🇧🇦 Bosnian Interpreter - Translation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Documents

A document received from Bosnia and Herzegovina often raises a question at first sight: what language is it written in? On a single extract, Bosnian and Croatian words may stand side by side, the stamp may be in Cyrillic and the handwritten fields in Latin letters. TARGMANEBI translates such documents into Georgian so that every part of them - the main text, the stamp, the apostille and the attachment - is clear and verifiable for the Georgian recipient.

You need a Bosnian interpreter when you submit a Bosnian birth extract, a marriage document, a diploma, a court decision or a company extract in Georgia. The same need arises in the opposite direction, when a Georgian document has to be taken to an institution in Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Mostar, Tuzla or Zenica. We work in both directions and each time take into account who will read the final text.

Bosnian-Georgian translation services

The clients who come to us most often are families planning a marriage or the registration of a child in Georgia, students preparing documents for the recognition of their studies, employers hiring a Bosnian specialist, and companies that need a contract or a register extract with a Bosnian partner. Every order starts with a review of the document: we establish the number of pages, the language and the script, the number of seals and signatures, and also where you will submit the finished text.

Written translation is prepared for both official and personal purposes. For an official matter, the text is laid out according to the structure of the original, seals and signatures are described in square brackets, and numbers and codes are carried over unchanged. For information purposes - for example, to understand correspondence or an internal report - a freer format is possible, but in both cases the accuracy of the content is controlled equally strictly.

Three official languages and one document

Under the Constitution of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the official languages are Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian, and the official scripts are Latin and Cyrillic. The Constitution of Republika Srpska also recognizes the languages of all three peoples and both scripts. In practice this means that the language of a document often depends on the city or the office where it was issued and on the language in which the applicant made the request.

The three languages are easily understood by one another, but differences still show in an official text. A municipality is called općina in a Bosnian or Croatian document and opština in a Serbian one. In a Croatian text the months have their own names - siječanj, veljača - while the Bosnian and Serbian forms are januar and februar. The translator has to tell these variants apart so that a date or the name of an authority is not carried over incorrectly.

We also have separate pages for the neighbouring languages: Serbian interpreter, Croatian interpreter and Montenegrin interpreter. If one package contains documents received from Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia, they are translated by one team and the terminology stays the same throughout.

Latin and Cyrillic in Bosnian documents

Bosnian can be written in both scripts, although Latin is more common in everyday administrative practice. Even so, Cyrillic may appear on the forms and seals of institutions in Republika Srpska, and sometimes both alphabets stand together on one and the same seal. Even on the identity card, the name of the document is printed in several forms: LIČNA KARTA / OSOBNA ISKAZNICA / ЛИЧНА КАРТА.

In the translation such fragments are translated once, but it is noted that in the original they are given in several languages or scripts. When preparing a text from Georgian into Bosnian, the choice of script is agreed in advance: some institutions need a Latin text, while others consider Cyrillic more acceptable. The chosen variant is used consistently across the whole package.

The Federation, Republika Srpska and the Brčko District

Bosnia and Herzegovina consists of two entities - the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska - and the Brčko District. The Federation in turn is divided into ten cantons. Many fields, including the civil registry, the courts, the notary system and education, are regulated at entity or canton level. So the same kind of certificate issued in two different cities may differ both in form and in terminology.

For the translator this is important information. The name of the issuing authority has to be carried over exactly, so that the Georgian authority can see whether it is dealing with an institution of the Federation, of Republika Srpska or of the Brčko District. The same information determines which court issues the apostille and from which register the client has to request an updated extract.

Which Bosnia and Herzegovina documents do we translate?

Bosnian documents are often used in Georgia for a marriage, the registration of a child, residence, study, employment, inheritance or setting up a company. Each group has its own key fields, so the list below is only a guide. If you do not see your document here, send it to us and we will look at how best to prepare it.

The matični ured and civil registry extracts

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, births, marriages and deaths are recorded in the registry books - matične knjige - kept by the registry office (matični ured) of the municipality or city. A document issued from them is called an extract, or izvod: an izvod iz matične knjige rođenih confirms a birth, one from the vjenčanih book a marriage, and one from the umrlih book a death. In the Federation, uniform official forms are used for these extracts, so the form is often standard, but the translator still has to read the fields filled in by hand or by computer carefully.

An extract usually shows the volume and page of the book and the serial number of the entry, the parents' names, the place of birth and the municipality, and at the bottom the remarks added later, for example about a marriage or a change of name. This last box is often the most important one for a Georgian authority, and leaving it out is not acceptable. For a marriage in Georgia, a certificate of family status confirming that the person is not married is also often requested. Exactly which certificate is needed and how recently it must have been issued has to be clarified with the Georgian authority.

Citizenship certificate: state and entity level

The Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina recognizes two levels: there is citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina and, at the same time, entity citizenship - of the Federation or of Republika Srpska. So an uvjerenje o državljanstvu, i.e. a citizenship certificate, may contain both pieces of information. In the Georgian translation these two entries must not be mixed up, and neither of them may be "simplified" into a general phrase.

