Free self-check
Do the Welsh Language Standards apply to you?
Find out which regulations cover your organisation, and check yourself against the areas the Commissioner's own reports say organisations get wrong. Every fact links to its official source.
Every fact below links to its official source. Last checked 19 August 2026.
Step 1: Which kind of organisation are you?
Standards are imposed sector by sector through regulations, then applied to each organisation by the Welsh Language Commissioner through a compliance notice.
Your position
Council, national park or Welsh Government
Covered first: the No. 1 Regulations 2015. The first compliance notices were issued on 30 September 2015 and the first standards came into force on 30 March 2016.
The Commissioner decides which individual standards apply to your organisation through your compliance notice, and is not obliged to apply every standard to every body. Your notice is the document that binds you, so always check it first.
Your position
National public body
Bodies like Natural Resources Wales, the National Library and the Arts Council are covered by the No. 2 Regulations 2016. Community Housing Cymru joined this group in March 2026.
The Commissioner decides which individual standards apply to your organisation through your compliance notice, and is not obliged to apply every standard to every body. Your notice is the document that binds you, so always check it first.
Your position
Welsh tribunal, education workforce or social care body
Covered by the No. 4 Regulations 2016, in force from 22 March 2016.
The Commissioner decides which individual standards apply to your organisation through your compliance notice, and is not obliged to apply every standard to every body. Your notice is the document that binds you, so always check it first.
Your position
Police or fire body
Police forces, police and crime commissioners and fire authorities are covered by the No. 5 Regulations 2016.
The Commissioner decides which individual standards apply to your organisation through your compliance notice, and is not obliged to apply every standard to every body. Your notice is the document that binds you, so always check it first.
Your position
University or college
Universities and further education institutions are covered by the No. 6 Regulations 2017.
The Commissioner decides which individual standards apply to your organisation through your compliance notice, and is not obliged to apply every standard to every body. Your notice is the document that binds you, so always check it first.
Your position
NHS health body
Health boards and NHS trusts are covered by the No. 7 Regulations 2018.
The Commissioner decides which individual standards apply to your organisation through your compliance notice, and is not obliged to apply every standard to every body. Your notice is the document that binds you, so always check it first.
Your position
Health professional regulator
Covered by the No. 8 Regulations 2022.
The Commissioner decides which individual standards apply to your organisation through your compliance notice, and is not obliged to apply every standard to every body. Your notice is the document that binds you, so always check it first.
Your position
Water or sewerage company
Covered by the No. 9 Regulations 2023, with standards applying from August 2025.
The Commissioner decides which individual standards apply to your organisation through your compliance notice, and is not obliged to apply every standard to every body. Your notice is the document that binds you, so always check it first.
Your position
Housing association
The newest sector: registered social landlords came under the standards through the No. 10 Regulations 2026, in force 31 March 2026. Compliance notices follow the statutory imposition process, so if yours has not arrived yet, it is coming.
The Commissioner decides which individual standards apply to your organisation through your compliance notice, and is not obliged to apply every standard to every body. Your notice is the document that binds you, so always check it first.
Your position
UK Government department or Crown body
Most UK-wide bodies still operate under the older Welsh language schemes system of the 1993 Act rather than the standards. The Commissioner's assurance report tells scheme bodies to prepare for transition to standards now.
Your position
Private business or charity
The statutory standards do not apply to you. There is a voluntary route instead: the Commissioner's Cynnig Cymraeg recognition scheme, for organisations that want to offer Welsh by choice. Many businesses do it because customers notice.
Step 2: How ready are you?
Ten questions drawn from the standards themselves and from the failure patterns named in the Commissioner's 2024-25 assurance report. Answer honestly, nobody sees this but you.
If someone writes to you in Welsh, do you always reply in Welsh?
The No. 1 Regulations require a Welsh reply to Welsh correspondence.
Do you ask people their language preference on first contact, record it, and honour it afterwards?
Recording and honouring the preference, including for forms, is its own standard.
Are callers to your main numbers greeted in Welsh and able to have the whole call in Welsh?
Telephone service is the weakest compliance area across all regulated organisations in the Commissioner's 2024-25 report.
Does your answerphone say, in Welsh, that messages can be left in Welsh?
A specific standard covers answerphone messages.
Is every page of your website available and fully functional in Welsh, treated no less favourably than English?
