Simplification of the registration procedure for NGOs (BA0020)

Which public issue will this obligation address?

The procedure for the registration, registration of changes and deletion of associations, foundations and offices/representative offices of foreign non-governmental organisations (hereinafter: NGOs) is regulated by highly complex legislative and regulatory provisions.

The same procedure is applied to the registration of trade unions that choose to register at the level of Bosnia and Herzegovina. For the registration of civil society organisations in the field of sports, primarily the sports federations of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is mandatory to apply all legal provisions governing the respective area of registration.

Applicants are required, in accordance with all applicable legal regulations, to prepare, obtain and submit to the Ministry of Justice of BiH the acts, documents and forms necessary for the lawful and timely processing (decision-making) of their registration application.

The prescribed conditions are very strict, stricter than usual, with the aim of strengthening the system of prevention and the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing, in order to ensure greater transparency in the work of non-governmental organisations.

Given the complexity of the legislative procedure at the state level, which makes it more difficult to adopt amendments to the existing legislation in terms of facilitating the registration procedure, it is evident that the burden of procedural complexity falls primarily on the applicants (citizens and legal entities).

What is the obligation?

In an effort to simplify the registration process and minimize the occurrence of negative decisions on applicants’ requests, we have initiated the design of a solution to assist applicants in completing the registration process as easily, quickly and cost-effectively as possible.

Considering that the most demanding part of the registration process is the preparation of the NGO documents required by law (founding act, statute, decisions on the appointment of NGO bodies, declarations and other relevant documents), the most effective way to support applicants—given the positive legislation governing this area—would be to develop and make available a dedicated computer program (or programs) that automatically generates these documents based on the data and information provided by the applicants, as well as the mandatory legal norms.

How does the obligation contribute to resolving the public issue?

A computer program available on the official website of the Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina would significantly facilitate the preparation of an NGO’s founding act, statute, related decisions and other documents required for registration.

Free access to this program (or programs) would be provided on the Ministry’s website, allowing applicants to select the appropriate ‘package of documents’ according to the type of NGO they wish to register (association, foundation, representative office of a foreign NGO, sports club or federation, or trade union).

Fulfilment of this obligation will substantially improve the administrative procedures of the Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina in this area, shorten the time required to complete the registration process, and greatly simplify the procedure for applicants.

It will also eliminate the need for applicants to incur additional, often considerable, costs associated with engaging lawyers or other experts to draft and prepare the necessary documents for the lawful registration of the respective type of NGO with the Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Why is this obligation relevant to the OGP values?

This obligation is fully aligned with the values of the OGP, including transparency, efficiency, responsiveness to citizens’ needs, citizen empowerment and the use of new technologies to achieve more efficient and accountable government.

The development and implementation of such a computer program (or programs) would contribute to reducing the unnecessary burden on applicants arising from the methodology of drafting legal documents for NGO registration.

The fulfilment of this obligation could ultimately contribute to a broader expansion of the non-governmental sector at the BiH level, as citizens would no longer perceive the registration process as cumbersome, time-consuming or costly.

Milestones:

Analysis of the NGO registration procedure at the state level. | 1 February 2025 – 1 April 2025
Development of computer program(s) to assist with NGO registration. | 1 May 2025 – 1 July 2025
Testing and implementation of the computer program(s). | 1 September 2025 – 31 December 2025