A citizenship certificate is often needed in cases of marriage, registration of a child, a residence permit or Georgian citizenship. The translation carries over exactly in which municipality's register the person is entered, on what legal basis and on what date the certificate was issued. If the recipient requires the certificate not to be older than a certain period, check this before the translation, because otherwise you will later have to translate a new certificate again.

The JMB and the identity card (lična karta)

Almost every document of a Bosnian citizen shows the unique personal number, which in the country is called the JMB (jedinstveni matični broj), although the older abbreviation JMBG is also often seen. The number consists of 13 digits, and its first digits reflect the date of birth. In the translation the number is carried over exactly as it is in the original; even if it seems not to match the date, the translator does not correct it but informs the client of the discrepancy.

A Bosnian citizen obtains an identity card according to their place of residence, while the technical processing and personalization of identity documents is carried out by a state-level body - the Agency for Identification Documents, Registers and Data Exchange (IDDEEA). The field names on the card are given in several languages, including English, so in the translation each field is labelled once, in Georgian. You will find the details of translating a passport and an identity card on our passport translation page.

The Service for Foreigners' Affairs and residence documents

If a Georgian citizen goes to Bosnia and Herzegovina to work, to study or to live with family, residence matters are handled by a state-level body - the Service for Foreigners' Affairs (Služba za poslove sa strancima). The Service issues temporary and permanent residence permits, while a work permit, when one is required, is issued by the competent employment service. The list of documents differs depending on the ground for residence and is published on the Service's official website.

In such cases our role is translating Georgian documents into Bosnian: the birth certificate, the marriage certificate, the criminal record certificate, the diploma and the employment contract. And when a residence card or a decision of the Service issued in Bosnia has to be submitted in Georgia, we translate it into Georgian. Before submitting, we recommend asking the Bosnian side whether a notarized translation made in Georgia is sufficient.

Company documents from both entities

The rules for registering a business differ between the entities. In the Federation, a company becomes a legal entity from the day it is entered in the register, and the register is kept by the court designated by the Federation's registration law. In Republika Srpska, a 2013 law introduced a one-stop-shop system run by the Agency for Intermediary, Information and Financial Services (APIF): the application is filed in one place, while court registration and the assignment of a tax number take place through a single information system.

A register extract shows the full and short name of the company, its legal form (for example, d.o.o. or d.d.), its registered address, activity code, capital, founders and the persons with the right of representation. The company name stays in its original form, while the legal form is explained in Georgian in a way that does not automatically equate it with a Georgian form. Registration, tax and VAT numbers are checked digit by digit.

Court interpreters and notaries in Bosnia

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, an official translation is often certified by a permanent court interpreter - a stalni sudski tumač. In the Federation, such an interpreter is appointed by the Federal Minister of Justice after the relevant examination, for a term of four years and for the territory of the Federation. Republika Srpska and the Brčko District have their own rules as well. This means that a Bosnian institution may sometimes need precisely the version bearing the seal of a local court interpreter.

A Bosnian notary is locally called a notar and prepares contracts, powers of attorney and certifications of signatures. When such a notarial deed is translated into Georgian, both the contract itself and the text of the notarial certification, the register number and the notary's seal are translated. If you are submitting a Georgian document in Bosnia, ask the recipient in advance whether it will accept a Georgian notarized translation or requires a local court interpreter.

Apostille: who issues it in Bosnia and Herzegovina

According to the status table of the Hague Conference (HCCH), Bosnia and Herzegovina is a party to the 1961 Apostille Convention by succession, and for Georgia the Convention has been in force since 14 May 2007. This means that between the two countries an apostille is, as a rule, used instead of consular legalization of a public document.

In Bosnia the apostille is not issued by one central authority. The HCCH list of competent authorities names the municipal courts of the Federation, the basic courts of Republika Srpska and the Basic Court of the Brčko District. In practice the client requests the apostille from the court in whose territory the authority that issued the document is located. We describe how to obtain an apostille for a Georgian document on our apostille page.

What an apostille does and does not confirm

An apostille confirms the origin of a document: the authenticity of the signature, the capacity of the signatory and, where applicable, the identity of the seal or stamp. It does not confirm that the content of the document is correct, nor does it say anything about the quality of the translation. That is why an apostilled Bosnian extract is still submitted to a Georgian authority with a Georgian translation.

The apostille counts as part of the original and goes into the translation in full: its number, date, issuing court, the name of the signatory and a description of the seal. The order also matters: the apostille must first be placed on the document, and only then should the translation be done; otherwise the text of the apostille will not be in the translation and you will need the work to be updated.

