Terminal Illness & End-of-Life Planning in Bosnia and Herzegovina: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Coordinate Palliative Care, Home Nursing, and Health Insurance Coverage

   • Primary care and home nursing (Kućna njega i liječenje): Coordinate first with your family member's registered family medicine team (tim porodične / obiteljske medicine) at the local municipal health center (Dom zdravlja). The family physician arranges home medical visits (kućne posjete), community nursing care (patronažna služba), pain management, and infusion therapy for patients who cannot travel to clinics [1] [2].
   • Inpatient palliative care and hospice centers: For specialized symptom control, the family doctor or attending specialist issues a referral (uputnica) to regional palliative care departments or hospices (such as the University Clinical Center Tuzla Palliative Care Center, Lubin hospice/palliative units in Sarajevo and Mostar, or palliative beds within UKC Republike Srpske and regional hospitals) [1] [2].
   • Health insurance coverage of medications and medical aids: In the Federation of BiH, tertiary health rights and inter-cantonal funds are coordinated by the Zavod zdravstvenog osiguranja i reosiguranja Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine alongside the ten cantonal health insurance institutes (kantonalni zavodi zdravstvenog osiguranja), whereas in Republika Srpska coverage is administered by the Fond zdravstvenog osiguranja Republike Srpske [1] [2]. Patients with severe oncological or advanced illnesses qualify for exemption from co-payments (oslobađanje od participacije), essential opioid analgesics on special prescriptions, and orthopedic or nursing aids (ortopedska i druga pomagala) [1] [2].
2. 2

   Record Healthcare Preferences and Authorize a Medical Representative

   • Informed consent and refusal of treatment under patients' rights laws: Under the Law on the Rights, Obligations and Responsibilities of Patients in the Federation of BiH (Zakon o pravima, obavezama i odgovornostima pacijenata) and the corresponding healthcare legislation in Republika Srpska, a patient with decision-making capacity has the statutory right to be fully informed, to consent to proposed medical procedures, or to refuse specific treatments by signing a written declaration in the medical file [1] [2].
   • Designating a proxy for medical information and substitute decisions: While Bosnia and Herzegovina does not maintain a centralized electronic living-will registry, a patient with intact legal capacity can designate a family member or trusted representative in writing within their hospital and Dom zdravlja records to receive confidential medical documentation and communicate treatment wishes [1] [5]. Executing a notarized authorization (notarski ovjerena punomoć / izjava) before a public notary further ensures that hospitals recognize the designated representative if the patient's ability to communicate declines [5].
   • Maintaining an accessible clinical dossier at home: Keep all specialist findings (nalazi i mišljenja specijaliste), hospital discharge letters (otpusno pismo), active therapy lists, and emergency contact details in a single folder at the patient's bedside for emergency medical teams (Hitna pomoć - 124) [1] [2].
3. 3

   Execute Notarial Powers of Attorney and Bank Mandates While Capacity Is Intact

   • Arranging a public notary appointment or home/hospital visit: Under the Laws on Notaries (Zakon o notarima) in both entities and Brčko District, a power of attorney (punomoć) is valid only if executed while the principal (vlastodavac) is mentally competent and capable of understanding the legal act. Contact a notary registered with the Notarska komora Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine (or the Notary Chamber of Republika Srpska) [5]. If your family member is bedridden or hospitalized, public notaries are authorized to perform an official out-of-office attendance (izlazak notara na teren at the home or hospital room) to verify identity and legal capacity in person [5].
   • General administrative vs. special notarial powers of attorney: A certified general power of attorney (opća / opšta punomoć) enables a family representative to deal with health insurance funds, pension institutes, telecoms, utilities, and municipal offices. However, any transaction involving real estate transfer, mortgages, corporate shares, or representation in non-contentious judicial proceedings requires a special notarized or solemnized power of attorney (specijalna notarska punomoć) explicitly enumerating each legal act [5] [6].
   • Bank account mandates (Punomoć za raspolaganje računom): Commercial banks in Bosnia and Herzegovina generally require the account holder to sign the bank's internal account mandate card or present a specific notarial power of attorney citing the exact IBAN/transaction account numbers. Putting this mandate in place early avoids the need for a judicial deprivation-of-capacity and guardianship proceeding (postupak oduzimanja poslovne sposobnosti i postavljanja staratelja) through the Municipal/Basic Court and Center for Social Work [5] [6].
4. 4

