Law on the State Language 2026: what has changed for business

Dear colleagues,

we would like to draw your attention to the fact that Federal Law No. 168-FZ dated June 24, 2025 “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation” came into effect on March 1, 2026 (hereinafter referred to as Federal Law No. 168-FZ) and requires businesses to use Russian on all signs, signposts, boards, as well as on websites and in apps.

The state languages of the republics, other languages of the peoples of the Russian Federation and foreign languages may be used additionally, provided that the following conditions are met: identity of content and equivalence of placement and technical design (font, colour, size).

The following may remain untranslated into Russian:
• registered trademarks and service marks. If your logo is a trademark registered with the Russian Federal Service for Intellectual Property, it does not need to be changed. Otherwise, the logo must either be translated into Russian or duplicated in Russian as the primary language, subject to the above conditions;
• company names entered in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities.

Liability for non-compliance with Federal Law No. 168-FZ is provided for in Article 14.8 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation. Violation of the consumer’s right to receive necessary and reliable information about the goods, works, services, manufacturer, seller, contractor and their operating hours entails a warning or an administrative fine:
• for officials – from RUB 500 to RUB 1,000;
• for legal entities – from RUB 5,000 to RUB 10,000.

Compliance with these requirements is monitored by the Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare, local administrations and the prosecutor’s office (based on complaints from citizens).

In this regard, businesses are advised to:
• audit all signs, signposts, websites, apps and other materials;
• register a trademark if it is necessary to retain a name in a foreign language (the process takes about a year);
• prepare duplicate Russian versions in compliance with the formatting rules or replace foreign words with Russian-language versions;
• adjust marketing and advertising processes.

We will be glad to assist you in analyzing your websites for compliance with Federal Law No. 168-FZ for the purpose of their subsequent Russification (if necessary).