Notarized translation in Georgia

In Georgia, official authorities as a rule accept a foreign-language document with a notarized translation. In this case the translator signs the translation, and the notary confirms that the signature really belongs to that translator. It is important that a Georgian notary does not check the content of the Bosnian document and does not confirm that the Bosnian document itself is authentic - that is what the apostille is for.

A notarized translation may be bound to the original, to a notarized copy of it or to a simple copy; this depends on the recipient's requirement. If the original is the only copy and you will also need it for another matter, it is often better to bind the translation to a copy. We discuss this process in detail on our notarized translation page.

Educational documents and diploma recognition

In the Federation, education is largely a competence of the cantons, so the form of a school certificate (svjedočanstvo) or a university diploma differs between cantons and entities. A higher education diploma is often accompanied by a diploma supplement (dodatak diplomi), which lists the subjects, ECTS credits and grades. In the translation this table is carried over in full, and the grades are not converted into another system.

In Georgia, the recognition of foreign education is handled by the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement, while in Bosnia the recognition of a Georgian diploma is carried out by the relevant local body. In both cases the authority itself decides what form of translation and certification it needs. Practical advice is collected on our diploma translation page.

Medical, banking and employment documents

Medical documents are requested when a patient continues treatment in Georgia, claims an insurance reimbursement or submits a health certificate for work. A Bosnian discharge summary often contains Latin medical terms, and laboratory results contain abbreviations and units of measurement. All of this is carried over unchanged, even the decimal comma, because in Bosnian the decimal part is separated by a comma.

In a bank statement, an income certificate and an employment contract, attention is paid to the currency - the convertible mark (KM, BAM) - the amounts, periods, account numbers and the employer's details. Amounts are not rounded and not converted; the translator renders what is written on the document.

Property, inheritance and court cases

In connection with real estate in Bosnia, we often translate a land register extract (zemljišnoknjižni izvadak), a sale and purchase agreement and a power of attorney by which the owner entrusts a relative or a lawyer with managing or selling the property. In a power of attorney every power has to be carried over separately and precisely, because it is exactly this list that is checked to see what the representative is allowed to do.

In inheritance cases, the inheritance decision (rješenje o nasljeđivanju), the death extract and documents proving kinship are translated. In a court judgment (presuda), the case number, the parties, the operative part and the note that the judgment has become final (klauzula pravosnažnosti) are rendered precisely. The translator does not give a legal opinion; they render the text so that a lawyer or a notary can rely on it.

Names and diacritics: č, ć, đ, š, ž, dž

The Bosnian Latin alphabet uses the letters č, ć, đ, š, ž and the two-letter sounds dž, lj, nj. In some passport fields or in foreign systems these marks may be lost; for example, Hodžić may be written as Hodzic. In the Georgian translation a name is carried over according to its pronunciation: č and ć are often rendered the same way, with the Georgian letter ჩ, while đ and dž are rendered with ჯ, so Hodžić becomes ჰოჯიჩი in Georgian.

The main rule is consistency. If the person already has a Georgian document, for example a residence card or a marriage certificate, their name will be written in the same form in the new translation as well. In a multi-page package we draw up a list of names and use one and the same form in every document. We also write city names in their established Georgian forms: Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Mostar, Tuzla.

How do I order a Bosnian translation?

To start an order, call us or bring the document to our Tbilisi office. The most important information is which authority you will submit the translation to and in what form it requires it. If you do not know this yet, after reviewing the document we will tell you which questions to ask the recipient.

The turnaround time depends on the volume and the form of certification. A small standard document is usually ready the same day or the next day. For a large package, handwritten text or a poor-quality scan, we will tell you the exact deadline after seeing the files. The deadlines for obtaining an apostille, requesting an extract and other authorities' procedures depend on those authorities, so we recommend allowing for them in advance.

Tbilisi office and remote service

Our office is located in Tbilisi at 118 Davit Aghmashenebeli Avenue. Here you can bring the original, receive a notarized translation and ask your questions in person. However, a large share of Bosnian documents is handled remotely: the client is often still in Bosnia, in another European country or in another Georgian city when the need for a translation arises.

For a remote order, an electronic copy is usually enough to start the translation. If the translation ultimately has to be bound to the original, this stage is planned for when the original arrives in Georgia. This way you save time: the translation is ready while the original is on its way.

Quality control in Bosnian translation

Before delivery, every translation goes through a second reading. We check that every page, seal and signature is described, that the JMB and other numbers match the original, that the dates are carried over correctly, and that Croatian or Serbian fragments in the Bosnian text have been correctly identified. We separately check that the unit of the issuing authority - the Federation, Republika Srpska or the Brčko District - is clearly visible.

If a word or a digit in the original cannot be read, the translator does not guess it. Such a place is either clarified with a better copy or marked in the translation with a note that the text is illegible. This gives the Georgian authority a reliable picture and protects the client from having to apply again because of an error.

After Bosnian civil records, a notarized translation is often needed, and for a Georgian document an apostille. See all languages on our interpreter services page.

Frequently asked questions about Bosnian translation