of April 25, 2019 No. 2704-VIII
About ensuring functioning of Ukrainian as state
Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine,
based on the Declaration on the state sovereignty of Ukraine of July 16, 1990 and the Act of declaration of independence of Ukraine adopted by the All-Ukrainian referendum on December 1, 1991 of August 24, 1991 which recovered independent national statehood of Ukraine;
being guided by the Constitution of Ukraine which determines Ukrainian as the single state language in Ukraine and assigns obligation to the state to provide all-round development and functioning of Ukrainian in all spheres of public life in all territory of Ukraine;
being effective according to the Solution of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine of December 14, 1999 with No. 10-rp/99, by which it is determined that Ukrainian as state is the obligatory means of communication in all territory of Ukraine when implementing powers by public authorities and local government bodies (language of acts, works, clerical works, documentation and so forth), and also in other public spheres of public life which are determined by the law;
considering the Concept of the state language policy approved by the Presidential decree of Ukraine of February 15, 2010 No. 161/2010, which determines strategic priorities in overcoming the colonialists and invaders of deformations called by centuries-old assimilatory policy national language and cultural and language information space and according to which full functioning of Ukrainian in all spheres of public life in all territory of the state is guarantee of preserving identity of the Ukrainian nation and strengthening of the state unity of Ukraine;
realizing that Ukrainian is the determining factor and the main sign of identity of the Ukrainian nation which was historically created and through many centuries continuously lives in own ethnic territory, constitutes the vast majority of the population of the country and gave the official name to the state, and also is basic backbone component of the Ukrainian civil nation;
aiming at strengthening of the state and consolidation functions of Ukrainian, increase in its role in ensuring territorial integrity and homeland security of Ukraine;
aiming at creation of proper conditions for providing and protection of the language rights and needs of Ukrainians;
and also in view of the Conclusion of the European commission for democracy through the right according to which in the special conditions which developed in Ukraine, the balanced policy in the language sphere requires proper guarantees for preserving state language as the tool of unification of society, and the Recommendation of the European commission for democracy through the right to the Ukrainian legislature to find significantly more acceptable methods of confirmation to supremacy of Ukrainian as single state language and to take additional measures for strengthening of its role in the Ukrainian society,
adopts this Law.
1. The single state (official) language in Ukraine is Ukrainian.
2. The status of Ukrainian as single state language is caused by state-building self-determination of the Ukrainian nation.
3. The state status of Ukrainian is indivisible element of the constitutional system of Ukraine as unitary state.
4. The status of Ukrainian as single state language in Ukraine is determined only by the Constitution of Ukraine.
5. The procedure for functioning and application of state language is determined only by the law.
6. Deliberate distortion of Ukrainian in official documents and texts, in particular its deliberate application with violation of requirements of the Ukrainian spelling and standards of state language, and also creation of obstacles and restrictions in application of Ukrainian involve the responsibility established by the law.
7. The status of Ukrainian as single state language provides obligation of its use in all territory of Ukraine when implementing powers by public authorities and local government bodies, and also in other public spheres of public life which are determined by this Law.
8. Ukrainian as the single state language performs functions of language of interethnic communication, is guarantee of human rights protection for each Ukrainian citizen irrespective of its ethnic origin, and also is factor of unity and homeland security of Ukraine.
1. This Law regulates functioning and application of Ukrainian as state in the spheres of public life determined by this Law in all territory of Ukraine.
2. Operation of this Law does not extend to the sphere of private communication and making of religious practices.
3. The procedure for application of the Crimean Tatar language and other languages of indigenous people, ethnic minorities of Ukraine in the respective spheres of public life is determined by the law on procedure for realization of the rights of indigenous people, ethnic minorities of Ukraine taking into account the features determined by this Law.
1. Tasks of this Law are:
1) protection of the state status of Ukrainian;
2) approval of Ukrainian as language of interethnic communication in Ukraine;
3) ensuring functioning of state language as instrument of merging of the Ukrainian society, means of strengthening of the state unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine, its independent statehood and homeland security;
4) ensuring application of Ukrainian as state in all territory of Ukraine in the spheres of public life determined by this Law and also in the international communication, during implementation official and officials of representational functions;
5) ensuring development of Ukrainian for strengthening of national identity, preserving national culture, traditions, customs, historical memory and ensuring its further functioning as state-building factor of the Ukrainian nation;
6) support of Ukrainian by assistance:
a) to ownership of Ukrainian of citizens of Ukraine;
b) to development of the Ukrainian sign language as main or one of fixed assets of communication of zhestoyazychny persons. The status, the principles and procedure for application of the Ukrainian sign language are determined by the law;
c) to application of Ukrainian according to requirements of the Ukrainian spelling and other standards of state language;
d) to the use instead of foreign-language Ukrainian words, phrases and terms if in Ukrainian there is equivalent compliance, and to increase in level of awareness of citizens about them;
") to prevention of vulgarization of Ukrainian and its mixing with other languages;
e) to dissemination of knowledge about Ukrainian and its role in development of the Ukrainian and European cultures;
e) to promoting of dialects and dialects of Ukrainian and their preserving;
є) to studying of Ukrainian in Ukraine and abroad;
7) distribution of Ukrainian in the world and assistance in satisfaction of language needs of foreign Ukrainians and citizens of Ukraine who live or temporarily are outside Ukraine.
