Read more about the flag rules
Flag protocol
The flag instructions are intended for the state, provinces, and municipalities. Private individuals, institutions, and companies may follow these flag instructions. All guidelines apply to the birthdays of members of the royal family. More information and all official flag dates can be found on this information page.
§ 1: In accordance with the Norwegian Flag Act of December 10, 1898, § 1, the Norwegian merchant flag shall be bright red and divided into four right-angled squares by a dark blue cross separated from the red squares by a white border.
The width of the flag shall be in the ratio of 16 to 22 to its length. The two red squares closest to the flagpole shall be square and each shall occupy 6/16 of the width of the flag or 6/22 of its length. The two outer squares, which are of the same width as the square ones, shall occupy 12/22 of the flag's length.
The width of the blue cross shall be 2/16 of the flag's width or 2/22 of its length, and the width of the white border shall be 1/16 of the flag's width or 1/22 of its length.
§ 2: Section 2 of the same law stipulates that the aforementioned flag shall be used on merchant ships when they wish to obtain protection and assistance from Norwegian legations, consulates or commercial agents in foreign ports.
Furthermore, it is stipulated that the same flag with a split and a tongue shall be used on public buildings, postal and customs vessels, provided that a white field with the words “Post” or “Toll” with a crown above is placed in the center of the postal flag and customs flag.
§ 3: Pursuant to § 2 of the Act, the use of flags with a split and a tongue, insofar as buildings are concerned, shall be restricted to buildings used by public institutions of the state which are either the property of the state (the state church) or leased by the state and used for the most part by the relevant state institutions.
However, this restriction does not apply to Norway's foreign missions. On the other hand, split flags may not be used on buildings that are state property when the building is wholly or mainly leased to private individuals.
Furthermore, vessels leased by the customs authorities and the state port authorities should be entitled to fly split flags while on duty.
Postal vessels may fly postal flags only when the ship is Norwegian and the shipping company has a contract with the state for the carriage of mail, and only on the routes covered by the contract for the carriage of mail. Ships that only carry a ship's certificate or only have a post box on board may only use the postal flag with the special permission of the postal authorities.
At exhibitions, livestock shows, parties, etc. that are not organized by the state, the state flag must not be used.
§ 4: Flags shall be flown at state institutions on official flag days. The state flag shall be used for this purpose.
When can the flag be flown?
In addition, the national flag may also be flown on other solemn and festive occasions within the nation or the royal family and on official visits by members of the royal family and foreign heads of state and princes, as well as when it is considered particularly important or desirable for the executive activities of the state institution concerned.
However, the national flag must not be flown at ceremonies of a purely private nature unless they are connected with the executive activities of the state institution concerned.
0 Amended by Regulation No. 1542 of December 3, 2004 (effective January 1, 2005).
§ 5: The flag shall be hoisted on a flagpole on the roof or on the side of the building or on a free-standing flagpole; on vessels, on the flagpole at the stern or under the gaff.
§ 6: The flag shall be hoisted in the months of March to October at 8 a.m. and in the months of November to February at 9 a.m. The flag shall be lowered at sunset, but no later than 9 p.m. if the sun sets after this time.
In the counties of Nordland, Troms and Finnmark, the flag shall be hoisted in the months of November to February at 10:00 a.m. and lowered at 3:00 p.m.
Flagging on vessels shall be in accordance with the general rules for flagging at sea.
On customs buildings and vessels, as well as on port authority vessels, the flag may also be flown outside the above-mentioned times. Further provisions in this regard shall be issued by the relevant ministry.
§ 7: In case of doubt, all questions concerning the use of the national flag on public buildings shall be referred to the relevant ministry and submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
©Regjeringen.no
How do I fold the Norwegian flag?
Fold the flag into thirds. Then fold the flag perpendicular to the previous fold on the outside and repeat this again. Only the blue color should be visible on the outside: this protects the white stripe from dirt and prevents the red color from fading. Blue is best suited for this.
Hanging national flags
A flag that honors a nation should not be left hanging outside at night. A national flag is raised at sunrise and lowered at sunset. Only if a national flag is illuminated by spotlights on both sides may it remain hanging after sunset (flag lighting). A flag should not touch the ground. In the past, a flag that touched the ground was burned. This is no longer the case today. The flag can simply be washed. The cloth is burned when it has been deliberately misused.
Multiple (national) flags
Would you like to hang several flags next to each other? If so, all flags should be the same size. If not, they should at least be the same height.
The most important flag – in Norway, the national tricolor – always has a place of honor. With two flags, the place of honor is on the right, based on the position with your back to the building and facing the flags. With three flags, the place of honor is in the middle. The second most important flag goes to the right.
If flags of other countries are flown alongside the Norwegian flag, you can determine their ranking by using the first letter of the French names of the countries involved. The national flag always hangs in the middle. The first country in the alphabet goes to the right (assuming the position with your back to the building and your face to the flags), the next to the left, the next to the right... alternating from the center.
The flag of the European Union is a union flag and ranks last. When hoisting the flags, they are hoisted from the outside to the inside. The most important comes last. The national anthem is often played at that time.
Provincial and regional
For a municipal or provincial flag, the placement depends on the event. For example, at a municipal event, the municipal flag always hangs on the right, based on its position with its back to the building. There are no regulations on the number of flags around a town hall, for example. When marking a town's liberation, the town flag is preferred over the national tricolor. Do you want to hang municipal, provincial, and national flags next to each other? And does the event have a provincial character? Then place the provincial flag to the right and the municipal flag to the left of the Norwegian flag (assuming the position with your back to the building and facing the flags). Pennants can always hang from the flagpole as decoration. To highlight a local event, you can, for example, combine a provincial or municipal pennant with a flag. If you do not want to deny your origins in a European context, you can, for example, hang a Norwegian pennant above the EU flag.
Advertising flags
Do you have a foreign guest and want to hang a flag with your logo in addition to the Norwegian flag? In that case, the logo flag should be to the left of the Norwegian flag and the flag of the guests' country to the right (assuming the position with your back to the building and facing the flags).
