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Brazil Enacts National Plain-Language Law for All Public Bodies

Implementation details await federal regulation due within 90 days.

Overview

  • Law No. 15.263/2025 was published on November 17 and took immediate effect across the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches at federal, state, district and municipal levels, including direct and indirect administration.
  • Official communications must adopt plain-language techniques such as short, direct sentences, common vocabulary, early presentation of key information, explanations of technical terms, use of lists, tables or graphics, and spelling out acronyms.
  • Accessibility requirements include communication tailored for people with disabilities and, when feasible, parallel versions in the indigenous language of the recipient community.
  • During congressional processing, the mandate to produce dual versions of documents was removed, while the exemption for municipalities under 50,000 inhabitants was dropped, extending the policy to all cities.
  • The law leaves inspection and penalties undefined pending regulation, prohibits new gender or number flexions that contradict established grammar, and includes a presidential veto of a clause that would have required each body to designate a responsible official for plain language.