Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the USA: Washington, D.C. and the Consulate General in Chicago
Author: Azur Prnjavorac, attorney at law | Updated:
The Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina (from French ambassade < Italian ambasciata, from Medieval Latin ambactia: service, from Gaulish ambactus: servant) is the highest-ranking diplomatic mission of the sending state (Bosnia and Herzegovina) in the receiving state (the United States); the word also denotes the building that houses it. In the USA, Bosnia and Herzegovina maintains an Embassy in Washington, D.C. and a Consulate General in Chicago, which between them divide consular jurisdiction over the federal states. The Embassy in Washington conducts diplomatic relations and consular work for one group of states, while the Consulate General in Chicago covers another, mostly central and western, group. This guide explains what you can arrange at these missions, and which actions in Bosnia and Herzegovina are instead carried out by a lawyer, as a rule without any need for you to travel from the United States.
Reader's summary
In the United States, Bosnia and Herzegovina maintains an Embassy in Washington, D.C. and a Consulate General in Chicago, which between them divide consular jurisdiction over the states. These missions handle consular tasks (travel documents, certifications, powers of attorney, declarations of inheritance, registration of children, life certificates), while legal actions before courts, notaries and land registries in Bosnia and Herzegovina are carried out by a lawyer in BiH, usually on the basis of a certified power of attorney.
- Two missions, divided by state: the Embassy in Washington and the Consulate General in Chicago each cover a defined group of states, so it is worth checking which office is responsible for your state before you apply.
- Handled at the mission: travel documents and emergency travel papers, certification of signatures and copies, powers of attorney, declarations of inheritance, the JMBG, registration of children born in the USA, and life certificates for pension recipients in BiH.
- Handled by a lawyer in BiH: probate proceedings, the purchase, sale and land-registry recording of real estate, litigation and enforcement, challenges to gift contracts and wills, and the division of marital and co-owned property.
- No travel from the USA: almost everything is completed through a power of attorney certified at the Embassy or Consulate General, so as a rule you do not need to fly to BiH.
- Power of attorney: the draft is best prepared by a lawyer in BiH before certification, so that it states the exact scope of authority and is accepted without corrections.
- Legal framework: the rules of the Federation of BiH, Republika Srpska and the Brčko District of BiH apply (inheritance law, property law, the land registry, citizenship).
How an embassy is established: from the first preparations to the ambassador's arrival
Once diplomatic relations have been established and an agreement reached on opening an embassy or consulate, the sending state usually dispatches a junior diplomatic officer to the capital of the receiving state to make the practical arrangements (premises for the office and the residence, and other matters), to open the mission and to arrange the ambassador's arrival. The foreign minister issues that officer a „letter of introduction” (French lettre d'introduction) addressed to the foreign minister of the receiving state. Until the ambassador takes up the post, the officer serves as chargé d'affaires ad interim. In the United States, Bosnia and Herzegovina maintains an Embassy in Washington, D.C. and a Consulate General in Chicago.
For citizens the practical question is rarely protocol and almost always jurisdiction: which mission covers their state. The Embassy in Washington and the Consulate General in Chicago divide the federal states between them, so an application, from a passport to a declaration of inheritance, is submitted to whichever office is responsible for the applicant's place of residence.
What the consular section of the BiH missions in the USA does
A consular section performs the tasks that, under international treaties and diplomatic and consular practice, fall within the consular function, acting in accordance with the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the law, the generally recognised rules of international law and confirmed treaties, and following the instructions of the minister and of the accredited ambassador.
The distinction that matters in everyday life is between administrative and legal acts. The Embassy and the Consulate General carry out administrative and consular acts; court and notarial proceedings in Bosnia and Herzegovina, by contrast, are conducted by a lawyer. The mission can certify your signature on a power of attorney, but it cannot litigate, draft a claim or record property on your behalf.
