Guide · Bosnia and Herzegovina

Driving a UK-registered car in Bosnia and Herzegovina: how long you can keep UK plates, why registration is a problem, and what to do instead

Bosnia and Herzegovina is outside the EU, drives on the right, and requires imported vehicles to be left-hand drive. For a UK car that is close to a dead end. This guide sets out what applies and what your options are.

Last reviewed September 2026

How long can I keep it on UK plates?

Visitors may use a foreign-registered car temporarily while its home registration, inspection and insurance are valid. A person resident in BiH is expected to register the car locally, and the UK registration cannot be maintained from abroad because the V5C needs a UK address and the MOT and UK insurance lapse.

Can a right-hand-drive car be registered?

The vehicle import and homologation rules require the steering wheel on the side the traffic drives on — the left. A right-hand-drive car is therefore not accepted for registration as it stands; a left-hand-drive conversion by an authorised workshop is the only route and usually costs more than an older car is worth.

What registering it involves

Left-hand-drive conversion at an authorised workshop, with documentation.
Customs clearance as an import (through a customs agent), paying duty and VAT.
Homologation and technical inspection (tehnički pregled).
Registration with the police: BiH plates and registration.
Compulsory motor insurance.

What it costs

Customs duty according to the tariff and the car's origin, plus 17% VAT.
Steering conversion: workshop-dependent, commonly several thousand euros.
Homologation, inspection, translations, plates and fees.

Moving home? Transfer-of-residence relief

BiH is outside the EU, so the EU transfer-of-residence relief does not apply; any relief for returning residents follows BiH customs rules and does not change the steering-wheel requirement.

The alternative: sell it back to the UK

Selling the car back to the UK trade is the practical answer. We buy UK-registered, right-hand-drive cars in Bosnia and Herzegovina exactly as they stand, collect free by transporter from any address, handle the export and transit paperwork, and pay in pounds sterling on collection day — into your UK bank account if you kept one.

Get a free valuation for your car in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Free collection anywhere in Bosnia and Herzegovina, all export paperwork handled, paid in pounds sterling (£) on the day.

Value my UK car

Common questions

What if the MOT has expired?

Not a problem for us — the car moves on a transporter and does not need to be road-legal.

How long does collection take?

Allow one to two weeks from acceptance; BiH is at the end of our Adriatic run.

Do you collect in Republika Srpska as well as the Federation?

Yes — Banja Luka and the whole country are covered.

Rules, rates and thresholds change. This guide is a general summary as of September 2026, not legal or tax advice — check the current position with the registration authority or a customs agent before relying on it.

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