For years, applying for state-level civil-service positions in Bosnia and Herzegovina required candidates to assemble large printed portfolios, certify documents, and rely on postal delivery — a process that imposed disproportionate financial and logistical burdens on applicants outside major urban areas. The cost of participating often outweighed the challenge of proving merit.

The introduction of electronic applications through konkursi.ads.gov.ba marks a decisive shift away from this exclusionary model. Candidates can now create a unified digital profile, upload documentation electronically, and receive instant, timestamped confirmation of submission. This eliminates postal uncertainty and removes a long-standing cost barrier that filtered out many qualified applicants before competition even began.

By modernizing only the intake stage, the Civil Service Agency has aligned recruitment with contemporary digital-governance standards without altering evaluation procedures. Yet the impact is significant: applying is now remote, predictable, and financially neutral. The reform improves the point of interaction citizens experience most directly — the act of submitting a job application — and restores fairness by ensuring that competition entry depends on qualifications rather than wallet size or geographic proximity.

The reform makes applying for civil-service jobs accessible to all by eliminating the financial and logistical burdens that once filtered out qualified candidates.

Download the brief here.