Kemal Taskin v. Turkey, No. 30206/04 and others, ECtHR (Second Section), 2 February 2010

The refusal of the competent national authorities to register names with letters not contained in the national language alphabet does not breach art. 8 of the ECHR.

Arte 8 ECHR

1. The Convention does not in itself guarantee either the right to use a specific language in relations with public authorities or the right to receive information in a language of one's choice. Consequently, without prejudice to respect for the rights protected by the Convention, each Contracting State is free to impose and regulate the use of its official language or languages ​​in identity documents and other official documents.

2. Refusal to transcribe the applicants' names in letters absent from the national alphabet may constitute an interference in the exercise of the right to respect for their private life. However, the interest of each State in guaranteeing the normal functioning of its institutional order, as a requirement linked to historical and political considerations of the State, is a legitimate objective in relation to which such refusal is not disproportionate, especially where the phonetic transposition of the name, which allows the applicant's name to be reproduced as faithfully as possible in the national language.