Consular services of the BiH missions in the USA: what you can arrange in Washington or Chicago
Loss or theft of a personal document. After you submit the police report on the loss or theft of a passport or identity card, the mission can (1) issue an emergency travel document for your return to Bosnia and Herzegovina or (2), where the statutory conditions are met, issue a new BiH passport.
Arrest or detention. You may request that the Embassy in Washington or the Consulate General in Chicago be notified. The consular officer can inform the local authorities that you are under the consular protection of BiH, ask about the reason for your detention and request permission to visit, and can check whether local law has been observed. At your request the officer can obtain a list of lawyers who may defend you (the cost of your lawyer is borne by you).
Serious accident, illness or death abroad. The consular officer notifies your family through the competent authority and, at the family's request, explains the legal formalities for repatriation or burial. In the event of illness, the officer can help you find a suitable medical facility (treatment costs are borne by you).
Consular will. A last will in the form of a consular will may be made at the mission or, where there are justified reasons, on premises outside it. A request must be submitted at least one working day in advance for a will made at the mission, and at least seven working days in advance for one made elsewhere.
Certification of copies, signatures and declarations. Copies are certified only for documents issued by the competent authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina; the original must be presented and the consular fee paid. For certification of a signature on a power of attorney, for a declaration of inheritance or any other declaration, the person making it must attend in person and prove identity with a valid BiH passport, and the details of the authorised person must be given (surname, name, residence and date of birth).
Personal identification number (JMBG) and registration of children. The JMBG can be determined through the mission for persons who do not have one and for newborn children whom the parents have first entered in the registers in BiH. Children born in the United States can be entered in the birth register and the register of citizens of BiH either through the mission or before the competent registry office in BiH.
Life certificate for a pension. Citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina can have the life certificate required to continue drawing a pension in BiH certified at the Embassy in Washington or the Consulate General in Chicago.
What the BiH missions in the USA cannot do for you
The Embassy and the Consulate General cannot return you to your home country at the state's expense. They cannot pay your fines, hotel or hospital bills or any other costs. They cannot intervene in court proceedings to secure your release if you have committed an offence on the territory of the receiving state. The missions are not a substitute for travel agencies, banks or insurance companies, and they cannot grant you consular protection if you also hold the citizenship of the state in which you are present. For anything that involves a court, a notary or the land registry in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the appropriate course is to instruct a lawyer.
Addresses, telephone numbers and consular jurisdiction of the BiH missions in the USA
Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina – Washington, D.C.
2109 E Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20037
Telephone: +1 202 337 1500
Email: consularaffairs@bhembassy.org
Consular jurisdiction: the eastern group of states and the District of Columbia (the Embassy publishes the precise list of states it covers).
Consulate General of Bosnia and Herzegovina – Chicago
1 East Wacker Drive, Suite 1820, Chicago, IL 60601
Telephone: +1 312 951 1245
Consular jurisdiction: the central and western group of states (the Consulate General publishes the precise list of states it covers).
Bosnia and Herzegovina does not maintain honorary consulates in the United States. The Permanent Mission of BiH to the United Nations in New York deals with multilateral diplomacy and does not provide consular services, so applications, from passports to declarations of inheritance, are submitted to the Embassy in Washington or the Consulate General in Chicago, depending on the state of residence.
Note: the addresses, contact details and consular jurisdiction of diplomatic and consular missions can change. Before visiting or sending documents, we recommend checking the current details and the responsible office on the official pages of the mission concerned.
What the mission handles, and what a lawyer in Bosnia and Herzegovina handles
A large share of the enquiries from citizens of BiH in the United States in fact concern not consular but legal actions carried out in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The mission can certify your signature on a power of attorney or take a declaration of inheritance, but it cannot conduct court proceedings on your behalf, draft a claim, record real estate in the land registry or conclude a contract of sale. Those tasks are carried out by a lawyer in BiH. Law office Prnjavorac, based in Tuzla, has for more than three decades represented clients from the diaspora and conducted their matters in BiH so that the client, as a rule, does not need to travel from the United States.
