Flagpoles and flag flying in Belgium

Flying a flag in Belgium is free, and the black, yellow and red tricolour flies at houses, club premises, businesses and public buildings. Yet more rules are involved than in most countries. The royal decree of 5 July 1974 sets the flag days for public buildings, and each community and region has its own flag and its own feast day. The permit for a flagpole is also a regional matter. This page brings together the rules and customs for flags and flagpoles in Belgium, based on Belgian legislation and the competent authorities.

The essentials

• Flag days: the royal decree of 5 July 1974 lists the days on which the Belgian and the European flag are flown on public buildings, from Queen Mathilde's birthday on 20 January to the royal couple's wedding anniversary on 4 December. All dates for 2026 and 2027 are in the guide on flag days.
• Communities and regions: the Flemish Community flies its flag on 11 July, the French Community on 27 September, the Walloon Region on the third Sunday of September and the German-speaking Community on 15 November. More on this is in the guide on flag rules.
• Half-mast: according to the protocol service of the Federal Public Service Home Affairs, a space the height of the flag stays free above it. More on this is in the guide on half-mast.
• Order: on Flemish public buildings, the Belgian flag comes first, followed by the Flemish, European, provincial and municipal flags. More on this is in the guide on flag protocol.
• Sizes: there is no legal table for flag sizes. The flag size calculator shows a common rule of thumb.
• Price: what affects the price of a flagpole and a flag is in the guides on the price of a flagpole and the price of a flag.
• Permit: Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels each have their own rules. More on this is in the guide on flagpole installation.

Laws and authorities

Belgium's colours are set out in article 193 of the Constitution: "The Belgian Nation adopts the colours red, yellow and black, and as the arms of the Kingdom the Belgian Lion with the motto UNITY MAKES STRENGTH." The Constitution does not say in which direction or proportion the bands run. In practice the flag has three vertical bands, with the black next to the pole.

The royal decree of 5 July 1974 on flag flying on public buildings lists the days on which the national and the European flag are flown on public buildings. It has been amended several times, among other things after the change of monarch in 2013 and, most recently, by the royal decree of 29 May 2015. The protocol service of the Federal Public Service (FPS) Home Affairs gives practical guidance, for example on half-mast.

Since the state reforms, the communities and regions have had their own symbols. The Flemish Community set out its arms, flag, anthem and feast day in the decree of 7 November 1990, the French Community in the decree of 3 July 1991, the Walloon Region in the decree of 23 July 1998 and the German-speaking Community in the decree of 1 October 1990. The Brussels-Capital Region has an ordinance on its flag from 1991 and an ordinance from 2003 on its feast day on 8 May. For Flemish public buildings, circular VR 2015/37 of the Flemish Government sets out the rules in more detail.

There is no separate law on flagpoles. Installing one falls under the planning rules of the region: the Flemish Spatial Planning Code and its exemption decree, the Walloon Code du Développement Territorial (CoDT) and the Brussels Planning Code (CoBAT), together with municipal regulations.

The flagpole in Belgium

Flags are flown in many ways in Belgium. Circular VR 2015/37 mentions poles on the roof, on the façade, against a window and on the pavement in front of a building. On terraced houses a façade pole is common, and in gardens, at businesses and at sports clubs a free-standing pole. More on this is in the guides on types of flagpoles and flagpole heights.

Public buildings often fly several flags side by side. According to circular VR 2015/37, all flags then have the same size, and the order of the poles depends on whether the number of flags is odd or even.

About the guides

The guides are grouped by topic. Each guide covers one defined subject, ends with frequently asked questions, lists its sources and shows the date of its latest update. This English translation follows the Dutch guides, which also exist in French with the same content. The rules apply throughout Belgium, and where the regions or communities differ, Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels and the German-speaking Community are each covered.