Minority languages of the Czech Republic
The official language of the Czech Republic is Czech. Citizens belonging to minorities, which traditionally and on a long-term basis live within the territory of the Czech Republic, enjoy the right to use their language in communication with authorities and in courts of law. As of 2022, fourteen languages in Czechia are recognised as minority languages.
Article 25 of the Czech Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms ensures the right of the national and ethnic minorities to education and communication with the authorities in their own language. Act No. 500/2004 Coll. in its paragraph 16 ensures that a citizen of the Czech Republic who belongs to a national or an ethnic minority, which traditionally and on a long-term basis lives within the territory of the Czech Republic, has the right to address an administrative agency and proceed before it in the language of the minority. If the administrative agency has no employee with knowledge of the language, the agency is bound to obtain a translator at the agency's own expense. According to Act No. 273/2001 paragraph 9 the same also applies to members of national minorities in the courts of law.
the officially recognized minorities are:
Resultingly, the following languages can be considered recognized minority languages:
The Slovak language may be considered an official language in the Czech Republic under certain circumstances, as defined by several laws.