Meeting with Responsible Labour Inspectorates in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Representatives of the Labour and Employment Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina met with representatives of responsible labour inspectorates of the Federation of BiH, Republika Srpska and the Brčko District of BiH on 7 May 2026 in Sarajevo.  The meeting was attended by Ivan Barbalić, Director, and Suzana Radinković, Deputy Director of the Labour and Employment Agency of BiH, along with their associates, as well as Darijana Đurđević on behalf of the Labour Inspectorate of Republika Srpska, Mario Brkan on behalf of the FBiH Labour Inspectorate, and Eldina Dervišević on behalf of the Inspectorate of the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

During the meeting, the inspection authorities shared their experiences regarding the supervision of foreign nationals employed in BiH and discussed the possibility of establishing mutual cooperation in the future.  Representatives of the inspection authorities presented the organisational structure of their respective inspectorates, explained the role of labour inspections, and the procedures for overseeing business entities, which, among other responsibilities, include monitoring the employment of foreign workers.

It was noted that the illegal employment of foreign workers has still not been observed on a significant scale. The main challenges are the lengthy procedure for issuing residence permits to foreign nationals from countries subject to a visa regime with Bosnia and Herzegovina, even after work permits have already been granted.  It was jointly concluded that all institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina involved in the employment of foreign workers should work toward identifying solutions that will accelerate and simplify the processes for obtaining work and residence permits, which remains one of the key demands of the business community in Bosnia and Herzegovina.