What to Do When Someone Dies in Bosnia and Herzegovina: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Obtain Medical Certification of Death (Potvrda o smrti)

   • Death in a hospital or clinical center: When a death occurs in a public hospital, cantonal hospital (kantonalna bolnica), or university clinical center (such as KCUS Sarajevo, UKC Tuzla, SKB Mostar, or UKC Republike Srpske in Banja Luka), the attending physician establishes the cause of death and issues the official medical death certificate (Potvrda o smrti) and the statistical death report (Statistički list o slučaju smrti) [1].
   • Death at home: If your family member died at a private residence, contact the municipal community health center (Dom zdravlja) or emergency medical service (Hitna pomoć - 124) immediately. An authorized municipal coroner-physician (mrtvozornik) appointed by the local authority must examine the body in person to verify natural causes and issue the Potvrda o smrti before the body may be moved to a mortuary [1].
   • Sudden, accidental, or unattended death: Do not move the body or disturb the surroundings. Report the death immediately to the local police (Policija - 122) and emergency medical services (124). Where a violent, sudden, or unexplained death is suspected, the cantonal or district prosecutor orders a forensic examination or autopsy (obdukcija) before releasing the remains and issuing the medical clearance for burial [1] [2].
2. 2

   Register the Death with the Municipal Civil Registry (Matični ured)

   • Statutory reporting deadlines: Under the entity laws on civil registers (Zakon o matičnim knjigama in FBiH, Republika Srpska, and Brčko District), a death must be declared to the municipal civil registry office (Matični ured or Matična služba) of the municipality (općina / opština) or city (grad) where the death occurred within 3 days of the death (or within 24 hours when urgent sanitary burial regulations apply) [1] [2]. If the death occurred in a healthcare facility, the hospital notifies the registrar electronically or in writing, and a family member or authorized funeral representative completes the formal registration.
   • Required civil registration documents: Bring the medical Potvrda o smrti, the deceased's Bosnian identity card (lična karta / osobna iskaznica) and passport, birth certificate (Izvod iz matične knjige rođenih / Rodni list), marriage certificate (Izvod iz matične knjige vjenčanih / Vjenčani list) if married, and the informant's valid identity document [1] [2].
   • Obtaining official death certificates: Upon entry into the Register of Deaths (Matična knjiga umrlih), the registrar issues the official death certificate (Izvod iz matične knjige umrlih / Smrtni list). Request several original copies, as well as a multilingual international extract (Međunarodni izvod iz matične knjige umrlih under the Vienna Convention) if the deceased held foreign nationality or owned assets abroad [1] [2]. Where an Apostille is required for non-convention jurisdictions, legalization is performed by the competent Municipal Court (Općinski sud in FBiH) or Basic Court (Osnovni sud in Republika Srpska) [2].
3. 3

   Arrange Burial, Cremation, or International Repatriation

   • Engaging a licensed funeral or religious burial society: Municipal cemeteries and mortuaries are operated by public utility companies (Javno komunalno preduzeće - JKP, such as KJKP Pokop in Sarajevo or Gradsko groblje in Banja Luka), licensed private funeral firms, or confessionally organized burial societies (such as Jedileri, Bakije, Pokop, or parish cemetery boards) [1]. Burial takes place once the Potvrda o smrti and burial permit (Dozvola za ukop / sahranu) have been issued, generally between 24 and 48 hours after death.
   • Cremation and cross-border cremation arrangements: Because Bosnia and Herzegovina currently has limited operational crematorium infrastructure, families arranging cremation often coordinate transport through a licensed funeral operator to an accredited crematorium in a neighboring jurisdiction (such as Zagreb or Novi Sad) using a mortuary transit permit, or bury cremated urns at designated municipal cemetery plots [1].
   • International repatriation (Sprovodnica): Transporting human remains across the borders of Bosnia and Herzegovina requires a mortuary passport (Sprovodnica za prenos posmrtnih ostataka), sanitary clearance from the entity health inspectorate confirming placement in a hermetically soldered zinc liner, the Izvod iz matične knjige umrlih, and consular authorization from the relevant diplomatic mission [1].
4. 4

