A domain is your company’s address on the internet — and one of the few things that should never be left to chance. This guide walks through the entire .ba registration process, from choosing a name to renewal, with the prices and rules in force in 2026.
Short answer
You register a .ba domain directly with UTIC (nic.ba) or through an accredited registrar. You need company or personal details and the intended use; approval usually takes from a few hours to one business day. At registrars the first year costs roughly 54–80 KM (€28–41) and renewal 30–55 KM (€15–28) per year.
Who manages .ba domains
The .ba country-code domain is managed by the University Tele-Informatics Centre (UTIC) of the University of Sarajevo, through the nic.ba registry. On nic.ba you can check whether a name is available (WHOIS) and choose a registrar. You can register directly with UTIC or through an accredited registrar — a hosting company or agency that handles registration for you, often together with hosting and email.
Who can register a .ba domain
- legal entities (through an authorised representative),
- adult individuals,
- international organisations operating in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
There is no limit on the number of domains per person or company. Foreign citizens and companies should check the conditions with a registrar before ordering.
Naming rules
- Allowed characters are letters a–z, digits and the hyphen (-).
- The Bosnian letters č, ć, š, đ and ž are not allowed — they are replaced with c, s, dj (or d) and z.
- A name must have at least three characters; one- and two-character .ba domains are currently not available.
- A hyphen may not appear at the beginning or end of the name.
Besides standard .ba domains there are second-level domains such as .org.ba, .net.ba, .edu.ba and .gov.ba. For .org.ba and .net.ba a registrar may ask for proof that you meet the conditions (e.g. an association’s registration decision), while .edu.ba and .gov.ba are intended for educational and government institutions respectively.
How to choose a good name
- As short as possible and easy to say and spell over the phone.
- No ambiguous letters: if your company name contains “š”, consider the variant people will actually type.
- Avoid multiple hyphens and numbers that are easy to mistype.
- Protect the name: also register variants (e.g. .com) if the name matters for your brand.
Registration step by step
- Check availability of the name on nic.ba or with a registrar.
- Choose a registrar — by price, support and whether you also want hosting and email in one place.
- Enter your details. For legal entities: company name, identification number (IDB/JIB), VAT number if applicable, address, phone and email. For individuals: full name, date of birth, address, phone and email.
- State the intended use — it is mandatory and must match how the domain is actually used.
- Pay — registration is completed only once payment is recorded.
- Wait for approval — usually from a few hours to one business day.
- Configure DNS — point the domain to your website hosting and set up email records (MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC) so business emails don’t end up in spam.
Online registrars today usually don’t require a paper application, company stamp or ID copy — everything is done through a web form.
What a .ba domain costs
According to UTIC’s published price list for direct registration (prices including 17% VAT):
| Service | Price incl. VAT |
|---|---|
| Creation and activation of a .ba domain | 50 KM (≈ €26) |
| Yearly maintenance | 30 KM (≈ €15) |
| Renewal for 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 years | 50 / 70 / 100 / 120 KM |
| Reactivation of a deactivated domain | 20 KM (≈ €10) |
| Change of registrar | 50 KM (≈ €26) |
Registrars set their own prices: in 2026 the first year usually costs around 54–80 KM (including the one-off name allocation fee) and renewal around 30–55 KM per year. The difference mostly pays for support, easier management and bundled hosting. Prices change, so always check the current ones on nic.ba or with your registrar.
Term, renewal and what happens on expiry
A domain is registered for one to five years. If you don’t renew in time:
- for the first 30 days after expiry the domain still works and can be renewed at no extra cost;
- for up to 30 more days the domain is deactivated — website and email stop working, and renewal is possible with a reactivation fee;
- after that the domain is deleted and becomes available to anyone.
For a business-critical domain, the simplest protection is renewing for several years and a calendar reminder a month before expiry.
Transferring a domain to another registrar
- Request the EPP (AuthInfo) code from your current registrar — they must provide it on request.
- Order the transfer with the new registrar and enter the code.
A transfer does not extend the expiry date. Changing the domain holder is a separate process that requires consent from both the current and the new holder.
Most common mistakes
- The domain is registered to the agency, developer or an employee instead of the company. When the collaboration ends or the employee leaves, the company loses its own address.
- A contact email nobody reads — expiry notices never reach the right person.
- No access to DNS — every change of hosting or email depends on someone else.
- A forgotten renewal — the website and email disappear overnight, usually at the worst possible moment.
Rule number one
The domain should always be registered to your company, with the login details in your hands. Your web developer may register it on your behalf — but you are the owner.
Once the domain is ready, the next step is the website that will run on it. See what a website realistically costs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and for local visibility how to appear on Google Maps.
Engimotive · Published October 27, 2026