosnian; the office's pages also exist in Italian and French.
How do money and documents reach me?
The purchase price or inherited money is paid to your account abroad, with the confirmations the bank requires. Originals of decisions and contracts are sent by post or courier, copies by email.
Clients have trusted us since 1993.
The law office Prnjavorac has been active since 1993. Today, in its fourth decade of work, it has 1,056 Google reviews with a rating of 5.0 / 5 across two independent Google business profiles.
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Other areas of the firm's work
We provide legal assistance and representation across a wide range of areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina:
