Article 3 of the Constitution provides that:
- The national language of the Republic of Vanuatu is Bislama, English and French. The principal languages of education are English and French.
- The Republic of Vanuatu shall protect the different local languages which are part of the national heritage, and may declare one of them as a national language.
Article 64 of the Constitution provides for a citizen to receive any service from any Government agency in the official language that he or she uses. Where a Citizen feels that his or her right under article 64 is being infringed he or she may make a complaint to the Ombudsman to enquire into the conduct of the Government agency responsible. The Ombudsman shall each year, make a special report to Parliament concerning the observance of multilinguisim and the measures likely to ensure its respect.
It must be clear to all that the expression service includes, but is not limited to, advertisements, announcements, circulars, decisions, declarations, instructions, media releases, newsletters, notices, reports, reviews, statements, survey questionnaires and warnings, whether they are published in the public media or within the administration.