Regulations regarding Creation and Use of Place Names, Names of Institutions, Public Organisations, Undertakings (Companies) and Names of Events

Issued pursuant to Section 18, Paragraph five
of the Official Language Law

I. General Provisions

1. These Regulations prescribe:

1.1. the procedures for the creation and use of Latvian place names (hereinafter - place names);

1.2. the procedures for the creation and use of names of institutions, public organisations and undertakings (companies) to be founded in the territory of Latvia; and

1.3. the procedures for the creation and use of names of events specified in Section 11, Paragraphs one and two of the Official Language Law.

II. Creation and Use of Place Names

2. Latvian place names shall be created and used in the Latvian language and in the Liv coastal territory - also in the Liv language.

3. Each administrative territory, populated area, street and immovable property may have only one official name.

4. Place names in official documents written in Latvian shall be written pursuant to the norms of the Latvian language (observing also the traditions of writing and use of the place names). Specific features and traditions of use and spelling of the place names of the respective county may be taken into account in the writing of other types of texts and maps.

5. The following place names shall be legally identical:

5.1. place names with identical spelling;

5.2. place names, the spelling of which has only:

5.2.1. such differences which arise from the spelling norms and writing traditions of different time periods;

5.2.2. differences, occurrence of which is related to specification of the spelling form of place names;

5.3. different place names, which have replaced each other in official renaming as names of one and the same geographic object.

6. If the spelling form of a place name is being clarified more accurately, the record of the place name in documents of ownership rights and personal identification documents shall not be changed unless it is requested by the owner of the document or the holder of the personal identification document. The specified form of the place name shall be used in all official documents drawn up after specification.

7. Place names of other states shall be written in Latvian as close to the pronunciation in the original language as possible, except in cases when a form different from the original language is traditionally used in Latvian. Such place names, except those which cannot be declined, shall be included in the grammar system of the Latvian language (with the masculine or feminine singular or plural ending), complying with the conditions for rendering of proper nouns of the respective language and norms of the Latvian language.

8. Expert opinions upon the request of natural persons or legal persons shall be provided by:

8.1. the State Land Service - regarding the identity of place names; and

8.2. the State Language Centre - regarding the spelling of place names.

III. Creation and Use of Names of Institutions, Public Organisations and Undertakings (Companies)

9. The names of State and local government institutions to be founded in the territory of Latvia, courts and institutions belonging to the court system, State and local government undertakings, as well as companies in which the largest share of the capital belongs to the State or a local government, shall be created and used in Latvian, except in cases specified in other laws. Such names may also be created and used in the Liv language in the Liv coastal territory.

10. The names of the institutions referred to in Paragraph 9 of these Regulations (designations of institutions, which are to be used for identification thereof in the status of a legal person) shall be created and written in the official language according to the norms of the Latvian language. Neologisms, which concur with the sound and form system of the Latvian language, as well as words or expressions of classical languages, which are traditionally used in the culture of many nations, may also be used in symbolic names.

11. Only letters of the Latvian language or Latin alphabet shall be used in the writing of the names of public organisations, private organisations and undertakings (companies) within the framework of administrative supervision. Words and expressions that are offensive to the public morale shall not be used in names.

12. The names of other institutions or person's names (given name together with the surname) may be used in the names of undertakings (companies) only with a written permission of these institutions or persons. If several persons have the same name, it shall suffice with a permission of one such person for the use thereof.

13. An opinion regarding the conformity of the names of institutions, public organisations and undertakings (companies) to the norms of the Latvian language and other norms related to the requirements of these Regulations shall be provided by the State Language Centre.

IV. Creation and Use of Names of Events

14. The names of events organised by State and local government institutions, courts and institutions belonging to the court system, State and local government undertakings, as well as companies in which the largest share of the capital belongs to the State or a local government, shall be created and used in the official language.

15. If one or several foreign languages are used as the working language in events organised by State and local government institutions, courts and institutions belonging to the court system, State and local government undertakings, as well as companies, in which the largest share of the capital belongs to the State or a local government, the name of the event may be created in all the working languages, but the name in the official language shall be visibly emphasised.

V. Closing Provisions

16. These Regulations shall come into force on 1 September 2000.

17. Paragraph 11 of these Regulations in relation to the writing of names using letters of Latin alphabet shall come into force on 1 January 2001.

Prime Minister A. Bērziņš

Minister for Justice I. Labucka

Translation © 2008 Tulkošanas un terminoloģijas centrs (Translation and Terminology Centre)