Scottish Ministers have signed the first commencement regulations for the Scottish Languages Act 2025, setting 30 November 2025 as the appointed day for a substantial set of provisions. The Scottish Languages Act 2025 (Commencement No. 1) Regulations 2025 (SSI 2025/348) were made on 11 November and laid before the Scottish Parliament on 13 November, according to the instrument published on legislation.gov.uk.
On 30 November 2025, sections 1, 2, 7, 9(1), 9(2)(c), 9(6), 10 to 16, 18 to 20, 23, 26, 27, 31, 32(1), 32(5), 32(8), 33, 37 to 39, 41 and 46 of the Act come into force for all purposes, as set out in the Schedule to the Regulations. The Schedule also records the subject matter for each provision to aid interpretation by practitioners.
Several provisions are commenced only for specified purposes. Section 9(2)(a) takes effect to substitute section 3(3)(a) of the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005, and section 9(2)(b) takes effect to substitute section 3(5)(a) and insert new section 3(5)(ab) into that 2005 Act. Section 17 is commenced solely to enable the Scottish Ministers to consult on guidance under section 6C of the Education (Scotland) Act 2016.
For Gaelic policy and public bodies operating under the 2005 Act, the targeted amendments to section 3 signal updated statutory references for Gaelic language planning. Organisations with approved or draft Gaelic language plans should review how substituted or inserted subsections may interact with existing plan cycles once they take effect on 30 November.
In education policy, the commencement of section 17 for consultation purposes authorises Ministers to begin engagement on guidance linked to section 6C of the 2016 Act. This step enables preparatory work and stakeholder input; any new duties would flow from the content of the guidance and subsequent commencements rather than from this instrument alone.
The Regulations sit within a staged implementation. The Bill for the Act received Royal Assent on 31 July 2025 and, by virtue of section 48(1), Part 3 came into force on the day after Royal Assent. The new appointed day activates a further tranche, with different sections and subsections moving into effect simultaneously on 30 November.
Compliance leads in local authorities, non‑departmental public bodies and arm’s‑length organisations should diarise the appointed day, update internal citations to 2025 asp 10, and brief colleagues responsible for Gaelic planning or language services. Where relevant, mapping changes to section 3 of the 2005 Act against current delivery commitments will support smooth transition.
The instrument follows the standard commencement format. Provisions are listed in column 1 of the Schedule, with their subject matter in column 2; where column 3 specifies a purpose, commencement is limited to that purpose. This structure ensures clarity on the effect and scope of each provision brought into force.
Formally, the Regulations are signed by Kate Forbes on behalf of the Scottish Government at St Andrew’s House, Edinburgh, dated 11 November 2025. Regulation 1 sets the short title and defines the 2005 and 2016 Acts for ease of reference; regulation 2 appoints the day and applies the Schedule.
As this is Commencement No. 1, further regulations may be brought forward to commence remaining provisions of the Scottish Languages Act 2025. Policy teams should monitor subsequent Scottish Statutory Instruments and government notices for any additional appointed days and related guidance processes.