The procedure for carrying out aesthetic treatments in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been revised through amendments to the Federation Ministry of Health’s rulebooks in 2026.
Revisions to the Rulebook on minimum requirements for premises, equipment, and staff for the establishment and provision of healthcare services, as well as the Rulebook on conditions for private practice, now set out more clearly who is authorised to perform minimally invasive and non-surgical aesthetic procedures, and in what type of practice. This includes treatments such as the administration of Botox and dermal fillers.
The most significant change concerns medical doctors and dentists, who are now permitted to carry out these procedures, provided they hold a valid licence to practise and undergo additional training.
Such training must be delivered through certified programmes approved by the competent ministries of health, or medical and dental faculties, and the respective professional chambers. These chambers are also responsible for recognising qualifications obtained abroad.
„At present, there are no certified domestic training programmes in this field, but a legal basis exists for their development,” the Federation Ministry of Health said.
Until now, Botox and dermal filler treatments could only be carried out in practices employing specialists in plastic, aesthetic, and reconstructive surgery, dermatovenereology, maxillofacial or ophthalmic surgery, or sub-specialists in plastic surgery.
The updated rulebooks now stipulate that practices intending to offer such services must be properly equipped, use registered medicines and medical devices, and provide a designated treatment room in line with regulatory requirements.
The cantonal ministries of health issue licences for healthcare institutions and private practices, while oversight is carried out by cantonal health inspectors.
„The introduction of clear regulations directly helps eliminate the ‘grey area’ and prevents these services from being provided under inadequate conditions by unqualified individuals,“ the Dental Chamber of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina said.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, such aesthetic procedures have often operated beyond effective oversight, as investigations by the Centre for Investigative Reporting (CIN) have shown. Botox and dermal fillers are offered not only in various clinics, but also in substandard beauty and hair salons, as well as in premises not intended for medical procedures, which, in some cases, have led to serious consequences for patients.
The initiative to amend the rulebooks was submitted to the Ministry by the Dental Chamber of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina several years ago, after dentists argued that they could safely perform such procedures thanks to their fundamental knowledge of head, face, and neck anatomy.
The Chamber says the changes mark an important step in the modernisation of the profession.
„Our primary objective remains the uncompromising assurance of quality healthcare and the maximum protection of patients, who can now undergo these procedures in a safe environment, carried out by licensed professionals with a thorough understanding of facial and neck anatomy,“ the Chamber said.
The initiative was later also put forward by the Association of Private Practice Dentists of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in late 2024, followed by the Ministry of Health of the Zenica-Doboj Canton in early 2025.
The ministry is headed by Aida Salčinović, against whom the Zenica-Doboj Cantonal Prosecutor’s Office has filed an indictment on suspicion of causing serious injury to a patient following the application of dermal fillers in the restroom of a shopping centre.
According to earlier reporting by the Centre for Investigative Reporting (CIN), Salčinović had been carrying out aesthetic procedures for years in her role as an emergency medicine doctor, despite lacking the relevant specialist qualifications.
