Official Languages Ordinance
| Official Languages Ordinance | |
|---|---|
| Legislative Council of Hong Kong | |
| |
| Citation | Cap. 5 |
| Enacted by | Legislative Council of Hong Kong |
| Commenced | 15 February 1974 |
| Legislative history | |
| Introduced by | Secretary for Home Affairs Denis Campbell Bray |
| Introduced | 11 January 1974 |
| First reading | 30 January 1974 |
| Second reading | 13 February 1974 |
| Third reading | 13 February 1974 |
| Amended by | |
| 1975, 1980, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2011, 2017 | |
| Status: Current legislation | |
The Official Languages Ordinance is an ordinance of Hong Kong enacted for the purpose of specifying the status and use of official languages of the territory. Both Chinese and English are declared official languages with equal status in the ordinance, and are to be used in communication between the government and members of the public. It dictates that all ordinances would be enacted and published in both languages, and allows judicial officers the choice of using either language in court proceedings.