Bosnia and Herzegovina · Overview
The legal system of Bosnia and Herzegovina
A civil-law system with a highly complex constitutional order created by the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement, dividing power between the state, two entities and the Brčko District. An EU candidate since 2022.
Legal tradition
Bosnia and Herzegovina belongs to the civil law tradition. A civil-law system with a highly complex constitutional order created by the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement, dividing power between the state, two entities and the Brčko District. An EU candidate since 2022.
How power is divided
A three-member Presidency and Council of Ministers at state level share power with two autonomous entities and the Brčko District, each with their own legislatures and courts, under a Constitutional Court.
Where law comes from
- Constitution
- Dayton Annex 4, plus entity constitutions.
- European Convention on Human Rights
- Directly applicable and above other law.
- State and entity laws
- Legislation at state, entity and cantonal levels.
- Codes
- Obligations, criminal and procedural codes at entity level.
The legal profession
Advokati/odvjetnici belong to entity bar associations; notaries handle deeds and company acts under entity notary laws.
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