Amendments to three regulations on vehicle registration and driving licences have been published in the Official Gazette of BiH No. 66/25. The changes come from the BiH Ministry of Communications and Transport and introduce a third licence plate, new plates for motorcycles and the removal of the time limit for classic car registration. Here is what that concretely means for drivers in Banja Luka and the rest of Republika Srpska.
Table of Contents
- What Actually Changes in Vehicle Registration
- The Third Plate: How It Works and Who Can Request It
- New Licence Plates for Motorcycles
- Classic Cars, Tractors and Mopeds: Registration Without a Time Limit
- What Changes for Professional Drivers
- What This Actually Means for a Driver in Banja Luka
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Related Articles
What Actually Changes in Vehicle Registration
The BiH Ministry of Communications and Transport has published, in Official Gazette of BiH No. 66/25, amendments to three regulations governing vehicle registration, driving licences and professional driving licences. The regulations apply at the state level across BiH, meaning in both Republika Srpska and the Federation of BiH, while registration itself is still carried out by entity and cantonal bodies through the familiar MUP counters and authorised technical inspection stations.
There are four main changes drivers will feel in practice. The first is a third licence plate in cases where one plate is lost or stolen on heavier vehicle categories. The second is new standardised dimensions for motorcycle plates aligned with the EU format. The third is the removal of the registration validity period for classic cars, tractors, work machines and vehicles up to 50 cc. The fourth is the removal of the obligation to publish the loss or theft of a plate in the official gazette, which until now was not an insignificant cost or time sink.
The Third Plate: How It Works and Who Can Request It
The third plate is not a replacement for both plates. It is issued in a very specific situation: when only one of two licence plates is lost, stolen or seriously damaged on heavier vehicle categories. In practice these are trucks, buses, tractor units and their trailers, i.e. commercial vehicles for which being off the road means a concrete financial loss.
The issuing deadline is up to 8 working days in the standard procedure, or 3 working days in urgent cases. For passenger vehicle owners the procedure remains the same as before - if a plate falls off your Golf or Škoda, you still get a complete new pair. The third plate is primarily a relief measure for hauliers, not a universal solution for all drivers.
It is also important to draw a line between this and another change that goes hand in hand. The obligation to publish the loss or theft of a plate in the official gazette before a new one can be issued has been abolished. Previously this meant an extra cost and wait time, and it now falls away for all vehicle categories.
New Licence Plates for Motorcycles
Motorcyclists in BiH are getting two standardised plate dimensions instead of the several formats used previously. The larger plate is 240x130 mm and is intended for motorcycles with engines over 101 cc. The smaller one is 170x130 mm and is used on motorcycles with smaller engines.
The design is aligned with EU standards. A blue field with the BIH mark is added to the left-hand side of the plate, similar to what is seen in EU member states. Visually this is an instantly recognisable format for anyone who has travelled on a motorcycle outside BiH, and practically it unifies dimensions so that plate mounts can be produced in fewer variants.
For a motorcycle owner coming in for routine registration in Banja Luka, this means that a new set of plates will arrive in one of those two dimensions, depending on engine displacement. If you have an older motorcycle that already has plates, they remain valid until the next renewal or until they are damaged.
Classic Cars, Tractors and Mopeds: Registration Without a Time Limit
For classic car owners this is probably the biggest news. Registration of classic cars, tractors, work machines, rotavators and vehicles up to 50 cc no longer has a one-year time limit. The vehicle owner does not have to go through the full renewal procedure every year, as is the case with a modern passenger car.
What remains mandatory is a technical inspection and compulsory insurance that must not be older than one year. In other words, the registration is not renewed, but the technical roadworthiness of the vehicle and the insurance must still be current. If you run a 1970 Fiat 600 or an old IMT tractor in a village near Banja Luka, the procedure is simpler but you are not relieved of the responsibility for a roadworthy vehicle.
This is a logical move, because such vehicles are used seasonally or rarely, and a full annual procedure for a vehicle that covers a few hundred kilometres a year was disproportionately complicated.
What Changes for Professional Drivers
Two amendments directly concern drivers with C and D categories and those who earn their living behind the wheel. The first is flexibility around driving bans. If a court or competent authority decides that a professional driver may not drive only a specific vehicle category, a replacement licence can now be issued with the ban recorded only for that category. Previously, a ban on one category often meant losing the entire driving licence, which put professionals in a disproportionately difficult position.
The second change is the so-called Centre of Excellence model. Hauliers with larger fleets and long-standing experience in training can now train their drivers internally, without being obliged to send them to external driving schools. Tests are still administered by authorised institutions, so the final assessment of knowledge remains independent. For larger haulage companies this means lower costs and faster rotation of new drivers.
What This Actually Means for a Driver in Banja Luka
In most cases - not much, and that is the good news. If you drive a standard passenger vehicle and do your regular annual registration, the procedure remains almost the same for you. Technical inspection, insurance, paperwork, all as before at authorised inspection stations.
Where you will feel the difference:
- If you lose a plate or one is stolen - you no longer have to publish a notice in the official gazette. That is a direct saving of both time and money.
- If you register a motorcycle - you get a new plate in the EU-aligned format.
- If you own a classic car, a tractor or a moped - registration no longer has a time limit, but technical inspection and insurance remain mandatory.
- If you drive a truck or a bus - the third plate reduces fleet downtime in case one plate is lost.
For owners of vehicles running on autogas there are no particular changes in this package of amendments. The process of homologation and entering the LPG system into the vehicle registration document remains the same, which we cover in more detail in the guide to autogas documentation and homologation. The price of autogas in BiH in April 2026 is around 1.41 KM per litre according to GlobalPetrolPrices, which is above the long-term average of 1.15 KM since 2015, so the economics of an LPG system still make sense for drivers who cover higher mileage.
Frequently Asked Questions
When exactly do the new registration rules come into force?
The regulations were published in Official Gazette of BiH No. 66/25 and according to sources are already in force, but without a single effective date for all provisions. The safest approach is to check the specific provision you are interested in directly with the relevant MUP office at the moment you go to the counter.
Can I get a third plate for my Golf or Škoda?
No. The third plate is intended for heavier vehicle categories such as trucks, buses, tractor units and their trailers. For passenger cars, a complete new pair of plates is still issued if one is lost.
Do I have to change the plates on my motorcycle if I already have them?
Not immediately. Existing plates remain valid until the next regular registration or until they are damaged. The new standardised formats of 240x130 mm and 170x130 mm are issued when new plates are produced.
What is mandatory for a classic car if registration no longer has a time limit?
A technical inspection no older than one year and compulsory insurance no older than one year. The registration itself is not renewed each year, but the roadworthiness of the vehicle and the insurance must be current for you to be allowed on the road.
Do the new rules apply in Republika Srpska and the Federation of BiH?
Yes. The regulations were adopted at the BiH state level through the Ministry of Communications and Transport and apply across the entire territory. Registration itself is still carried out by entity and cantonal bodies, but the rules on the third plate, motorcycles, classic cars and professional licences are the same everywhere.
Does the price of registration change with the new rules?
The amendments primarily concern procedure and documents, not tariffs. Scrapping the obligation to publish the loss of a plate in the official gazette saves money in that specific case, while regular passenger vehicle registration follows the existing entity price lists.