Seimas postpones the project of original spelling of surnames for a year

On Tuesday, the Seimas will not consider two bills regulating the original spelling of names and surnames in personal documents.

Members of the parliament have come out in favour of the proposal of Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union faction to remove the bills from the agenda. The main motive of the parliamentarians was that rash decisions should not be made and therefore more time is needed for consideration.

The Seimas is planned to return to the issue of writing names and surnames at the extended parliamentary session in January next year.

Today, the Seimas was to reflect again on the bill regarding the original spelling of surnames in personal documents.

One of the draft bills proposes the original spelling in Latin alphabet on the main page of the identity document, another – on the additional page.

The Seimas Committee of Order and Justice is in favour of the first option and suggests rejecting the alternative one.

The bill introduced by 70 deputies proposes spelling the surnames of Lithuanian citizens of non-Lithuanian nationalities and their children in Latin alphabet without diacritics.

The debate on the legalisation of the original spelling of surnames in documents has been going on in Lithuania for decades, but so far no decision has been made.