Inheritance and probate from the USA
Where the deceased leaves property in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the probate proceedings are conducted before the competent court or notary in BiH. Heirs living in the United States do not need to travel: it is enough to make a declaration of inheritance at the Embassy or Consulate General and to certify a power of attorney for the lawyer. On that basis the lawyer obtains the death certificate and register extracts, establishes the circle of heirs and the estate, represents the heir at the hearing and, once the proceedings are concluded, records the inherited real estate in the land registry. You will find more on related pages about family and inheritance law and property relations.
Buying and selling real estate in BiH from the diaspora
The purchase or sale of a flat, house, plot of land or business premises in Bosnia and Herzegovina can be completed entirely from the United States through a power of attorney. The lawyer first checks the state of the land registry, the possession sheets, encumbrances, mortgages and priority notices, so that you avoid the risk of acquiring an encumbered property. The lawyer then prepares the contract of sale, arranges the notarial deed, pays the real-estate transfer tax and records the ownership right; on a sale, the lawyer also ensures that the price is paid into your account. Details are available on the pages about real estate in BiH and the land registry.
A power of attorney certified at the mission
The power of attorney is the central document that enables the lawyer in BiH to act on your behalf. For it to be accepted without corrections, it should contain the exact details of the principal (surname, name, JMBG or passport number and residence), the exact details of the lawyer, and a precisely described scope of authority. We recommend that the draft be prepared by a lawyer before you have it certified at the BiH Embassy in Washington, the Consulate General in Chicago, or before a notary public in the USA (with an apostille). This avoids repeated trips and lost time.
Citizenship and registration of children born in the USA
A child both of whose parents are citizens of BiH acquires BiH citizenship by descent, regardless of place of birth; where only one parent is a citizen of BiH, a child born abroad acquires citizenship by registration and subsequent entry in the birth register and the register of citizens. The office assists with obtaining and translating the US documents, with the subsequent entry in the registers, and with questions concerning the acquisition of BiH citizenship. For situations with a foreign element, international private law is also relevant.
Representation before courts in BiH without travelling from the USA
With a valid power of attorney the lawyer can represent you in every type of proceeding in BiH: disputes over real estate and inheritance, the setting aside of gift contracts or wills, the division of marital property and the dissolution of co-ownership, and proceedings before the Constitutional Court of BiH and the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Communication takes place by email and telephone, with a written report after each stage. If you need legal assistance, you can arrange an initial consultation with an attorney at law by email or telephone.
Apostille in the USA and the use of American documents before BiH authorities
Documents issued in the United States (for example a birth, marriage or death certificate, a power of attorney signed before a notary public, or a court or administrative decision) must, as a rule, be properly legalised and translated before they can be used before authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina are both parties to the 1961 Hague Convention abolishing the requirement of legalisation for foreign public documents; for public documents, therefore, an apostille (the Hague apostille) is obtained instead of full diplomatic legalisation. For documents issued at state level, the apostille is issued by the Secretary of State of the state concerned; for federal documents, by the U.S. Department of State. The document is then translated by a court-sworn translator into the languages officially used in BiH.
If you have the document certified at the BiH Embassy in Washington or the Consulate General in Chicago, an apostille is generally not required, because it is a document of our own diplomatic and consular mission. The office checks which form of certification and translation a particular matter requires (probate, land-registry recording, entry in the registers, litigation), so that documents are not rejected for formal defects. You will find more on handling documents with a foreign element on the page about international private law.
From the USA to a resolved matter in BiH: six steps
- Initial consultation and assessment. You describe the matter and send the available documents (extracts, contracts, land-registry extracts, decisions). We give an assessment, the proposed steps and the approximate costs.
- Preparing the power of attorney. We draft a power of attorney with a precise scope of authority, tailored to your matter, so that it is accepted without corrections.
