Phone, seat belt and red light fines in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mobile phone while driving: 200–400 KM, no penalty points

A driver who uses a mobile phone while driving without hands-free equipment is fined 200 to 400 KM (Article 235a, paragraph (1), item 1). The amendments in Službeni glasnik BiH number 35/26 raised the fine, but moved it into an article that carries neither penalty points nor a driving ban — before that the fine was 100 to 300 KM with one penalty point.

A vehicle standing at a sign, at traffic lights, or while giving way to others also counts as a vehicle in motion (Article 33, paragraph (2)): a phone in your hand at a red light is the same offence. On the result the law is cited in Bosnian, as it is written in the gazette: „čl.“ is an article, „st.“ a paragraph and „t.“ an item.

Seat belt: whoever is not belted pays the fine

An unbelted driver and an unbelted passenger are each fined separately, 200 to 400 KM (Article 235a, paragraph (1), item 3) — the law punishes „the driver or another person“, so the fine for an unbelted adult passenger is paid by the passenger, not by the driver. There are no penalty points here either.

For children the driver answers. A child under 12 may not travel in the front seat (Article 34, paragraph (3)): the fine is 400 to 1,000 KM (Article 234a, item 3a). That article is among those that carry penalty points, but the law does not state how many — so the calculator says the number of points is not prescribed, rather than choosing a number in the law's place.

A child under 12 without a suitable child seat or booster in the back costs the driver 40 KM (Article 238, item 1b).

Red light: a fine, two points and a mandatory ban

A driver who does not stop at a red light is fined 100 to 300 KM, with two penalty points and a mandatory driving ban of one to four months (Article 235, item 5). Unlike the phone and the seat belt, here the ban is imposed on a first offence.

Two or more red lights within 20 minutes have, since 27 May 2026, counted as wanton driving: 2,000 to 3,000 KM, a six-month ban and two penalty points (Articles 42a and 234b).

In Republika Srpska, running a red light while driving more than 30 km/h above the limit is also reckless driving under the entity law (1,000 KM, a ban of three to six months, four penalty points). The legislation does not determine how that provision relates to the state one, so this page states it without adding it.

What this page does not cover

Where using a phone or not wearing a belt caused a road accident, the fine is 400 to 2,000 KM, with a driving ban of one to six months and two penalty points; for a red light with an accident the range is 300 to 1,000 KM. Those cases, and repeat offences, are not covered here.

Where the law prescribes a range, a misdemeanour order issued on the spot may impose the lowest amount; a higher amount within the range is set by a court (Article 27 of the Law on Misdemeanours of BiH).

Speed and alcohol have their own calculators: speeding fines and drink-driving fines.

How many points each offence carries is shown by the penalty points calculator.