Scheduled Report - Public distribution

**Date:** 8/26/2008

**GAIN Report Number:** BK8006

BK8006

**Bosnia-Hercegovina**

**FAIRS Country Report**

**Annual**

**2008**

**Approved by:**

![](media/image1.wmf)Quintin Gray

U.S. Embassy

**Prepared by:**

Sanela Stanojcic - Eminagic

**Report Highlights:**

Sections updated: I, III, V, VI, VII, and IX.

Includes PSD Changes: No

Includes Trade Matrix: No

Annual Report

Vienna \[AU1\]

\[BK\]

**Disclaimer:**

**\"The Office of Agricultural Affairs of the USDA/Foreign Agricultural
Service in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina has prepared this report for
U.S. exporters of domestic food and agricultural products. While every
possible care was taken in the preparation of this report, information
provided may not be completely accurate either because policies have
changed since its preparation, or because clear and consistent
information about these policies was not available. It is highly
recommended that U.S. exporters verify the full set of import
requirements with their foreign customers, who are normally best
equipped to research such matters with local authorities, before any
goods are shipped. FINAL IMPORT APPROVAL OF ANY PRODUCT IS SUBJECT TO
THE IMPORTING COUNTRY\'S RULES AND REGULATIONS AS INTERPRETED BY BORDER
OFFICIALS AT THE TIME OF PRODUCT ENTRY.\"**

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

SECTION I. FOOD LAWS

SECTION II. LABELING REQUIREMENTS

SECTION III. PACKAGING AND CONTAINER REQUIREMENTS

SECTION IV. FOOD ADDITIVE REGULATIONS

SECTION V. PESTICIDE AND OTHER CONTAMINANTS

SECTION VI. OTHER REGULATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

SECTION VII. OTHER SPECIFIC STANDARDS

SECTION VIII. COPYRIGHT AND TRADEMARK LAWS

SECTION IX. IMPORT PROCEDURES

APPENDIX I. GOVERNMENT REGULATORY AGENCY CONTACTS

APPENDIX II. OTHER IMPORT SPECIALIST CONTACTS

# SECTION I. FOOD LAWS

Under the Dayton Peace Agreement, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is
divided into two Entities, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (F
BiH) and Republika Srpska (RS). In general, the Entities are responsible
for agricultural and food issues in its Entity, and there is no
national-level agricultural ministry. However, BiH has three common
national-level food institutions: the State Veterinary Office, the Plant
Health Administration and the Food Safety Agency. The European Union
(EU) has recommended the establishment of a national-level agricultural
ministry, which will ensure that BiH has one competent food authority
when negotiations for the EU accession begin. In the absence of a
national agricultural ministry, the Ministry Of Foreign Trade and
Economic Relations (MFTER) has taken the lead in the food safety area.
Currently, an agricultural department supported with EU funds is being
established within MFTER, as a nucleus of the future agricultural
ministry.

Regarding the food laws, for a long time each Entity had its own laws
and enforcement mechanisms and only recently three important
national-level laws were adopted but not yet fully enforced -- the
Veterinary Law (BiH Official Gazette \# 34/02), the Food Law (BiH
Official Gazette \# 50/04), and the Law on Agriculture, Food and Rural
Development \*(BiH Official Gazette \# 50/08).

###### Foreign trade and customs policies

National level laws, including the Law on BiH Foreign Trade Policy and
the Law on BiH Customs Tariffs, regulate issues regarding foreign trade
and customs tariffs.

The Law on BiH Foreign Trade policy promotes the free trade of goods and
services. Officially, restrictions and import bans are applied to
protect public health and the domestic market against subsidized or
dumped products and to prohibit discrimination against imports or the
products of a particular country.

BiH has a single ministry in charge of foreign trade issues: the
Ministry of Trade and Economic Relations (MFTER). MFTER is a "super"
institution on the national level, in charge of high-level trade issues
such as special agreements on trade with other countries and
international agreements.