- Certifying the power of attorney in the USA. You have it certified at the BiH Embassy in Washington, the Consulate General in Chicago, or before a notary public (with an apostille), and send it to us.
- Conducting the matter in BiH. On your behalf we obtain documents and represent you before the court, notary, land registry, cadastre and tax authority.
- Reporting. After each stage you receive a written report by email, with clear next steps and deadlines.
- Completion and registration. Once the decision is final, we carry out the registration, payment or other closing act, so that as a rule you do not need to travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Frequently asked questions: the BiH Embassy in Washington, the Consulate General in Chicago, and legal assistance in BiH
Where are the missions of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the United States?
Bosnia and Herzegovina maintains an Embassy in Washington, D.C. (2109 E Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20037, telephone +1 202 337 1500) and a Consulate General in Chicago (1 East Wacker Drive, Suite 1820, Chicago, IL 60601, telephone +1 312 951 1245). The two missions divide consular jurisdiction over the states between them.
Which mission is responsible for my state, Washington or Chicago?
The Embassy in Washington covers the eastern group of states and the District of Columbia, while the Consulate General in Chicago covers the central and western group. Because the exact division can be updated, it is best to check the responsible office for your state on the missions' official pages before applying.
Can I certify a power of attorney for a lawyer in BiH before a US notary instead of at the mission?
Yes. A power of attorney can be certified at the BiH Embassy in Washington, at the Consulate General in Chicago, or before a notary public in the USA; in the latter case it needs an apostille and a translation into the languages officially used in BiH. We recommend that the draft be prepared by a lawyer beforehand so that it is accepted without corrections.
How do I make a declaration of inheritance from the USA for probate in BiH?
A declaration of inheritance is made in person at the Embassy in Washington or the Consulate General in Chicago, with a valid travel document, or alternatively before a US notary with an apostille and translation. The probate proceedings are conducted before a court or notary in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the lawyer represents you on the basis of a power of attorney, so your presence is not required.
Does the BiH Mission to the UN in New York provide consular services?
No. The Permanent Mission of BiH to the United Nations in New York deals with multilateral diplomacy and does not provide consular services. Consular matters are handled by the Embassy in Washington or the Consulate General in Chicago, depending on your state of residence.
Can a lawyer in BiH conduct my matter without my travelling from the USA at all?
Yes. With a properly certified power of attorney a lawyer in BiH can represent you before courts, notaries, the land registry, the cadastre, the tax authority and other bodies without your personal presence. Communication takes place by email and telephone, with a written report after each stage.
How do I sell or buy real estate in Bosnia and Herzegovina from the USA?
The whole transaction is conducted through a power of attorney: the lawyer checks the state of the land registry and any encumbrances, prepares the contract of sale, arranges the notarial deed, pays the transfer tax and records the change, and on a sale ensures that the price is paid into your account.
Our child was born in the USA: how do we obtain BiH citizenship and documents?
A child both of whose parents are citizens of BiH acquires citizenship by descent; where one parent is a citizen of BiH, citizenship is acquired by registration and subsequent entry in the registers. The US birth certificate is apostilled and translated by a court interpreter, and the entry is made through the mission or before the registry office in BiH.
Do I lose my BiH citizenship if I acquire US citizenship?
No. Under the current Law on Citizenship of BiH, voluntarily acquiring a foreign citizenship does not cause the loss of BiH citizenship, so citizens of BiH in the United States generally keep both. For older cases and special situations, a check on the specific matter is recommended.
How much does a lawyer in BiH cost for a client from the USA, and how is payment made?
The fee is set according to the attorneys' tariff and the complexity of the matter; for typical diaspora work, such as probate or a property sale, a fixed fee agreed in advance is also possible. You receive a cost estimate before instructing us, and payment is usually made by bank transfer from the United States.
