Business

Overview

The Economic Section of the U.S. Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina offers assistance to U.S. companies looking for export opportunities or already doing business in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We can help you promote and expand your business in this market, facilitate investment, identify opportunities for your product or service and assist you establish your company presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

If you are considering Bosnia and Herzegovina as a potential export market – you’ve come to the right place to find the information and assistance you need to successfully enter this country.
We are a partner post of the U.S. Commercial Service in Serbia and we can also assist you in establishing your company presence in the region, should you choose a regional market entry strategy.
The Business Information Database System (BIDS) is a portal built to help U.S. businesses learn about significant international commercial opportunities. Please visit the BIDS website for more information about opportunities in BiH.

Contact Economic Section

Doing Business in the U.S.

Getting Started with SelectUSA The U.S. Small Business Administration

Getting Started with SelectUSA

SelectUSA is the U.S. Federal Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Promotion Agency and is linked to the U.S. states, cities, counties, and regions FDI Promotion Agencies. Companies requesting information about investing, expanding, or leaving the United States market should visit SelectUSA’s website. SelectUSA’s website includes: summaries and links to federal programs, incentives, resources, and tools relevant to business start-up and operation in the United States; background facts and figures on business investment in general, and the role of investment in the U.S. economy; schedules for recent and upcoming SelectUSA outreach events; links to investment guides; individual U.S. state information, such as links to state Economic Development websites; additional relevant private and public sector contacts, including links to various industry associations, government agencies, and chambers of commerce.

Learn More about SelectUSA

The U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) website provides information on starting and managing a small to medium size business (SME) in the U.S. Among other important topics to SMEs, the website provides information on legal, taxation, licensing, and funding issues in the U.S.

Learn More about SBA

Doing Business in Bosnia and Herzegovina

BiH offers opportunities to well-prepared and persistent exporters and investors. The country is open to foreign investment, offers a liberal trade regime, and is richly endowed with natural resources. However, BiH struggles to attract foreign investors because of a number of serious obstacles including: multiple complex legal and regulatory frameworks and government structures; non-transparent business procedures; corruption; poor infrastructure; insufficient protection of property rights; and weak judicial structures. The ruling coalition of the Republika Srpska entity is further harming the investment climate with its moves to undermine state-level institutions and failure to recognize BiH Constitutional Court rulings. Many existing projects stem from the involvement and support of development banks, the World Bank, the European Union, and other international donors. Still-to-come privatization of government-owned enterprises would offer significant opportunities.

Commercial Opportunities Getting Started with the Department of Agriculture Investment Climate Statement The Business Information Database System Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC)

Commercial Opportunities

U.S. companies interested in commercial opportunities in Bosnia and Herzegovina are advised to contact U.S. Embassy Sarajevo for additional information about specific procurement opportunities. The Embassy assists U.S. companies exporting to BiH by identifying local opportunities for the sale of U.S. products or services, providing counseling on the market, and meeting the advocacy needs of U.S. firms. The U.S. Department of Commerce offers a number of services to aid U.S. businesses. The U.S. Embassy Sarajevo and U.S. Foreign Commercial Service can provide services that may assist U.S. companies in conducting due diligence when choosing business partners or agents overseas and provide support for qualified U.S. companies bidding on foreign government contracts.

Read Bosnia and Herzegovina Commercial Guide

Getting Started with the Department of Agriculture

The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) links U.S. agriculture to the world to enhance export opportunities and global food security. In addition to its Washington, D.C. staff, FAS has a global network of 98 offices covering 177 countries. These offices are staffed by agricultural attachés and locally hired agricultural experts who are the eyes, ears, and voice for U.S. agriculture around the world. FAS staff identify problems, provide practical solutions, and work to advance opportunities for U.S. agriculture and support U.S. foreign policy around the globe.

Learn more about the USDA

Investment Climate Statement

The Bosnia and Herzegovina Investment Climate Statement provides an overview of the foreign investment climate in BiH. The document is prepared annually and reports on numerous investment environment topics including openness to investment, legal and regulatory systems, dispute resolution, intellectual property rights, transparency, performance requirements, state-owned enterprises, responsible business conduct, and corruption.

Read the Statement for Bosnia

The Business Information Database System

The Business Information Database System (BIDS) is a portal built to help U.S. businesses learn about significant international commercial opportunities. BIDS website features an interactive map that displays descriptions and locations of projects that represent potential contract or tender opportunities for U.S. businesses. The site also connects U.S. business to detailed information about each project as well as information to contact U.S. embassies overseas.

Learn more about BIDS

Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC)

In 1985, the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC), a joint venture between the Department of State and the U.S. private sector, created by then Secretary of State George P. Shultz under the Federal Advisory Committee Act to interact on overseas security problems of mutual concern. Objectives of this joint venture are: to establish a continuing liaison between security officials in both the private and public sector; to provide for regular exchanges of information concerning developments in the overseas security environment; recommend methods for planning and implementation of security programs abroad; and recommend methods to mitigate risks to American private sector interests worldwide. These objectives remain in the current OSAC Charter.