BiH is not a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) but started
accession negotiations in 1999. BiH is a member of the Central European
Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) that also includes Albania Croatia,
Macedonia, Montenegro, Moldova, Serbia, United Nations Mission in Kosovo
(UNMIK), and Kosovo. On June 16, 2008, BiH signed the Stabilization and
Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Commission and following
that, custom duties for some products coming from the EU were lifted on
July 1. For the remaining products, a gradual phase-out will follow. BiH
will have a transition phase for trade liberalization of certain
industrial and agricultural products; duties will be phased out within
1-5 years, depending on the product.

Recently a common customs administration, the Indirect Tax
Administration (ITA) has been established and according to the Law on
BiH Customs Tariffs, BiH applies a single customs policy for imports.
The Harmonized System (HS) of commodity description and coding,
developed by the World Customs Organization (WCO)*,* is applied. Customs
tariffs for agricultural products range from 0, 5, 10 and 15%, with an
additional charge for some agricultural products based on unit weight,
in KM[^1]/kg (for product specific tariff information, please contact
the Sarajevo FAS office listed in Appendix II).

Taxes are applied at the same rates for locally produced and imported
goods. On January 1, 2006, the ITA introduced a 17% single value-added
tax (VAT) .

####### Food safety

While the foreign trade and customs policies are unified at the national
level, the food safety responsibility is still shared between the
national-level and the entity level authorities, including prior import
approvals, food certificates and food laws and regulations.

The Bosnian Government has made an effort to unify veterinary and
phytosanitary laws and regulations. A national-level, state veterinary
office (SVO) was established in December 2000, and a common veterinary
law was adopted to harmonize the Entity laws. Recently the SVO started
to control imports and exports of veterinary products and took control
of veterinary border inspections. The state--level phytosanitary
administration (Plant Health Administration) and the food safety agency
were established in spring 2006. These administrations are in charge of
policy issues, drafting regulations, improving food safety and plant
health protection, serving as the inquiry point and representing BiH
internationally. The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations is
the umbrella organization for the phytosanitary and veterinary
administrations, while the food safety agency is under direct authority
of the Council of Ministers (state government) .

There is also an ongoing reorganization of the entity -- level
inspections, such as the inland veterinary inspection, phytosanitary,
sanitary and market inspections. These inspections were previously parts
of the entity ministries of agriculture, health and trade but are now
merged into a joint entity inspectorate.

The MFTER, SVO, the Entities' Ministries of Agriculture, Health and
Trade and, as of recently, the entity -- level inspectorates share
responsibility for food safety. The SVO issues import requirements and
import approvals for live animals and animal products, while state Plant
Health Administration (PHA) has the responsibility to issue final import
permits for seeds, planting material and pesticides, based on the
Entities phytosanitary department's technical opinion. The SVO border
inspectors and the Entities' phytosanitary inspectors inspect goods at
border crossings.

The Entities' sanitary inspectors are responsible for the wholesomeness
of imported foods. Inspections take place at border crossings or, more
commonly, at the customs clearance point.

Finally, the Entities' market inspectors are in charge of quality
control for imported foods. They inspect imported food products at the
customs point and food in retail distribution.

Both Entities in BiH have inherited and still use some food laws from
the former Yugoslavia[^2]. However, future food laws and regulations
will most likely be harmonized with European Union (EU) directives[^3].

The following laws and regulations are relevant both for locally
processed and imported foods:

The state-level Food Law (adopted in November 2004, BiH Official Gazette
\# 50/04) regulates the following issues:

\- Establishment of the state-level Food Safety Agency;

\- General principles and requirements concerning the safety of food and
cattle feed;

\- Responsibilities of the relevant persons in the food business and
cattle feed business with regard to the safety of food and cattle feed;

\- General conditions for placing novel food on the market;

\- General conditions for placing cattle feed that contains or consists
of genetically modified organisms on the market;

\- Official control system;

\- Official research laboratories and reference laboratories;

\- Crisis management and emergencies management etc.

The Law is just a framework law that has to be followed by the specific
and detailed regulations/bylaws in the future.

\- The Law on Sanitary Correctness of Food and Goods of General Use
(taken from Yugoslavia Official Gazette 53/91) - This law applies to
foods, spices, additives, processing equipment, wrapping material, as
well as tobacco and products. It regulates both food hygiene (subject to
the specific ordinances regulating presence of pathogenic
microorganisms, parasites, pesticides and other contaminants, mechanical
residues, changes in food quality due to the physical chemical,
microbiological and other processes, expiry date, original package and
bulk-packaged foods labeling) and nutritive value (subject to the
specific ordinances regulating quality of each type of food). Sanitary
inspectors work in accordance to this Law.

\- Enforcement is done in accordance with the Law on Market Inspection
(FBiH Official Gazette 2/95, RS Official Gazette 10/97) and the Law on
Quality Control of Imported and Exported Goods (BiH Official Gazette
13/03). Quality control for all types of products is done by visual
check-up and for products listed in the above-mentioned Laws (almost
everything that is considered as food) additional safety checks are
done, using laboratory testing on basic ingredients. Visual check ups
involve product identification (origin, type, quantity), determining if
labeling and packaging requirements have been met, and checking for the
necessary statements containing the importer's name and address, the
product's general appearance, taste, flavor, presence of residues,
color, structure etc. Specific ordinances define sampling procedures.

Quality control of imported products can be done again after the import
procedure has been completed and prior to retail distribution on the
market. Inspection can be done also after retail distribution.

The quality of individual groups of products is subject to specific
ordinances (e.g. Quality of Meat and Meat Products, Quality of Milk and
Milk Products, Quality of Honey and other bee products etc).

# SECTION II. LABELING REQUIREMENTS

The Law on Sanitary Correctness of Food and Goods of General Use
regulates labeling requirements for food. According to the Law, a label
must be present on both retail and bulk packaged foods and must indicate
the following: expiration date, type and content of food additives, type
and content of added vitamins, minerals, and other ingredients added to
enrich the product's nutritional value. Labels on foods that have been
changed nutritionally for people on special diets must clearly indicate
"dietetic food". Labels must not indicate possible medicinal
characteristics of foods.

Producers of cigarettes and tobacco must indicate clearly on packages
"Smoking causes health problems", as well as the content of nicotine and
tar.

The Law on Quality Control of Imported and Exported Goods says that a
label must clearly indicate the name of the product, manufacturer's
complete address, name and address of the importer, and important
information such as net weight in metric units, ingredients,
instructions for use (if necessary) and storage and any important
information and warnings.

If an original label is in English (e.g. standard U.S. label) or any
other language, the seller is obliged to prepare translated stick-on
labels and deliver them together with imported products. It is the
importer's obligation to stick those translated labels on products prior
to retail distribution.

For each type of food product a specific ordinance spells out labeling
requirements; e.g. according to the ordinance for Quality of Edible
Vegetables Oils and Fats, Mayonnaise and Related Products (Yugoslavia
Official Gazette 27/85), a label must clearly indicate the following:

1\) product name and brand name if any, 2) manufacturer's name and
complete address, 3) date of manufacturing (day/month/year), 4) "use by"
or "best before" date, 5) product's net-weight (mass or volume), 6) used
food additives, 7) basic ingredients listed in order of their
predominance and type and 8) quantity of ingredients added to enrich
product's nutritive value. The label must be noticeable, visible, clear
and legible. The product's and the manufacturer's names must be printed
in larger fonts (the size of font is not specified).

Labels for margarine and similar products must include the percentage of
individual components. If vitamins are added the label must indicate,
"enriched with vitamins".

If the manufacturing and packaging companies are not the same, the label
must indicate the company that did the packaging. Labels for honey must
include its origin (e.g. linden honey, meadow honey) and production
method (e.g. comb, liquid, strained honey). If it was imported, it must
be labeled "imported honey".

Labels for roasted coffee must indicate its origin and date of roasting.

Meat products must indicate "chilled", "frozen", "heat treated",
"sliced", "chopped" etc. and must provide instructions for use and
storage if necessary.

If products were artificially colored and preserved by preservatives, it
must be indicated right below the product's name, e.g. "artificially
colored" or "preserved by preservative".

Claims such as "light" and "reduced" are permitted. However, a general
requirement is that labels must not contain words, pictures and drawings
and health-related information that could mislead consumers regarding
product's origin, quantity and quality

None of the existing laws or ordinances regulates organic labeling. The
Law on Consumer Protection (BIH Official Gazette #17/02) says that
biotech products have to be labeled, but it does not go into details.

**SECTION III. PACKAGING AND CONTAINER REQUIREMENTS**

Packaging requirements are subject to specific ordinances for each type
of food. For example, packaging material for raw coffee packed in ½ kg
units must weigh less than 50g per square meter. Packaging requirements
for fresh seafood products are quite comprehensive and detailed.
Exporters can obtain specific packaging information at the FAS office in
Sarajevo (see Appendix II). However, in most of cases there are no
special requirements concerning packaging material and container size.
The BiH consumers' prefer larger packages at lower prices. There are no
legal requirements regarding the collection and recycling of used
packaging materials.

**SECTION IV. FOOD ADDITIVE REGULATIONS**

Food additives are regulated by the ordinance on "Quality of Foods
Additives" Yugoslavia Official Gazette 39/89). According to that
ordinance, additives are substances that are not foods (regardless of
their nutritive value) but are added to foods during processing because
of their effect on the food's characteristics. Substances added to
enrich nutritive value and salt are not considered as additives.

Additives can be added to foods if approved and listed in the "Positive
List" provided in the above-mentioned ordinance (approx. 500 additives
in total). The quantity used must be in accordance with specific
regulations for each group of products. Additives must not
affect/decrease product's nutritive value and change significantly taste
and flavor of product, unless this is the intent. They also must not
create toxins in products during the processing, storage or use. They
must be identifiable, which means that their type and quantity in
product can be tested, unless they were removed or destroyed during
processing. Additive usage generally must be justified from a technical
standpoint.

Additives are divided into 14 groups according to the "Positive
List": 1) antioxidants and synergists of antioxidants, 2) preservatives,
3) flavorings, 4) flavor intensifiers, 5) emulsifiers, stabilizers and
coagulants, 6) colorings, 7) anticoagulants, 8) acids, 9) bases, 10)
salts, 11) enzymes 12) sweeteners, 13) processing accessory substances
(against foaming, for filtration, catalysts) and 14) other. For each of
these groups there are specific requirements. There are also two
additional lists in the ordinance: 1) a list of herbs that cannot be
used in production of food flavorings and 2) a list of flavorings and
other substances with restricted usage (e.g. caffeine).

Additives labels must clearly indicate the following:

1.  The additive's name according to the "Positive List", or mixture
    name, including its usage, and brand name if any,

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1.  The manufacturer's name and complete address,

2.  The date of manufacturing (day/month/year) and "best before" date,

3.  The product's net-weight (mass or volume) in metric units,

4.  Basic ingredients:

5.1. For additives: The basic ingredient (active component) and its
quantity in units or percentage compared to product's net-weight. An
additive's basic ingredient is its active component. For flavoring, the
origin/type is declared -- natural, artificial or naturally identical.
Additive carriers (e.g. ethanol) must be declared,

> 5.2. For additive mixtures: A list of additive names from the
> "Positive List" in order of their predominance compared to product's
> net-weight. If certain additives can be used only in limited quantity,
> the quantity must be declared

5.  Name of the country of origin -- if imported, except for small
    packages in retail distribution,

6.  Other information important to consumers.

The product's name and the manufacturer's name must be printed in larger
fonts (not specified). Labels must indicate the company that did the
packaging (name and address) if different from manufacturer.

Sodium nitrite, potassium nitrite and saltpeter mixtures used for
pickling may be sold but only in original packaging and must be marked
as "warning -- poison!" and "keep in dry place". The "Positive List",
the list of herbs that cannot be used in production of food flavorings
and the list of flavorings and other substances with restricted usage,
can be obtained at the FAS office in Sarajevo (see Appendix II).

**SECTION V. PESTICIDE AND OTHER CONTAMINANTS**

In general, imported food products must comply with domestic rules.

Although BiH is not a member of the Codex Alimentarius Commission*,* the
CODEX maximum residue limits (MRLs) are recognized for imported
foodstuffs.

There is a specific ordinance on the residue limits for pesticides and
other contaminants, (e.g. hormones, antibiotics and mycotoxins) that can
be found in food (the ordinance on "Pesticides and other Contaminants in
Food" was inherited from the old Yugoslavia Official Gazette, No. 59/83,
79/87). According to the ordinance, pesticides are substances used for
protection of agricultural products against diseases and pests.
Pesticides and their maximum residue limits in food are listed in a
special attachment. The list includes 232 different pesticides, their
trade names, chemical names and maximum contents in milligrams per
kilogram (mg/kg) of food. Products like spices and food additives can
contain 10 times more pesticides than normally allowed, while tea can
contain five times more pesticides. For concentrated and dehydrated
products (e.g. milk powder, dried soups) the maximum quantities are
being calculated for a product that is used for final consumption (e.g.
liquid milk and soups). Food contaminants are listed as lead, cadmium,
mercury, zinc, tin, cooper, arsenic, iron and other metals and
nonmetals. The ordinance provides a table with maximum residue limits
for 47 different foods (expressed in mg/kg).

Hormones and antibiotics residues are generally not allowed in food
products.

Maximum residue limits of mycotoxins are also regulated for grains,
flour, legumes, beans, nuts, coffee, roasted cocoa and peanuts. The
above-mentioned lists are available from the FAS office in Sarajevo (see
Appendix II).

For import of pesticides***,*** prior approvals must be obtained at the
Entities' Ministries of Agriculture for approved pesticides. The
information on approved pesticides and required documents can be
obtained from the following address:

[For the F BiH :]{.underline}

Ministry of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry

Phytosanitary Department

Titova 15

71 000 Sarajevo

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Contact person: Scepan Raguz and Mario Beus

Tel. +387 (33) 214 247

Fax: +387 (33) 206 638

[For the RS:]{.underline}

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management

Phytosanitary Department

Kralj Petra I Karadjordjevica 100

78000 Banja Luka

Contact person: Nikolina Cutura

Tel: +387 51 338 397, 338 398

Fax: +387 51 338 866

E-mail: mps@mps.vladars.net

The Plant Health Administration issues final import permits:

BiH Plant Health Administration

Trampina 4

71000 Sarajevo

Contact person: Sabaheta Cutuk

Tel/fax: +387 33 217 034

E-mail: scutuk@bih.net.ba

**SECTION VI. OTHER REGULATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS**

Upon an importer's request, the State Veterinary Office (SVO) provides
the specific requirements for the import of live animals and products of
animal origin (for contact details see Appendix I). Those requirements
are in accordance with the Office International des Epizooties (OIE)
requirements. However, according to the Veterinary Law, import of
foodstuffs, raw materials, products, animal feed, veterinary medicines
and waste shall be authorized only if the establishments of origin
comply with the prescribed conditions and are registered with the
European Union. Exceptionally, the SVO may authorize import from other
establishments, if it has been recognized that regulations, standards,
production methods and supervision carried out by the exporting country
are at least equivalent to the regulations of BiH and that at least
equivalent consumer protection has been guaranteed in those countries.
Exporting facilities need to register with the SVA for the first time
they export to BiH.

Food products must be tested for microbe levels at laboratories within
the Entities' Institutes for Public Health (see Appendix II). The
ordinance on "Microbiological Wholesomeness of Food" comes from the
Yugoslavia Official Gazette, No. 43/83 and No. 43/89, and provides
maximum content of different microorganisms in food products.

Because of European outbreaks of FMD, BSE, Classical Swine Fever,
Bluetongue and Avian Influenza, the SVA has banned imports and
transportation of domestic and wild ruminants and their products from a
number of countries, as well as feed containing proteins of animal
origin. The United States was not listed in any of the import bans,
except for BSE; however, beef imports from the U.S. are allowed if
certain requirements are met.

There are specific conditions for import of semen and embryos. They may
be obtained from the SVA (see appendix I).

Certification and documentation: Live animals, meat and diary products
require veterinary certification, while fruits and vegetables require a
phyto-sanitary certificate issued by the export country's relevant
authorities (e.g. USDA/APHIS).

Foods that are subject to veterinary and phytosanitary inspections can
enter BiH only at certain border crossings including: Orasje, Gradiska,
Izacic, Gorica, Kamensko and Doljani (on the border with Croatia), Raca
and Zvornik (on the border with Serbia) and the Sarajevo Airport.
Importers should always inform the SVO or the relevant Ministry at the
point of entry in order to allow them to fax import permits to the
relevant border inspection post. Inspection services are much more
expensive if done after regular working hours and on weekends and
holidays.

**SECTION VII. OTHER SPECIFIC STANDARDS**

Organic agriculture: According to domestic agricultural experts, BiH has
a good climate for organic farming. However, organic agriculture is at
the beginning phase of development and there are no standards yet
enforced (a national Law on Organic Farming is being prepared).
Consumers tend to think that almost all agriculture production is
organic since production is more traditionally oriented, and the use of
pesticides is lower than elsewhere in Europe. There are also few
industrial polluters.

Genetically modified organisms (GMO)***:*** BiH lacks detailed
regulations on import and marketing of GM foods and therefore the import
of GMOs is forbidden since November 2004, when the new Food Law was
adopted (BiH Official Gazette \# 50/04). The Law generally regulates
import and marketing of biotech food products and says that the
applicant must obtain a permit from the BiH Food Safety Administration.
BiH does not produce biotech crops and there are no laws and regulations
that govern approval and production of biotech products. There are no
biotechnology crops under development in BiH.

Veterinary drugs: must be on the approved list of veterinary drugs. The
list is available from the SVO (Appendix I);

Seeds and planting materials: Seeds can be imported only if the
varieties are recognized in the country. The List of Recognized
Varieties is available at the Ministries of Agriculture. If a variety is
not on the list, importers can request its recognition from the Seeds
Commission (request forms available at the Ministries of Agriculture,
Law on recognition of agricultural varieties F BiH Official Gazette
31/00 and Law on Plant Protection RS Official Gazette 13/97).

The Metric system is used in BiH; Live animals are subject to the
ordinance on quarantine requirements for imported animals issued by the
SVA. For ruminants, the required quarantine is 30 days, for poultry and
pets 21 day, for semen and inseminated egg cells 14 days;

Alcoholic beverages, nonalcoholic beverages, and tobacco: Products are
subject to specific taxation rules and require an import license issued
by the Indirect Tax Administration (ITA). The ITA issues control excise
stamps which are to be included in the packaging prior to import into
BiH.

### SECTION VIII. COPYRIGHT AND TRADEMARK LAWS

The Law on Industrial Property Rights (BiH Official Gazette No. 3/02)
and the Law on Copyrights (BiH Official Gazette 7/02) protect trademarks
and brand names. Domestic and foreign applications must be submitted to
the BiH Institute for Standards, Metrology and Intellectual Property
(see Appendix II). However, according to research done by the U.S.
Foreign Commercial Service, intellectual property rights (IPR) are often
inadequately enforced and intellectual property, patents, copyrights and
trademarks inadequately protected. BiH is not a signatory to the
Trade-Related Aspects of IPR (TRIPS) agreement and insufficiently
enforces key international agreements on IPR[^4] to which it is a party.
In 1993, BiH became a member of the World Organization for Intellectual
Property (WIPO). In 2004, the International Intellectual Property
Alliance gave BiH a special mention because of its lack of effective
legislation and enforcement. BiH\'s porous borders make it a
distribution point for pirated goods to the rest of Europe. U.S.
companies should plan to hire a local attorney to pursue infringement
matters in local courts.

**SECTION IX. IMPORT PROCEDURES**

Foreign exporters can export food products to BiH using a locally
registered office or a local company/shipping agency registered for
import activities. It is common for agents to help with food import
regulations.

Prior import approvals and licenses are required for live animals and
animal products and seeds and pesticides. For animals and certain animal
products, the State Veterinary Administration (SVO) provides prior
approvals. For seeds, planting materials and pesticides the entities'
agriculture ministries provide prior approvals. Forms are available at
the SVA and the Ministries (see Appendix I). It is important to note
that requirements for prior import approvals differ between the two
Entities.

All food products must be accompanied with standard documents that
follow each shipment and by health certificates issued by relevant
authorities of exporting countries (e.g. veterinary certificate for meat
and meat products, phytosanitary certificates for fruits, vegetables,
seeds etc.) and are subject to veterinary and phytosanitary inspections
at border crossings and sanitary and market inspections at customs
points.

Sanitary inspectors visually inspect all food for sanitary wholesomeness
prior to customs clearance and take samples for laboratory tests (see
Appendix II). Imported goods are held at the customs point until testing
is complete.

Market inspectors issue the quality certificates at inspection points
(see Appendix I). Quality control inspections are done at the
exporter/importer's written request, which should be received at least
24 hours prior to the customs clearance. The request for quality control
must be accompanied with basic documents that follow each shipment,
translated into Bosnian/Croatian for the F BiH or into Serbian for the
RS. The following information must be provided in the documents: type
and name of product, country of origin, exporter's name, manufacturer's
name, type and number of transport means, port of loading and unloading,
total pieces, packaging unit, gross and net weigh and product's quality
basic data. If the same product is imported again, and it has been
tested within 90 days, only a visual check up is done. Both Entities
have officially recognized laboratories to test imported food products
(Appendix II).

If a market inspector rejects an importer's request, goods are stored
until the procedure is complete - the inspector can order the return or
destruction of goods if necessary at the importer's expense, or can
order certain changes prior to customs clearance.

**APPENDIX I. GOVERNMENT REGULATORY AGENCY CONTACTS**

1\. Imports of live animals and products, veterinary drugs:

> State Veterinary Office
>
> Radiceva 8/II
>
> 7100 Sarajevo
>
> Bosnia and Herzegovina
>
> Tel. +387 33 258 840
>
> Fax +387 33 265 620
>
> E-mail: info@vet.gov.ba
>
> <http://www.vet.gov.ba/>

2\. Import of seeds, planting material and pesticides:

F BiH Ministry of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry

Phytosanitary Department

Titova 15

71 000 Sarajevo

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Tel. +387 (33) 214 247

Fax: +387 (33) 206 638

http://www.fbihvlada.gov.ba/engleski/index.html

RS Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management

> Phytosanitary Department

Kralj Petra I Karadjordjevica 100

78000 Banja Luka

Tel: +387 51 338 397, 338 398

Fax: +387 51 338 866

> http://www.vladars.net/lt/min/mps.html

E-mail: <mps@mps.vladars.net>

BiH Plant Health Administration

Trampina 4

71000 Sarajevo

Contact person: Sabaheta Cutuk

Tel/fax: +387 33 217 034

E-mail: scutuk@bih.net.ba

3\. Sanitary and market inspection:

F BiH Inspectorate

Turhanija 2

> 71 000 Sarajevo
>
> Tel: + 387 33 563 350

Fax + 387 33 563 351

RS Inspectorate

> Kralja Petra I Karadjordjevica 130
>
> 51000 Banja Luka
>
> Tel. + 387 51 222 460

Fax: +387 51/213 7346.