Three decades of work with the Bosnian diaspora in the United States
Law office Prnjavorac has been active since 1993 and, in its fourth decade of practice, represents clients from the diaspora across the whole of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The work for clients in the United States is carried out remotely, through a power of attorney certified at the Embassy in Washington or the Consulate General in Chicago, with a written report after each stage of the matter.
What clients from the USA say
A few real matters of our clients who live and work in the United States. We keep full names as attorney-client privilege, so we give only initials.
„When my late father passed away, the house and fields near Tuzla were in his name, and the three of us are in St. Louis. A ticket across the ocean for three of us for every hearing was impossible. We certified a power of attorney in Chicago, gave our declarations, and that was all that was asked of us. Attorney Prnjavorac conducted the entire probate and recorded the house in our names. An email after each stage, all in order.”
„I have been in Chicago for twenty-five years and wanted a flat in Sarajevo so we would have our own place when we come in summer. Listings are one thing, the paperwork another. The office checked the land registry and the encumbrances, down to the last notice, and only then went to the contract and the notary. By the time we landed, the flat was already recorded in our names. That is how it should be done.”
„From Atlanta I watched helplessly as relatives talked my sick father into signing the family land over to them by gift. Mr Azur immediately registered a notice of dispute so nothing further could be sold, then filed suit. It took time, but a settlement returned my mother's share to her. Without them we would have lost everything.”
„I draw my BiH pension in Jacksonville and send a life certificate every year. One year it stuck, the payments stopped, and nobody knew anything. The lawyer sorted out the paperwork with the fund, the pension was reinstated and they paid me all the arrears. I never moved from Florida.”
„I inherited land near Gradačac, but the land registry and the cadastre did not match, so the buyer kept knocking the price down as if buying fog. From Phoenix you cannot fix that by phone. They engaged a surveyor, reconciled the records through the court, and the title came out clean. I sold at the right price; it was worth the wait.”
„Our children were born in Salt Lake City and we kept putting off the BiH paperwork. The office listed exactly what was needed, the apostille, translations and forms, and entered both children in the birth register and the register of citizens. Now they have BiH documents too. They were patient even when we were the ones running late.”
„I was selling an inherited flat in Mostar, and the nearest consulate is far from Des Moines. They drafted the power of attorney for me in advance, I certified it before our notary, apostille and post. They handled the sale, the tax and the transfer of the money to my account. I never travelled once.”
„My brother in Bosnia, me in Grand Rapids, and our parents' house in Lukavac between us. Years of pulling back and forth. I liked that the lawyer did not push straight to a lawsuit but first mediated. We settled, my brother bought me out at the appraised value, and we stayed brother and sister. That mattered most to me.”
„Our New York company was buying a warehouse in BiH. We asked for due diligence before signing, and it proved wise: they found an improperly cancelled mortgage and a dispute mentioned nowhere. The seller had to clear that first. We saved more than the whole service cost.”
„I divorced here in Charlotte, but during the marriage we built a house and bought business premises in BiH, all in his name. He claimed it was not joint property. Before the court in BiH it was proven to be marital property, and half of it went to me. For the first time I felt someone was truly defending what I had built too.”
„A neighbour fenced off the access road to our plot near Doboj overnight, a road that had been used as long as I can remember. From Seattle I thought it was a lost battle. They dug out the old land-registry and cadastral records, proved decades of use, and the court recognised the right of way, all recorded. Hats off.”
„The flat in Sarajevo was still in my late grandfather's name, and the plot numbers were scrambled by digitisation. From St. Louis I just sent whatever they asked for, by email and post. They sorted out the entry through the court, recorded the flat in my name and later organised the sale. I never came once, not even to sign.”
All reviews of our clients are publicly available on both Google business profiles, without filtering, intermediation or moderation by the office:
★ Profile No. 1: Reviews ★ Profile No. 2: ReviewsEmbassies and consulates of BiH abroad
Guides for citizens of BiH in the diaspora, with the addresses of the missions and an explanation of legal assistance in Bosnia and Herzegovina:
