Hosting guests on a farm in Republika Srpska: who may, and the rules

This article explains what the Law on Hospitality of Republika Srpska allows a rural household that wants to host guests for overnight stays and meals. It concerns family farms, entrepreneurs and companies in the countryside. It describes the version in force on 6 October 2026: the base law of 2017 as amended in January 2024.

In short

• Services in the countryside (lodging, food and drink from the own-production programme, accessory services) are provided in a "rural tourism facility" (objekat seoskog turizma), for a period of up to 30 days. Under Art. 19(2) of the law, own production also includes products of other farms, plus forest products and game that the host gathers or hunts, or buys from those who did.
• The holder of a family farm who is not registered as an entrepreneur may provide the services if they sign a contract with a tourist organisation or a licensed travel agency.
• The former cap of 15 lodging guests and 50 food and drink guests was deleted by the amendments in force since January 2024. Check separately the Rulebook on conditions for providing hospitality services in a rural tourism facility (Sl. glasnik RS 15/20).
• Every lodging provider must enter data on guests and the tourist tax into the Central Information System for hospitality. Access is free, and fines are set for failing to enter data.
• Apartments, holiday homes and rented rooms follow a different rule: up to eight units, or 16 beds.

Who it applies to

• A natural person who holds a family farm and is not an entrepreneur (Art. 19(4) of the law).
• An entrepreneur or company providing hospitality services in the countryside (Art. 19(1)).
• If you only rent a room, apartment or holiday home and have no farm, Art. 17 applies instead, and a natural person may use only one property that they own.

What to do

1. Choose the form: entrepreneur or company, or family farm holder with a service contract. The contract is signed with a tourist organisation or an agency licensed for travel agency work.
2. Send the contract to the Agency for Intermediary, IT and Financial Services (APIF) to be recorded.
3. Set up the facility according to the Rulebook on conditions for providing hospitality services in a rural tourism facility (Sl. glasnik RS 15/20): general and special minimum technical conditions, arrangement in keeping with local tradition and architecture. Accommodation units are rooms and apartments, and bathrooms may be private or shared. For food you need a preparation area, a serving area and a storage area.
4. The facility must be categorised. The request for categorisation goes to the competent body of the local self-government (municipality or city). The procedure is set by the Rulebook on the categorisation procedure for hospitality facilities of the hostel and rural tourism facility type (Sl. glasnik RS 17/24). Existing rural tourism facilities had to file the request within 60 days of that rulebook entering into force (Art. 52(8) of the law), so if you have not filed, do it now at the municipal administration.
5. Register in the Central Information System and enter data: guest data immediately on check-in, the tourist tax on check-out, and any change in data within three days at the latest. The provider supplies the internet connection. If there is no connection, record the data on paper and enter it later.
6. Display prices and stick to them. Keep a daily guest record, in the form set by the Rulebook on the form, content, place and manner of keeping the guest record for a natural person providing hospitality services in the countryside (Sl. glasnik RS 105/17). If you serve food, ensure food safety and set food norms.
7. Meet the sanitary-technical and hygiene conditions and have the regular health examinations required under the law on protection of the population from infectious diseases (Art. 20(1)).

Deadlines and amounts

• Length of a guest's stay: services are provided for a period of up to 30 days.
• Entering a change of data in the Central Information System: within three days of the change.
• Fines for not entering data in the Central Information System (Arts. 45 and 49 of the law): company BAM 1,500 to 6,000, responsible person BAM 700 to 2,800, entrepreneur BAM 1,000 to 4,000, natural person BAM 500 to 2,000. Lower fines apply to late entry, inaccurate data or no internet connection (Art. 47): company BAM 800 to 3,200, entrepreneur BAM 600 to 2,400, responsible person BAM 300 to 1,200. For a natural person the range is the same, BAM 500 to 2,000 (Art. 49(1)).
• A new hospitality law is being prepared: on 24 September 2026 the RS Government approved the Draft Law on Hospitality (RS Government press release), which has not been adopted yet. Under the draft, natural persons could offer lodging in apartments, holiday homes and rented rooms in up to five accommodation units, or 10 beds. The press release states this limit for those types of lodging, not for a rural tourism facility. To develop rural tourism, a new "tasting space" (degustacioni prostor) category is introduced. Until the new law is adopted and published in the Official Gazette, the law described here applies (Sl. glasnik RS 45/17 and 1/24).

Where to go

• Municipal or city administration (Trebinje, Bileća, Gacko, Ljubinje, Nevesinje): categorisation and document check.
• Ministry of Trade and Tourism of RS: regulations, rulebooks and the Central Information System.
• APIF: recording of the contract under Art. 19.
• Market inspection within the Inspectorate of RS: supervision of registration and data entry.

Laws and sources

• Law amending the Law on Hospitality (Službeni glasnik RS no. 1/24)
• Law on Hospitality (Službeni glasnik RS no. 45/17), Arts. 17 to 20, 45 to 49 and 52
• Bylaws in the field of hospitality (Ministry of Trade and Tourism)