   Activate Caregiver Allowances, Disability Benefits, and Statutory Leave

   • Allowance for care and assistance by another person (Dodatak za njegu i pomoć od strane drugog lica): Individuals whose severe illness or physical impairment requires permanent daily assistance from another person can apply for the statutory care and assistance allowance (tuđa njega i pomoć) and civilian disability assessment through their municipal Center for Social Work (Centar za socijalni rad) and the medical disability assessment institutes (Institut za medicinsko vještačenje zdravstvenog stanja in FBiH or commissions in Republika Srpska) [1] [2] [3].
   • Disability pension (Invalidska penzija / mirovina) and pensioner support: If your family member is an active insured worker who has suffered a permanent loss of working capacity, an application for a disability pension can be submitted to the Federalni zavod za penzijsko i invalidsko osiguranje (FZ MIO/PIO) in FBiH or to the Fond PIO Republike Srpske, using the official pension and medical assessment forms [3] [4].
   • Paid sick leave and family care leave for employed caregivers: Under the entity Labor Laws (Zakon o radu) and Health Insurance Laws, an employed spouse or close relative caring for a seriously ill family member can apply through their family medicine doctor for temporary incapacity leave to care for an immediate family member (privremena spriječenost za rad radi njege člana uže porodice / bolovanje), or request statutory paid/unpaid family care leave from their employer [1] [2].
5. 5

   Review Wills, Civil Records, and Property Titles

   • Executing a legally valid will (Testament / Oporuka): Under the Inheritance Laws (Zakon o nasljeđivanju) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, any person aged 15 or older with sound judgment (sposoban za rasuđivanje) may make a will. Recognized forms include a handwritten holographic will (svojeručni testament written and signed entirely in the testator's handwriting), a written will signed before two simultaneous witnesses (pisani testament pred svjedocima), a judicial will recorded at the Municipal or Basic Court (sudski testament), or a notarial will (notarski testament) drafted and registered by a notary of the Notarska komora Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine or Republika Srpska [5] [6].
   • Property lifetime contracts: Remember that under Bosnian inheritance law, mandatory heirs (nužni nasljednici, such as spouse and children) have statutory forced-share rights unless property is transferred under a notarized Contract on Lifetime Support (Ugovor o doživotnom izdržavanju) or Contract on Distribution of Estate During Lifetime (Ugovor o ustupanju i raspodjeli imovine za života) [5] [6].
   • Verifying land registry, civil status, and cross-border documents: Check that real property is cleanly registered in both the court land registry (Zemljišnoknjižni ured of the Municipal/Basic Court) and municipal cadastre (Katastar), assemble current birth and marriage extracts (Rodni list, Vjenčani list), and obtain an Apostille from the competent court on any power of attorney that must be used outside Bosnia and Herzegovina [5] [6].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Zavod zdravstvenog osiguranja i reosiguranja Federacije BiH - Prava osiguranih lica i zdravstvena zaštita — ZZOiR FBiH
2. [2]
   Fond zdravstvenog osiguranja Republike Srpske - Prava iz zdravstvenog osiguranja i oslobađanje od participacije — FZO Republike Srpske
3. [3]
   Federalni zavod za penzijsko i invalidsko osiguranje - Prava osiguranika i penzionera — FZ MIO/PIO
4. [4]
   Obrasci zahtjeva i potrebna dokumentacija za ostvarivanje prava iz penzijskog i invalidskog osiguranja — Federalni zavod za penzijsko i invalidsko osiguranje (FZ MIO/PIO)
5. [5]
   Notarska komora Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine - Notarske isprave, punomoći i testamenti — Notarska komora FBiH
6. [6]
   Sudski i notarski vanparnični postupci i nasljednopravni poslovi u Bosni i Hercegovini — Općinski sud u Sarajevu / Pravosudje.ba