Implementation: Legal proceedings in Kazakhstan are carried out in the Kazakh language. Russian and other languages are used only when necessary. The Constitutional Council of Kazakhstan, the Law "On Languages in the Republic of Kazakhstan" and other decisions of the authorities have given the Russian language a very high status in practice.

Russian is used routinely in business, government, and inter-ethnic communication, although Kazakh is slowly replacing it.^[1]

Russian is the most spoken language. According to the 2009 census, 94% of people in Kazakhstan understood verbal Russian and 74% understood verbal Kazakh. People in Kazakhstan were fluent in Russian (84.8%), Kazakh (62%), English (7.7%).^[2]

Article 10. Securing Application and Development of Official Language, Russian, Crimean Tatar and Other Ethnic Groups’ Languages in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea

1. In the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, along with the official language, the application and development, use and protection of Russian, Crimean Tatar and other ethnic groups’ languages shall be secured.

2. In the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Russian, being the language spoken by the majority of population and the language acceptable for purposes of interethnic communication, shall be used in all spheres of public life.

3. In the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, citizens shall be guaranteed the right to be educated in their native language at children’s preschool establishments, to learn the native language, to be taught in the native language at educational establishments of state, republican and/or municipal form of ownership or through ethnic cultural societies or in accordance with the procedure established by Ukrainian legislation and the statutory acts of the Supreme Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea within its terms of reference.

Article 11. Language of Documents Certifying Citizen’s Status in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Pursuant to Ukrainian legislation, any and all official documents in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea certifying the citizen’s status, such as the identity card, work record card, educational level evidences, birth certificate, marriage certificate and others, shall be executed in Ukrainian and Russian and, upon request of a citizen, also in Crimean Tatar.

Article 12. Language of Legal Procedure, Notarial Procedure, Administrative Offence Procedure and Legal Assistance in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Pursuant to the Ukrainian legislation now in force, the language of legal procedure, notarial procedure, administrative offence procedure and legal assistance in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea shall be Ukrainian or, upon request of a participant in a respective procedure, Russian, as the language spoken by the majority of the population of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Any and all other matters of application of languages in the above spheres of activity in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea shall be regulated by Ukrainian laws.

Article 13. Working Language of Post, Telegraph and Services Sector Enterprises, Establishments and Organisations in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea

1. In the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, post and telegraph correspondence from individuals, public, republican, non-government and other bodies, enterprises, establishments and organisations shall be accepted for sending if executed in Ukrainian or Russian.

2. Used in all consumers services (municipal services, public transport, public health and others) and at services sector enterprises, establishments and organisations shall be Ukrainian or Russian or any other language acceptable for parties.