The Regulation on Certified Court Interpreters of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Article 3

A person may be appointed as a certified court interpreter if they meet the following conditions:

1. They are a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
2. They hold a higher education degree;
3. They have full proficiency in both the source and target languages for oral and written translation;
4. They have knowledge of legal terminology used in both the source and target languages, as well as an understanding of the organization of the judicial system and state administration;
5. They possess high professional and moral qualities, making them worthy of the status of a court interpreter.

A person cannot be appointed as a court interpreter if they are subject to the restrictions on employment in public service outlined in Article 25, Paragraph 1, Points (d), (e), and (f) of the Law on Civil Service (Official Gazette of FBiH, Nos. 29/03, 23/04, 39/04, 54/04, 67/05, and 8/06). Additionally, a person cannot be appointed if they have been convicted of a criminal offense or are facing criminal proceedings for an offense that would make them unfit for the role of a court interpreter.

Article 4

The Federal Minister of Justice (hereinafter: Minister of Justice) determines the need for appointing court interpreters, based on the previously obtained opinions of presidents of cantonal courts. Based on the identified need, the Minister of Justice announces a public competition for the appointment of court interpreters.

Article 5

The competition referred to in Article 4, Paragraph 2 of this regulation must be announced by the Minister of Justice within 30 days of this regulation coming into effect. The competition is published in the Official Gazette of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and in a daily newspaper distributed within the Federation.

After the initial appointment of court interpreters, the Minister of Justice will continue to publish competitions for specific languages as needed, in accordance with Article 4, Paragraph 2 of this regulation.

Article 6

Applicants for the position of court interpreter must submit the following documents:

• Proof of meeting the requirements listed in Article 3, Points 1, 2, 3, and 4
• Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Proof that they have not been dismissed from public service due to disciplinary action within the past three years from the date of the competition announcement
• A notarized statement confirming they are not subject to Article IX.1 of the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• A certificate of no criminal record
• A certificate confirming that no criminal proceedings are pending against them

The requirements in Article 3, Points 3 and 4 must be proven through a certificate issued by the commission referred to in Article 7 of this regulation. University professors specializing in the relevant language who apply for the court interpreter position are exempt from proving the requirements specified in Paragraph 2 of this article.

Article 7

To determine the list of eligible court interpreters, the Minister of Justice appoints a special expert commission (hereinafter: Commission), consisting of a president and two members.

• The Commission President is appointed from the Federal Ministry of Justice (hereinafter: Ministry of Justice).
• The two members are university professors specializing in the relevant language.

The Commission’s mandate lasts for two years. The President and members of the Commission are entitled to compensation, which is determined by the Minister of Justice on a per-candidate basis. The costs of the Commission’s work are covered by the applicant seeking appointment as a court interpreter.

Article 8

The Commission conducts a professional knowledge examination for applicants, which consists of:

• Translation of spoken and written text
• Oral conversation in the form of an interview

This examination verifies the requirements outlined in Article 3, Points 1 and 2 of this regulation. A report is prepared for each candidate, including:

• Full name and address of the candidate
• Names of Commission members
• Date of examination
• Process and results of the examination

Candidates are evaluated with either a “Pass” (“Satisfactory”) or “Fail” (“Unsatisfactory”) score.

Article 9

The Minister of Justice appoints a court interpreter by issuing a decision, based on the Commission’s recommendation from Article 7 of this regulation.

A court interpreter is appointed for the jurisdiction of the cantonal court where they reside, but they may provide translation services outside this jurisdiction. A copy of the appointment decision is provided to the court interpreter.

Article 10

The appointment decision includes:

• Personal details of the court interpreter
• The language(s) for which they are certified
• Educational qualifications
• Evaluation of their knowledge based on the Commission’s assessment

Article 11

The Minister of Justice will reject an application for court interpreter appointment if:

1. The applicant does not meet the conditions outlined in Article 3 of this regulation.
2. There is no need for a court interpreter for the specified language.

There is no right to appeal this decision, but an administrative dispute may be initiated before a competent court.

Article 12

Before assuming their duties, the appointed court interpreter must take an oath before the president of the cantonal court in their place of residence.