1. The Ukrainian sign language is language of community of zhestoyazychny persons.
2. The Ukrainian sign language - natural visual and sign language system with own lexical and grammatical structure which was created in the evolutionary way and is used as the main or one of fixed assets of communication of zhestoyazychny persons who constantly live or for a long time lived in the territory of Ukraine.
3. In Ukraine the right to freely use the Ukrainian sign language in public life, to study and support him, and also to study in the Ukrainian sign language is guaranteed to everyone.
4. Any of provisions of this Law cannot be interpreted as directed to narrowing of the sphere of use of the Ukrainian sign language.
1. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine claims and provides accomplishment of the State program of assistance to development of state language (further - the Program).
2. The program determines the main strategic objectives and priority tasks of state policy by support of state language during the corresponding period of time, and also action which are planned to be performed for achievement of the specified purposes and realization of tasks.
3. According to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Program takes measures for creation and ensuring activities of network of the state, municipal rates for studying of state language by citizens of Ukraine, foreigners and stateless persons, creates conditions for development of subjects of educational activities which give the chance to each person to master state language, including by informal and informalny education.
4. The program shall be developed and implemented taking into account the guarantees and privileges necessary for requirements satisfaction of citizens of Ukraine established by the law, foreigners and stateless persons in studying of state language and distribution of its use, both in Ukraine, and beyond its limits.
5. The program of activities of the central executive body which provides forming of state policy in spheres of culture and arts for cultural development for the corresponding year shall provide actions for assistance to development of Ukrainian, including by the edition of education guidances on Ukrainian, creation of the Ukrainian terminology dictionary database and providing open entry to the specified book products to citizens of Ukraine, foreigners and stateless persons, and shall correspond to the Program.
1. Each citizen of Ukraine shall know state language.
2. The state provides to each citizen of Ukraine opportunities for development of state language through system of organizations of preschool, complete general average, out-of-school, professional (professional), professional prehigher, higher education, education of adults, and also through the support of informal and informalny education directed to studying of state language.
3. The state will organize free rates of Ukrainian for adults and provides opportunity to freely master state language to citizens of Ukraine who had no such opportunity.
1. Person who has intention to acquire citizenship of Ukraine shall certify appropriate level of ownership of state language.
Persons having outstanding merits in front of Ukraine including foreigners and stateless persons which in the procedure established by the legislation of Ukraine pass military service under the contract in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Public special service of transport or National guard of Ukraine, person which acceptance in citizenship of Ukraine is of state interest to Ukraine and persons who received type on temporary residence based on part of the twentieth article 4 of the Law of Ukraine "About legal status of foreigners and stateless persons" have the right to acquisition of citizenship of Ukraine without certificate of level of proficiency in state language, on condition of submission of the obligation about examination on bases of the Constitution of Ukraine, history of Ukraine and to level of proficiency in state language according to the Law of Ukraine "About citizenship of Ukraine". Such persons shall master state language at the level determined by the legislation within two years from the date of acquisition of citizenship of Ukraine.
2. The requirements to level of proficiency in state language necessary for receipt of citizenship of Ukraine, the National commission on standards of state language determines.
3. Passing an examination on the level of proficiency in state language necessary for receipt of citizenship of Ukraine, is performed according to the procedure, established by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
1. Identity documents of the citizen of Ukraine, are constituted in state language. In the cases determined by the law and international treaties which consent to be bound is provided by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine such documents are constituted in other languages and are duplicated in state language.
2. Citizens of Ukraine whose native language differs from Ukrainian have the right to the transcribed record of the of surname and name according to the national tradition in identity documents of the citizen of Ukraine, according to article 40 of this Law.
3. Entry of surname and name in the passport of the citizen of Ukraine for trip abroad is performed in transcription from Ukrainian.
1. Shall know state language and apply it on duty:
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