   Notify Pension Funds, Health Insurance, CIPS, and Banks

   • Survivor pension (Porodična penzija / mirovina) and funeral expense grants: In the Federation of BiH, eligible family members (surviving spouse or cohabiting partner meeting statutory age or incapacity thresholds, children in full-time education up to age 26, or dependent parents) submit applications to the cantonal branch of the Federalni zavod za penzijsko i invalidsko osiguranje (FZ MIO/PIO), which also processes funeral assistance reimbursements (posmrtnina / naknada pogrebnih troškova) for qualifying deceased pensioners [3] [4]. In Republika Srpska, survivor pension and funeral claims are filed with the Fond za penzijsko i invalidsko osiguranje Republike Srpske (Fond PIO RS) [5]. Required documents include the official application form, Izvod iz matične knjige umrlih, marriage or birth certificates proving family relationship, school enrollment certificates for student children, and a bank transaction account confirmation [3] [4] [5].
   • Identity cancellation (CIPS / IDDEEA) and health insurance: Following civil death registration, the municipal Matični ured transmits the death record to deregister residency and invalidate the deceased's identity card and passport in the central IDDEEA / CIPS database, as well as to terminate mandatory health insurance with the cantonal health insurance institute (Zavod zdravstvenog osiguranja) or the Republika Srpska Health Insurance Fund [1].
   • Commercial banks and municipal utilities: Present an original Izvod iz matične knjige umrlih to every bank in Bosnia and Herzegovina where your family member held accounts, loans, or safe-deposit boxes so individual accounts are frozen pending the final probate decree, and update municipal utility accounts (elektroprivreda, water, heating, telecoms) [2] [6].
5. 5

   Complete Probate and Estate Succession (Ostavinski postupak)

   • Ex officio preparation of the death inventory (Smrtovnica): Within 30 days of recording the death in the Matična knjiga umrlih, the municipal civil registrar prepares the official death inventory (Smrtovnica) listing known heirs, real estate, and movable assets, and forwards it ex officio to the competent Municipal Court (Općinski sud in FBiH), Basic Court (Osnovni sud in Republika Srpska), or Basic Court of Brčko District, as tracked on the judicial portal of the Visoko sudsko i tužilačko vijeće Bosne i Hercegovine (Pravosudje.ba) [2].
   • Succession hearings before a Public Notary (Notar): Under the Inheritance Laws (Zakon o nasljeđivanju) of FBiH, Republika Srpska, and Brčko District, the court routinely delegates the conduct of uncontested probate proceedings (ostavinski postupak) to an appointed public notary acting as court commissioner (povjerenik suda), registered with the Notarska komora Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine (or the Notary Chamber of Republika Srpska) [2] [6]. Heirs must bring land registry extracts (zk. izvadak from the Zemljišnoknjižni ured and Posjedovni list from the cadastre), bank certificates, vehicle ownership cards, and any written will (testament / oporuka) so the notary can issue the Decree of Inheritance (Rješenje o nasljeđivanju) [2] [6].
   • Inheritance tax and foreign heirs: Inheritance tax rules vary by entity and canton: first-degree heirs (prvi nasljedni red: spouse, children, and parents in most cantons and Republika Srpska) are generally exempt from inheritance tax (porez na nasljeđe), while more distant heirs must report the final Rješenje o nasljeđivanju to the relevant Tax Administration (Porezna uprava FBiH or Poreska uprava RS) [1] [6]. Heirs living abroad may give their inheritance declaration (nasljednička izjava) via a notarized and Apostilled special power of attorney (specijalna punomoć) or before a consular mission of Bosnia and Herzegovina [2] [6].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Vlada Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine - Uprava, matične knjige i građanska stanja — Vlada Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine
2. [2]
   Pokretanje ostavinskog postupka i dostava smrtovnice nadležnom sudu — Općinski sud u Sarajevu / Pravosudje.ba
3. [3]
   Informacije za penzionere i ostvarivanje prava iz penzijskog i invalidskog osiguranja — Federalni zavod za penzijsko i invalidsko osiguranje (FZ MIO/PIO)
4. [4]
   Zahtjev za priznanje prava na porodičnu penziju iza umrlog korisnika i potrebna dokumentacija — Federalni zavod za penzijsko i invalidsko osiguranje (FZ MIO/PIO)
5. [5]
   Fond za penzijsko i invalidsko osiguranje Republike Srpske - Ostvarivanje prava na porodičnu penziju — Fond PIO Republike Srpske
6. [6]
   Notarska komora Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine - Nadležnosti notara i ostavinski postupci — Notarska komora FBiH