The oath statement reads:
“I solemnly declare that I will perform the duties of a court interpreter professionally, conscientiously, and to the best of my knowledge.”

A record of the oath-taking is prepared, signed by the court interpreter, the president of the cantonal court, and a court clerk.

Article 13

The list of appointed court interpreters is published in the Official Gazette of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and contains:

• Full name of the court interpreter
• Place of residence and address
• Jurisdiction of the cantonal court they are appointed for
• Foreign language(s) for which they are certified

Article 14

The Ministry of Justice keeps records of appointed court interpreters in the form of a book titled “Register of Certified Court Interpreters” (hereinafter: Register).

The following information is entered into the Register:

• Entry number
• Surname, first name of one parent, and first name of the court interpreter
• Occupation and residential address
• If the court interpreter is employed, the name of the employer
• Number and date of the appointment decision
• Number and date of the dismissal decision
• Language for which the court interpreter is appointed
• Date and place of the oath-taking
• Notes

Article 15

The court interpreter is obliged to notify the Ministry of Justice and the cantonal court under which they are appointed of any change of residence no later than eight days from the date of change.

Article 16

The court interpreter has a round seal with a diameter of 38 mm, which may only be used in the performance of the court interpreter’s duties.

The text on the seal is written in Latin and Cyrillic script, in one of the official languages of the Federation, and contains:

• Full name of the court interpreter
• The designation “Certified Court Interpreter”
• The language for which the court interpreter is appointed
• The place of residence of the court interpreter

The court interpreter bears the costs of producing and obtaining the seal.

The imprint of the seal and the court interpreter’s handwritten signature are deposited at the cantonal court where they reside.

Article 17

The court interpreter is obliged to keep records of their work.

The records referred to in Paragraph 1 of this Article are kept in the form of a book titled “Translation and Certification Log” (hereinafter: Logbook).

The Logbook must be stitched and certified by the president of the cantonal court.

The following information is entered into the Logbook:

• Entry number
• Date of receipt of the document or other material for translation
• Number and date of the act of the court, other state authority, or legal entity requesting the translation
• Full name, surname, and address of the person requesting the translation
• Subject of the translation, indicating whether the translation will be used domestically or internationally
• Amount of the prescribed translation fee, if applicable
• Amount of the charged translation fee and reimbursement of translation expenses
• Notes

Article 18

The court interpreter certifies the accuracy of the translation with the following statement:

“I certify that this translation fully corresponds to the original document, which is written in the _______ language.”

The certification must include:

• Logbook number
• Date and place of translation
• Full name of the court interpreter
• Seal and signature of the court interpreter

The certification must be in the language into which the document is translated.

If the translation consists of two or more pages, the pages must be numbered and certified in the lower-right corner with the signature and seal of the court interpreter. They must also be stitched together with a binding ribbon, whose ends on the last page must be joined and secured with a label, on which the seal of the court interpreter is affixed.

Article 19

A court interpreter will be dismissed from their position by a decision of the Minister of Justice in the following cases:

1. If they request to be dismissed.
2. If it is later determined that they do not meet the conditions outlined in Article 3 of this regulation.
3. If they perform their translation duties negligently or fail to comply with professional standards.
4. If they are convicted of a criminal offense that renders them unfit to serve as a court interpreter.
5. If they become medically unfit to continue performing the duties of a court interpreter.

In the case of dismissal under Item 3, the Minister of Justice will obtain an opinion from the Commission referred to in Article 7 of this regulation.

Before issuing a dismissal decision, the court interpreter will be given the opportunity to present their case regarding the facts and circumstances relevant to the decision.

There is no right to appeal against a dismissal decision, but the interpreter may initiate an administrative dispute before a competent court.

Article 20

A court interpreter who is dismissed will be removed from the Register and the List of Certified Court Interpreters.

A court interpreter who is dismissed is required to return the following to the president of the cantonal court where they reside within eight days of receiving the dismissal decision:

• Their court interpreter seal
• Translation and Certification Log (Logbook)
• Any remaining translation materials

The cantonal court is responsible for destroying the returned seal in accordance with official procedures for disposing of government-issued seals.

The dismissal decision is published in the Official Gazette of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.