What to do if someone dies in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a manageable Balkan repatriation destination. There is a resident British Embassy in Sarajevo, functioning civil institutions, and established cargo connections from Sarajevo Airport. The main complexity is the country’s dual administrative structure: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska operate parallel systems, and the procedures differ depending on where in the country the death occurred.

First 24 hours

Call the FCDO Emergency Travel Line: 020 7008 5000 (24 hours). Then contact the British Embassy Sarajevo: +387 33 282 200.

Do not move the body before police attendance in any non-natural death. In non-natural death cases, the relevant forensic institute must be involved before the body can be released to a funeral director.

Which entity? Federation or Republika Srpska

This is the first question for any Bosnia case. The administrative path depends entirely on the entity:

Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina covers Sarajevo, Mostar, Tuzla, Travnik, and most of central and western Bosnia. Forensic cases go to the Federal Institute of Forensic Medicine in Sarajevo.

Republika Srpska covers Banja Luka, Trebinje, the eastern Republika Srpska region, and East Sarajevo. Forensic cases go to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Banja Luka.

If you are unsure which entity applies to the location of death, ask the Embassy or your specialist firm — the entity boundary is not always obvious on a map.

Death registration

Death registration goes through the municipal vital records office (Matičar) in the relevant municipality. The attending physician certifies cause of death. The Matičar then issues the death certificate (Smrtovnica).

For deaths in hospital settings this is straightforward. For deaths outside medical settings, police attendance and possibly forensic involvement come first.

Forensic institute process

Non-natural deaths — accidents, sudden unexplained deaths, violence — are referred to the relevant entity forensic institute. The process:

1. Police attend and secure the scene
2. Body transferred to forensic institute (Sarajevo for Federation; Banja Luka for Republika Srpska)
3. Forensic examination and cause of death certification
4. Police confirm no criminal prosecution pending
5. Body released to funeral director
6. Municipal Matičar issues death certificate
7. Export permit obtained from cantonal or entity health ministry

Routine accident cases at the forensic institute typically take 3 to 7 days. Complex cases take longer.

Mostar: tourist cases

Mostar is the most visited UK tourist destination in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Stari Most old bridge and the old city draw significant summer visitors. Common causes of death for UK tourists in Bosnia:

• Road accidents on mountain roads
• Heart attacks in summer heat
• Hiking incidents in the surrounding Herzegovina hills and Sutjeska National Park

Mostar cases go through the Federation system. Forensic cases go to Sarajevo. Mostar Airport (OMO) has limited scheduled service; cargo from Mostar typically routes via Sarajevo.

The landmine issue

Rural and mountainous areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina still contain landmines and unexploded ordnance from the 1992-1995 war. The Mine Action Centre of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHMAC) maps cleared and unsafe areas. UK visitors in rural areas should keep strictly to marked paths.

A death in a suspected mined area may involve additional police and BHMAC protocols before the body can be recovered. This is rare for tourist cases but can occur with off-trail hiking or rural driving incidents. It can add days to the process.

Document checklist

Language and translation

Official documents are in Bosnian, Croatian, or Serbian using Latin script in the Federation. Republika Srpska may also produce documents in Cyrillic script. UK authorities require certified English translations of all documents. Specialist firms include this as standard.

Sources: UK FCDO Bosnia and Herzegovina travel advice (gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/bosnia-and-herzegovina, updated 2024); Mine Action Centre of Bosnia and Herzegovina (bhmac.org); British Embassy Sarajevo.