Wine producers in Republika Srpska: registers and selling wine from the cellar

This article explains how a vineyard and a winery are entered in the official registers in Republika Srpska, and when wine may be sold from the cellar, to guests and in catering. It is for grape growers, small winemakers and households that want to offer wine to tourists.

In short

• Vineyard Register: required for grape producers with at least 0.1 ha of wine-grape vineyard, after entry in the Register of Agricultural Holdings.
• Wine Producer Register: only an entrepreneur or company entered in it may make wine and put it on the market.
• Anyone who makes wine only for own use is not a wine producer and may not sell it: not at a market, not in a catering outlet, not at a fair.
• Every change of data must be reported to the Ministry within 15 days; the harvest declaration and the production and sales declaration are due by 30 November.
• Bottled wine needs a decision permitting it to be put on the market before it is sold.

Who it applies to

• Individuals, entrepreneurs and companies that own, co-own, lease or hold in concession at least 0.1 ha of wine-grape vineyard. The duty does not depend on whether you sell the wine. Exception: someone with less than 0.1 ha who makes wine not intended for the market does not need to enter the Vineyard Register.
• Entrepreneurs and companies that turn grapes into wine, bottle wine, trade in bulk wine or provide contract bottling.

What to do

1. Vineyard Register. First you must be entered in the Register of Agricultural Holdings. Then submit a request to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management (Ministarstvo poljoprivrede, šumarstva i vodoprivrede) on the prescribed form (Annex 1 of the rulebook). Attach proof of ownership of the cadastral parcel or a lease or use contract, and proof of payment of the administrative fee. The request lists parcel, area, varieties, number of vines and year of planting. The minister issues a decision and a permanent registration number. Grapes for wine may be grown only from the recommended and permitted varieties for the area.
2. Register the business. Only an entrepreneur or company may make wine, so first obtain the entrepreneur registration decision or a court register entry.
3. Wine Producer Register. The request (Annex 3 of the rulebook) goes to the Ministry with the court register decision or the entrepreneur registration decision and proof of payment of the administrative fee. Details of the responsible (qualified) person and their education are entered in the request form itself. The law requires suitable buildings, rooms, equipment, production rooms kept separate from storage of raw materials and finished product, and a qualified person leading production. A commission appointed by the minister checks the conditions, then a registration decision is issued.
4. Before selling bottled wine, each originally packaged wine needs a decision permitting it onto the market. The request is submitted with an analytical report on the wine; wine with a geographical indication needs further documents.
5. Regular declarations.
   • The grape producer declares the quantity of grapes harvested to the Ministry by 30 November.
   • The winery declares production and sales of wine by 30 November, and stocks as of 31 July by 10 September at the latest.
   • Report any change of register data within 15 days.
6. Winery records. The wine producer keeps records on raw materials, production, quantities and sales with supporting documents, and retains them for at least five years from the sale of the last quantity of that wine. Wine from each harvest should be put on the market; if that does not happen, the Ministry must be told the reasons in writing.

Selling from the cellar and to guests

• A registered producer may offer and serve own wine in catering outlets, in households engaged in tourism, in shops, at wine exhibitions and in other direct offers to consumers.
• As a rule wine goes to market only in original packaging. Exception: a producer may offer wine made from own grapes to consumers in bulk at the winery where it was made, and at wine events, if the quantity intended for the event has been reported to the Ministry.
• In catering outlets all wine is kept in original packaging. As an exception, table wine and wines with a controlled geographical origin may be kept in glass bottles or containers of up to 60 litres and sold as open goods (Art. 42, para. 5).
• Serving by the glass from originally sealed containers of up to 5 litres is not counted as sale of open goods.
• The ban in Art. 50, para. 1 concerns displaying and selling bulk wine at a market, in a catering or retail outlet or at a fair. Art. 42, para. 5 gives the catering exception above; if in doubt, check with the Ministry or the inspectorate.
• Young wine may be placed on the market until 31 December of the harvest year.
• Wine made from direct-producer hybrid grapes may not be put on the market (Art. 46), which matters for households that grow such vines.
• The law does not regulate tastings separately. For accommodation, catering or a tourist household, check the conditions with your municipality.

Deadlines and amounts

• Harvest declaration (grape producer) and production and sales declaration (winery): by 30 November.
• Stock declaration (position on 31 July): by 10 September.
• Change of data: 15 days.
• We could not confirm the amount of the administrative fee; ask the Ministry before paying.
• Excise: the Indirect Taxation Authority page lists wine at BAM 0.25 per litre. How this applies to your production, ask the Indirect Taxation Authority (Uprava za indirektno oporezivanje BiH).

Where to go

• Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of Republika Srpska: keeps both registers and issues the decisions.
• Your municipality (Trebinje, Bileća, Gacko, Ljubinje, Nevesinje, Berkovići): business registration and conditions for tourist accommodation and catering.
• Indirect Taxation Authority of BiH: excise.

Note: the Government of Republika Srpska announced a new Law on Wine in its 2025 work programme. This article describes the 2015 law; we could not confirm whether a new law has been adopted or the old one amended, so check with the Ministry before submitting a request.

Laws and sources

• Law on Wine (Službeni glasnik Republike Srpske, No. 80/15), Articles 4, 5, 7, 11, 13, 16, 42, 43, 45, 46 and 50
• Rulebook on the content and keeping of the Vineyard Register and the Wine Producer Register (Službeni glasnik Republike Srpske, No. 12/20)
• Indirect Taxation Authority of BiH: excise duty rates