Categorising a rural household offering accommodation in Republika Srpska

This article explains the categorisation of a rural household that offers guests accommodation (and food from its own production) in Republika Srpska. It concerns farms and families in East Herzegovina that want to host guests legally.

In short

• The Law on Hospitality (Zakon o ugostiteljstvu) calls this a "rural tourism object" (objekat seoskog turizma) and makes categorisation mandatory (Art. 23). The sign reads "SEOSKO DOMAĆINSTVO".
• The category mark is a star: three stars are the first category, two the second, one the third.
• The property must meet at least 80% of the prescribed elements and all general and special minimum technical conditions.
• The category is set by decision of the city or municipal administration on a commission's proposal. Appeals go to the Ministry of Trade and Tourism (Ministarstvo trgovine i turizma) within 15 days.
• The decision is reviewed four years after it is delivered (a new law in procedure proposes three years, see "Deadlines and amounts").

Who it applies to

Anyone who offers accommodation plus food and drink from own production in a rural household, with supporting activities (horse riding, picking mushrooms and herbs, hiking routes and similar), for stays of up to 30 days. A private person who is not registered as an entrepreneur may do this as the holder of a family farm if they sign a contract with a tourist organisation or a licensed travel agency (Art. 19(4)).

If you have no farm and own-production programme and only rent rooms, an apartment or a holiday house, a different rulebook applies (Pravilnik o postupku kategorizacije ugostiteljskih objekata i uslovima za određivanje kategorije, Official Gazette RS 60/21).

What to do

1. If you are a private person not registered as an entrepreneur (holder of a family farm): sign a contract with a tourist organisation or a licensed travel agency and submit it to APIF (Agencija za posredničke, informatičke i finansijske usluge) to be recorded. APIF issues a confirmation of recording (Art. 19(4) and (5), Art. 34(5) of the Law). Entrepreneurs and companies skip this step.
2. Check the conditions for your category (below). Premises and equipment must follow the traditions of the area and rural architecture (Art. 20 of the Law).
3. File a request for a category with the city or municipal administration, separately for each property. The request states your name and address, year of construction or last reconstruction, capacity (rooms and beds) and the category you propose.
4. Attach the APIF confirmation (or proof of registration if you are an entrepreneur or company) and proof of payment of the categorisation fee. The fee is paid when you file, to the local budget; ask your administration for the amount.
5. The categorisation commission inspects the property. If it meets the requirements of a higher category, the commission proposes it with your consent. If the shortcomings can be fixed quickly, a temporary decision with a deadline of up to six months can be issued.
6. You receive the decision. The city or municipality issues the standard sign, which you place at the main entrance. It is made of stainless steel, 35 x 22 cm, with the text "SEOSKO DOMAĆINSTVO" and the stars.
7. After categorisation: display your prices, keep a daily guest register, and enter guests and tourist tax in the Central Information System (Centralni informacioni sistem) (Arts. 12a, 12b and 19(5) of the Law). Meet the sanitary and hygiene conditions and have regular health checks (Art. 20(1)).

You may start work as soon as you have filed the request for a category; you do not have to wait for the decision (Art. 23(9) of the Law).

Main conditions by category

Categorisation elements from Annex 2 (Prilog 2) of the categorisation rulebook (Official Gazette RS 17/24):

• Parking space and a first aid kit: all categories. Parking is not required if the property is in a place closed to motor vehicle traffic.
• Minimum double room: 11 m2 (one and two stars), 13 m2 (three stars). Single room: 8 m2 and 10 m2. For a multi-bed room, add 4 m2 per bed.
• Apartment (sleeping area, living area, cooking and toilet): at least 29 m2 (one and two stars), 34 m2 (three stars).
• First category (three stars) must have its own bathroom in the room. The second and third may share one, at least one bathroom per five persons.
• Bathroom: at least 3 m2 (one and two stars), 4 m2 (three stars).
• Every room, in all three categories: separate entrance, lockable door, price list and house rules translated into at least one foreign language, heating (unless the service is only offered in summer).
• Beds: 90 x 190 cm (single) and 140 x 190 cm (double) for one and two stars; 90 x 200 cm and 160 x 200 cm for three stars.

The Pravilnik o uslovima za pružanje ugostiteljskih usluga u objektu seoskog turizma (Rulebook on conditions for providing hospitality services in a rural tourism object, Official Gazette RS 15/20) sets the minimum conditions: a price list for the room or apartment in one of the official languages with an English translation and displayed house rules (Arts. 20 and 22), heating to at least 18 °C, except in a property that operates only in summer (Art. 12), and at most 15 accommodation guests and 50 guests for food and drink at the same time (Art. 3).

This is not the full list. The complete elements (Annex 2 of rulebook 17/24) are in the regulation or available from the commission; check for each item which category it is mandatory for.

Deadlines and amounts

• The decision is reviewed after four years from delivery. The administration tracks the deadline itself.
• On 24 September 2026 the Government of Republika Srpska adopted a proposal for a new Law on Hospitality, which shortens the review period from four to three years and allows extraordinary inspections. Until the National Assembly adopts it, the Law 45/17 and 1/24 applies.
• If the property stops meeting the standards of its category, a request to determine the appropriate category is due within eight days of the change. A new operator files a request to amend the decision within eight days of obtaining the decision (Art. 27(1) and (9)).
• Appeal to the Ministry of Trade and Tourism: 15 days from delivery of the category decision or the temporary decision (Art. 26(9)), and 15 days from delivery of a review decision (Art. 27(8)).

Who decides and who inspects

The city or municipal administration decides: the mayor appoints the commission and the head of the competent department issues the decision. Inspection is carried out by the Republička uprava za inspekcijske poslove (Republic Administration for Inspection Affairs) and the inspection units of local administrations. The market inspector checks categorisation and minimum conditions, and the food inspector checks food safety (Art. 37 of the Law).

Where to go

• City of Trebinje, Vuka Karadžića 2, 89101 Trebinje, tel. +387 59 273 460, grad@trebinje.rs.ba. Uslovi za kategorizaciju smještajnih objekata: a page with regulations and the request form, focused on apartments and rooms. For a rural household, call the Department for Tourism, Environmental Protection and Entrepreneurship (Odjeljenje za turizam, zaštitu životne sredine i preduzetništvo) to confirm.
• In the other municipalities (Bileća, Gacko, Ljubinje, Nevesinje, Berkovići): the municipal administration.
• Contract and confirmation: the tourist organisation and APIF.

Laws and sources

• Pravilnik o postupku kategorizacije ugostiteljskih objekata vrste hostel i objekat seoskog turizma (Official Gazette RS 17/24) (text published on the City of Banja Luka website) and the Rulebook on the appearance and content of standard signs (same gazette issue)
• Rulebooks in the field of hospitality, Ministry of Trade and Tourism: list of rulebooks (17/24, 60/21, 15/20 and others)
• Law on Hospitality (Official Gazette RS 45/17 and 1/24), Arts. 12a, 12b, 19, 20, 23, 26, 27, 34, 37
• Electronic register of regulations of Republika Srpska, Hospitality
• Proposal for a new Law on Hospitality (press release of the Government of Republika Srpska, 24 September 2026)
• Pravilnik o uslovima za pružanje ugostiteljskih usluga u objektu seoskog turizma (Official Gazette RS 15/20): general and special minimum conditions