Flagpoles and flag flying in Switzerland

In Switzerland, flags are part of everyday life: the Swiss flag at the family home, the cantonal and communal flags outside the commune hall, flags hanging from balconies on 1 August, the company flag outside the factory. Unlike many countries, however, Switzerland has no flag law that sets flag days for everyone. The rules are spread across the Coat of Arms Protection Act, the Federal Council’s instructions for federal buildings, the Swiss Armed Forces’ flag regulations and the building law of the cantons. This guide brings together the essentials of flag flying and flagpoles in Switzerland, with sources from federal law, cantonal law and the publications of the responsible authorities.

The essentials at a glance

• Flag days: the Federal Council’s instructions name 1 August, Europe Day on 5 May and United Nations Day on 24 October for federal buildings. There are also cantonal holidays such as 1 March in Neuchâtel and 23 June in the Jura. All dates are in the guide to flag days.
• Who may fly the flag: under the Coat of Arms Protection Act, anyone may in principle use the Swiss flag. More in the guide to the flag rules.
• Half-mast: for federal buildings, half-mast is ordered, depending on the occasion, by the Parliamentary Services, the Federal Chancellery, the Protocol of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs or the President of the Confederation. More in the guide to half-mast.
• Order of flags: Swiss flag, cantonal flag, communal flag – in that order. How they are arranged on two, three or four poles is explained in the guide to flag protocol.
• Size: the Swiss Armed Forces’ flag regulations give a ratio of about 4:1 between pole and flag. The flag size calculator shows what that means for a given pole height.
• Buying: what affects the price is explained in the guides to buying a flagpole and buying a flag.
• Building permit: whether a flagpole needs a permit is decided by the cantons. More in the guide to flagpole installation.

Laws, instructions and responsible bodies

The Swiss flag is described in the Coat of Arms Protection Act of 21 June 2013, in force since 1 January 2017: it shows a Swiss cross in a square field. Under Article 1, the Swiss cross is an upright, free-standing white cross in a red field whose equal arms are each one sixth longer than they are wide. The model in the annex to the Act governs the shape, colour and proportions; the red is defined there, among other values, as Pantone 485 and RGB 255/0/0. The flags of the cantons and communes are set by cantonal law (Article 5).

How federal buildings fly flags is set out in the Federal Council’s instructions on flags on federal buildings of 20 April 2016. They apply to the Parliament Building and the buildings of the federal administration, not to private individuals. For buildings with several poles, they refer to the Swiss Armed Forces’ flag regulations (Regulation 51.340), which describe the order of flags and their handling in detail. In the Bern agglomeration, the Federal Office for Buildings and Logistics is responsible for flying the flags.

Protection of the flag is a matter for the Swiss Criminal Code: anyone who maliciously removes, damages or insults by acts a Swiss or cantonal flag displayed by an authority is liable to prosecution under Article 270. Article 298 protects the emblems of foreign states displayed publicly by a recognised representation of that state.

Private individuals, associations and businesses have no duty to fly a flag and no binding times. Many follow the federal practice and the calls to fly flags issued by their canton or commune.

The flagpole in Switzerland

There are no federal rules for the flagpole itself. Building law is a matter for the cantons, and the communes issue building permits. In the Canton of Zurich, only structures up to 2.5 m in total height are exempt; in the Canton of Bern, the building permit decree lists flags that are sovereign emblems as permit-free street advertising; in the Canton of Vaud, the commune decides on every project. In historic town centres, near listed buildings and in protected townscapes, the bar is higher.

Aluminium poles of 6 to 8 metres are common in gardens, and outside commune halls and schools there are often three poles for the Swiss, cantonal and communal flags. Flags hanging from houses and balconies are also very widespread in Switzerland. More in the guides to types of flagpoles and flag types.

About the guides

The guides below are grouped by topic. Each covers one subject, ends with frequently asked questions, lists its sources and shows when it was last updated. The flag days are calculated for 2026 and 2027. The guides are also available in German, the original, and in French, as a separate version for French-speaking Switzerland.