In first two months of this year the Market Inspection Service during 77 inspection issued ban of business operation to persons operating illegally, without registration at a competent authority. Most commonly they were crafts and services, such as hair and cosmetic salons, car body shops and mechanics, photography services, as well as accommodation rental services. The measures were also issued to persons who illegally conducted trade in various product on the Internet. For these violations the businesses were issued fines in the amount of BAM 170,900.

In 2024 in inspectors on the same basis issued bans of business operation for 91 persons and issued fines in the amount of BAM 87,000.

In cases when it is determined that a natural person performs a business operation illegally, i.e. without registering at a competent authority, the inspector issues ban of business operation until they acquire license from the competent authority and then issues a fine. In accordance with the Law on Crafts and Entrepreneurship that was in force until November last year the law for this type of violation was BAM 1,000, however since November 2024 the new Law on Independent Entrepreneurs is in force this fine was increased to BAM 3,000.

Inspection are organised as regular controls in accordance with the annual work plan, as well as irregular controls based on petitions from citizens, information sent by other authorities, as well as information inspectors acquire in the field or advertisement pages on social networks.

The communities and citizens have an important role in combating illegal work, because if they hire unregistered persons they basically support such work. For that part it is necessary for citizens to avoid hiring unregistered persons and to get information who is the service provider, which is very important from the aspect of protecting their consumer rights.

Combating grey economy and illegal work which present disloyal competition to business who work illegally and pay their dues to workers and the state continues to be the focus of Market Inspection Service.

We would like to stress that the aim of inspections is not penalizing, but registration and legalization of businesses, i.e. introducing their business into legal framework, so we are asking natural persons who provide these kinds of services not to wait for the arrival of inspectors, but to start the registration procedure

independently.