4.  Alcohol, nonalcoholic beverages, tobacco:

Indirect Taxation Administration of Bosnia and Herzegovina

> Mr. Kemal Causevic, Director
>
> Phone: 387-(0)51-335-494
>
> Fax: 387-(0)51-335-101
>
> Bana Lazarevica bb
>
> Banja Luka, 78000
>
> **APPENDIX II. OTHER IMPORT SPECIALIST CONTACTS**

Office of Agricultural Affairs (Foreign Agricultural Service \[FAS\])

> U.S. Embassy to BiH
>
> 71000 Sarajevo
>
> Bosnia and Herzegovina
>
> Tel.: +387 33 445 700, x2099
>
> Fax:+387 33 212 692
>
> Contact: Sanela Stanojcic, Agricultural Specialist
>
> http://sarajevo.usembassy.gov/
>
> E-mail: sanela.stanojcic-eminagic@usda.gov

Officially recognized laboratories:

> F BiH Institute for Public Health
>
> Titova 9
>
> 71 000 Sarajevo
>
> Tel: +387 33 663 940 and 664 548
>
> Fax: +387 33 220 548
>
> Agricultural Institute Sarajevo
>
> Butmirska Cesta 40
>
> 71 000 Sarajevo
>
> Tel: +387 33 623 203
>
> Fax: +387 33 637 601
>
> University of Sarajevo, Veterinary College
>
> Department for Food Hygiene
>
> Zmaja od Bosne 90
>
> 71 000 Sarajevo
>
> Tel/fax: +387 33 643 684
>
> E-mail: vetfaksa@bih.net.ba
>
> Veterinary Institute "Vaso Butozan" Banja Luka
>
> Branka Radicevica 18
>
> 78 000 Banja Luka
>
> Tel/Fax +387 51 211 048
>
> RS Institute for Health Protection
>
> Jovana Ducica 1
>
> 78 000 Banja Luka
>
> Tel.: +387 51 216 510
>
> Fax. +387 51 216 510
>
> Agricultural Institute Bijeljina
>
> Stefana Decanskog bb
>
> 76 300 Bijeljina
>
> Tel. +387 55 240 137
>
> Fax:+387 55 240 032
>
> Agricultural Institute Banja Luka
>
> Knjaza Milosa 17
>
> 78 000 Banja Luka
>
> Tel. +387 51 303 112

Fax: +387 51 312 7923.

Other Useful contacts:

> BiH Foreign Trade Chamber of
>
> Branislava Djurdjeva 10
>
> 71 000 Sarajevo
>
> Tel. +387 33 663 370 and 663 636
>
> Fax.+387 33 214 292\
> E-mail: <cis@komorabih.ba>\
> http://www.komorabih.ba/
>
> F BiH Chamber of Economy
>
> Branislava Djurdjeva 10
>
> 71 000 Sarajevo
>
> Tel. +387 33 663 370 and 667 940
>
> Fax: +387 33 663 632 and 663 635
>
> E-mail: webmaster@komorabih.com
>
> http://www.kfbih.com/eng/index.htm
>
> RS Chamber of Commerce
>
> Djure Danicica 1/II
>
> 78 000 Banja Luka
>
> Tel. +387 51 215 744
>
> Fax: +387 51 215 565
>
> E-Mail: <pkrs@blic.net>; <info@komorars.ba>

http://www.komorars.ba/a2/index.php/pg/0.html

[^1]: ^The\ BiH\ official\ currency\ is\ convertible\ mark\ (KM).\ 1\ US\$\ values\ approximately\ 1.45\ KM.^

[^2]: BAS is the officially recognized Bosnian standard (Law on
    Standardization, BiH Official Gazette 19/02). However, when it comes
    to food ordinances, the former Yugoslavia standard JUS is still in
    use.

[^3]: BiH has undertaken major political and economic reforms with the
    goal of eventual accession to the EU.

[^4]: Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, Madrid
    Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks, Nice
    Agreement on the International Classification of Goods and Services
    for the Purpose of Registering Marks, Locarno Agreement Establishing
    an International Classification for Industrial Designs, and the Bern
    Convention for the Protection of Literary and Art Works