Flags in mourning in Austria: half-mast, ribbon and black flag

When Austria mourns, public buildings show it with their flags. There is no law on mourning flags. The Federal Government and the state governments order them case by case, and the forms are described in the Austrian Armed Forces’ flag order, in an article by the Ministry of the Interior and in the flag guide of the State of Styria. Typical of Austria is that besides half-mast, the mourning ribbon and the black flag are also widespread.

Three forms of mourning flags

The Styrian flag guide describes three options, chosen according to the pole and the way the flag is mounted:

Half-mast requires a pole that technically allows it and is only an option for hoisted landscape flags. Hanging flags, banners and portrait flags receive a mourning ribbon; on portrait flags it is attached to the top of the pole. The procedure for half-mast is described in the guide to half-mast.

The black flag

The black flag is a common way of showing mourning in Austria. According to the Ministry of the Interior, it also has a ratio of two to three and is always flown at full mast. The Styrian flag guide refers to an explanation of Styrian municipal law, under which public buildings mourn by flying the national or state flag at half-mast; black flags are, according to it, meant only for private bereavements.

State mourning

State mourning is ordered by the Federal Government, mourning in a federal state by the respective state government. Under the Armed Forces’ flag order, flags fly at half-mast or with a mourning ribbon for the period ordered. For a civil bereavement in a federal state, the military command orders flags in agreement with the state government.

A recent example: after the shooting at a school in Graz on 10 June 2025, Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker announced three days of state mourning. The Austrian flag flew at half-mast on all public buildings, and a nationwide minute’s silence was held on the Wednesday at 10 a.m.

Duration

• State mourning and mourning in a federal state: for the period ordered.
• Death of a member of the Armed Forces: from the day after the death becomes known up to and including the day of the funeral.
• Mourning flags under the Styrian flag guide: from the day of the death or the order until dusk on the day of the burial.
• According to the Ministry of the Interior, the flag is set at half-mast on the morning of the funeral and raised to full mast again after the burial.

The flag on a coffin

At funerals of public figures or of people who died on duty, the coffin can be covered with a flag. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the white stripe runs lengthwise over the lid, and the red stripes cover the sides. Wreaths and flowers are not placed on the flag, but a helmet or decorations may rest on it. The flag is lifted off before the coffin is lowered, folded and can be handed to the relatives.

At military funerals the Armed Forces use their own mourning flag of the Republic, with vertical colours and a very large eagle. The flag order calls it a particular feature of official Austrian funeral culture.

Mourning with several flags

During the state mourning of June 2025, the Federal Chancellery’s announcement expressly named the Austrian flag, which was set at half-mast. How several flags – such as the national, state and European flags – are arranged is described in the guide to flag protocol.