From March 1, 2026, amendments to the law on the state language and the law on consumer protection came into force. Under the new rules, all information intended for public consumer access must be presented in Russian, while foreign-language text is permitted only as a duplicate and on equal terms.
These requirements apply to companies and sole proprietors working with consumers. In practice, businesses will have to review every point of contact with customers, including signs, packaging, websites, and other materials. Replacing everything at once is difficult, since producing new signs, reprinting packaging, and updating online resources takes time and extra money.
If a company wants to keep an English-language name without translation, it must register it with Rospatent. That process usually takes from several months to a year and involves state fees as well as payment for specialist services. At the same time, not every designation can be registered: words such as Cafe or Paris may fail examination because they lack distinctiveness.
If a word is absent from one of the four official dictionaries, it cannot be used without a Russian equivalent. That means sale must be replaced with the Russian word for “clearance sale,” and coffee shop with the Russian term for “cafe.” Simple transliteration does not count as translation: writing “seil” in Cyrillic does not solve the problem if the word is not закреплено in the dictionary.
Foreign text is allowed only under several conditions: the Russian version must come first, both versions must have identical content, and the font, size, and color must be equal. A separate rule applies to developers: the names of residential complexes launched after March 1, 2026 must appear in advertising only in Cyrillic, without duplication in Latin script.
The law does not have retroactive effect, so publications made before March 1, 2026 cannot be fined. However, if the information remains displayed after that date, it may be treated as an ongoing violation. Compliance will be monitored by Rospotrebnadzor, local authorities, prosecutors, and the Federal Antimonopoly Service. Federal Law No. 168-FZ does not set specific fines, but violations may be considered under administrative articles on advertising, incomplete or unreliable information, and the consumer’s right to receive information. In that case, sole proprietors may face fines ranging from 500 rubles to 20,000 rubles, while legal entities may face fines from 5,000 to 500,000 rubles. In some cases, authorities may first issue an order to correct the violations.