Consumer protection in Republika Srpska: prices, receipts, complaints book

This article is for hosts, restaurants and producers in Republika Srpska who sell goods or services to consumers (accommodation, meals, local products). The Law on Consumer Protection of Republika Srpska adopted in 2025 replaced the earlier law (Official Gazette RS 6/12, 63/14, 18/17 and 90/21).

In short

• The price must be the final price (including all taxes, fees and charges), in the official currency (KM), clearly visible and legible on the product or packaging and at the point of sale (arts. 2 and 18).
• A receipt is issued for every sale or service and may not be charged for (art. 18, para. 9).
• You must keep a complaints book (Knjiga reklamacija) and hold it in a visible place in the premises (art. 25).
• Complaints must be answered in writing within eight days of receipt. Keep the book for at least one year after the end of the business year it covers.
• Fines for a trader organised as an entrepreneur range from 500 to 7,000 KM depending on the offence (arts. 130, 131 and 134).

Who it applies to

The law applies to a "trader" (trgovac): a company, an entrepreneur, or a natural person registered under hospitality rules, who sells goods or provides services to consumers in the course of business (art. 2, point 2). A consumer is a natural person buying for purposes outside their business. If you are an agricultural producer selling without registration as an entrepreneur, check with an inspector whether you are covered.

What to do

1. Display prices. Next to the selling price show the unit price (for example per kilogram or litre), and the product name and type. The unit price is not needed if it equals the selling price. For loose goods, the unit price on the package or right next to the product is enough. Do not show other prices on the product except for discounts and sales (art. 18, paras. 2 to 6).
2. For services (accommodation, tastings, tours) keep a price list displayed in the premises and easily available to the guest, stating the kind of service next to each price. If a service is provided outside your premises, all related costs must be shown with the price (art. 18, paras. 14 to 18).
3. Stick to the displayed price and sales conditions. The customer may ask to check that the amount charged is correct (art. 18, paras. 12 and 13).
4. Issue a receipt for every sale, in line with the law, with no charge for it. The law refers to fiscal rules here, which you should check with your accountant.
5. Get a complaints book and keep it visible. Its form and content are set by the Rulebook on the Form and Content of the Complaints Book (Official Gazette RS 17/26). Its details are not covered here, so buy a book that meets that rulebook.
6. Complaints received by post or electronically must be entered in the book in order of receipt, and you must promptly send the consumer a confirmation with the page number of the book (art. 25, para. 6).
7. Answer in writing within eight days. For a defective product the consumer chooses: repair, replacement, refund, or a price reduction if acceptable to both sides. A refund follows within seven days of accepting the complaint. Repair or replacement must be done within 30 days at most from the day the request is submitted. If objective reasons prevent that, the deadline can be extended once by up to 15 days, with the consumer's explicit consent (art. 26, paras. 1, 2 and 4).
8. Bags carrying your logo or name used to carry purchases may not be charged separately (art. 24, para. 3).

Deadlines and amounts

• Reply to a complaint: 8 days from receipt.
• Keeping the book: at least one year after the end of the business year.
• Not keeping a complaints book: 1,500 to 7,000 KM for an entrepreneur (3,000 to 15,000 KM for a legal entity), art. 130.
• Not showing the unit price or the book visibly: 1,000 to 5,000 KM for an entrepreneur (2,000 to 10,000 KM for a legal entity), art. 131.
• Offences under art. 134 include an illegible price, charging for the receipt and a late reply to a complaint: 500 to 2,500 KM for an entrepreneur (1,000 to 5,000 KM for a legal entity).

Where to go

• Republička uprava za inspekcijske poslove (Republic Administration for Inspection Affairs, Inspectorate of Republika Srpska), market inspection, which supervises the law through the republic market inspector and the market inspector in the municipality. Contact details of the inspector for Trebinje and nearby municipalities were not confirmed here, so check them on the Administration's website or with your municipality.
• Ministarstvo trgovine i turizma Republike Srpske (Ministry of Trade and Tourism), Consumer Protection page, for rulebooks and guidance.

Laws and sources

• Zakon o zaštiti potrošača u Republici Srpskoj (Službeni glasnik Republike Srpske br. 101/25), text on the Ministry of Trade and Tourism website
• Rulebook on the Form and Content of the Complaints Book (Službeni glasnik Republike Srpske 17/26), listed on the Ministry page