The website standards cover every page, including menus and interfaces, and the Commissioner warns they apply to self-service portals too.
Does every new or renewed sign carry Welsh text, positioned to be read first?
Signage standards cover temporary signs as well.
Do your job adverts use the required Welsh language skill categories, worded correctly?
In 2024-25, 23% of surveyed job adverts used non-compliant wording and 5% did not mention Welsh at all.
Do your documents and materials state that you welcome correspondence and dealings in Welsh?
Compliance with the welcome statement fell to 50% in 2024-25.
Have you published the document recording how you oversee compliance with your standards?
The Commissioner calls continued failure to publish this document unacceptable.
Do you publish an annual report on your compliance with the standards?
Annual reporting is a named failure pattern in the assurance report.
Your readiness picture
areas look covered
areas to review
The areas below are where your answers suggest a gap. Each one traces to a real standard or a failure pattern the Commissioner has named. Your own compliance notice is the binding document, so check it against this list.
- If someone writes to you in Welsh, do you always reply in Welsh? The No. 1 Regulations require a Welsh reply to Welsh correspondence.
- Do you ask people their language preference on first contact, record it, and honour it afterwards? Recording and honouring the preference, including for forms, is its own standard.
- Are callers to your main numbers greeted in Welsh and able to have the whole call in Welsh? Telephone service is the weakest compliance area across all regulated organisations in the Commissioner's 2024-25 report.
- Does your answerphone say, in Welsh, that messages can be left in Welsh? A specific standard covers answerphone messages.
- Is every page of your website available and fully functional in Welsh, treated no less favourably than English? The website standards cover every page, including menus and interfaces, and the Commissioner warns they apply to self-service portals too.
- Does every new or renewed sign carry Welsh text, positioned to be read first? Signage standards cover temporary signs as well.
- Do your job adverts use the required Welsh language skill categories, worded correctly? In 2024-25, 23% of surveyed job adverts used non-compliant wording and 5% did not mention Welsh at all.
- Do your documents and materials state that you welcome correspondence and dealings in Welsh? Compliance with the welcome statement fell to 50% in 2024-25.
- Have you published the document recording how you oversee compliance with your standards? The Commissioner calls continued failure to publish this document unacceptable.
- Do you publish an annual report on your compliance with the standards? Annual reporting is a named failure pattern in the assurance report.
Nothing flagged. That puts you ahead of most: the Commissioner's 2024-25 report found even long-regulated sectors failing on telephone service and welcome statements. Keep your compliance notice under review, standards deadlines differ body by body.
What happens when it goes wrong
Anyone can complain to the Welsh Language Commissioner. After investigating, the Commissioner can require an action plan or specific steps, publicise the failure or make you publicise it, or impose a civil penalty of up to £5,000. Decisions can be challenged at the Welsh Language Tribunal. In 2024-25 the Commissioner received 77 valid complaints about standards and determined 26 investigations.
Sources for this page
Official sources only. We re-check them regularly and update this page when the regime changes.
| What it confirms | Official source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| The ten sets of regulations and who they cover | Law Wales + legislation.gov.uk, the standards regulations | 19 Aug 2026 |
| How compliance notices are imposed | Welsh Language Commissioner, the imposition process | 19 Aug 2026 |
| The concrete standards quoted (correspondence, telephone, website, signage) | The No. 1 Regulations 2015, Schedule 1 | 19 Aug 2026 |
| Enforcement powers and the £5,000 penalty | Welsh Language Commissioner, enforcement policy | 19 Aug 2026 |
| The failure patterns (telephone, job adverts, welcome statements) | Welsh Language Commissioner, annual report 2024-25 | 19 Aug 2026 |
| Housing associations brought under the standards, March 2026 | The Welsh Language Standards (No. 10) Regulations 2026 | 19 Aug 2026 |
| The voluntary route for businesses (Cynnig Cymraeg) | Welsh Language Commissioner, Cynnig Cymraeg | 19 Aug 2026 |
This tool is general information based on the regulations and the Welsh Language Commissioner's published documents linked in the sources, as they stood on the date shown. It is not legal advice and it is not a compliance ruling. Which standards bind your organisation is set out in your own compliance notice, and the Commissioner's decision is what counts, so confirm your position with the Commissioner before acting. Lingo Service is not responsible for decisions made by third parties.
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