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Switzerland

Half-mast in Switzerland – rules and procedure

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This page is an English translation of the German original. Where the two versions differ, the German text is the original.

A flag at half-mast is also in Switzerland the most visible sign of public mourning. For federal buildings, the Federal Council’s instructions on flags on federal buildings of 20 April 2016 set out when and by whom half-mast is ordered. How the flag is lowered is described in the Swiss Armed Forces’ flag regulations. Private individuals are not bound by these rules, but many follow them.

Who orders half-mast

Article 9 of the instructions distinguishes by occasion:

OccasionFlags at half-mastOrder given by
Death of the serving president of the National Council or the Council of StatesAll federal buildings with a flagpole, from the day of death until the funeralParliamentary Services
Death of a serving member of the Federal CouncilAll federal buildings with a flagpole, from the day of death until the funeralFederal Chancellery
Death of the serving Federal ChancellorBundeshaus West, on the day of death and the day of the funeralFederal Chancellery
Death of a serving head of state of a country with diplomatic relations with Switzerland, of an ambassador accredited in Switzerland, or of the secretary-general or executive director of an intergovernmental organisationBundeshaus West, on the day of death and the day of the funeralProtocol of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
Disasters or events of particular significanceScope and duration decided by the President of the ConfederationFederal Chancellery
Death of members of the armed forcesBuildings used by the military, at the decision of the military authoritiesArmed forces

For disasters or events with an international dimension, the President of the Confederation consults the head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs beforehand where time allows. One example is the national day of mourning on 9 January 2026 after the fire in Crans-Montana: on that day, the flags of the Federal Palace and the federal buildings in Bern were set at half-mast.

The cantons and communes order half-mast for their own buildings themselves, for example on the death of a member of the cantonal government or after an accident in the canton.

The procedure

The Swiss Armed Forces’ flag regulations describe a fixed procedure:

  1. The flag is first raised to the top of the pole.
  2. It is then lowered to half-mast.
  3. At the end of the mourning period, it is raised to the top again and only then taken down.

Neither the instructions nor the edition of the flag regulations in force since 1 January 2025 give a height in centimetres or as a share of the pole. The earlier 2019 edition stated that a flag at half-mast is lowered by a third of the pole height from the top. For a 6-metre pole, that is 2 metres below the top.

Pole heightA third below the top
6 mabout 2 m
7.5 mabout 2.5 m
9 mabout 3 m
12 mabout 4 m

Several poles

Where a federal building has several poles, all flags are set at half-mast in accordance with the flag regulations under Article 9(7) of the instructions. For military sites, the flag regulations specify that all flags on poles are set at half-mast, except foreign flags and the flags of international organisations. If this concerns a cantonal or communal flag, the state chancellery of the canton or the commune’s administration is informed of the reason beforehand.

The 2019 edition also contained the rule that, where several national flags are flown, only the flag of the nation concerned is set at half-mast. More on arranging several flags is in the guide to flag protocol.

When half-mast is technically impossible

Not every flag can be set at half-mast, for example a flag hanging from a façade or a flag on a pole without a halyard. Under Article 9(8) of the instructions, mourning is then marked in another form. The flag regulations call in that case for a form using the Swiss flag that gives the deceased the appropriate honour. At military funerals, for example, the ribbon of the colour is edged with a mourning band. More in the guide to flags in mourning.

Half-mast on a private pole

There is no duty to join a period of mourning on a private pole. Those who do can follow the procedure in the flag regulations. On poles with an external or internal halyard, the flag can be set at any height; with a banner on an outrigger, this is only possible if the outrigger can be lowered together with the flag. More on the mechanics is in the guide to flagpole mechanics.

Frequently asked questions

Who orders half-mast in Switzerland?

For federal buildings, it depends on the occasion: the Parliamentary Services on the death of the president of a chamber, the Federal Chancellery on the death of a member of the Federal Council or the Federal Chancellor, the Protocol of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs on the death of a foreign head of state. For disasters, the President of the Confederation decides the scope and duration.

How low does the flag hang at half-mast in Switzerland?

The Federal Council’s instructions and the flag regulations in force since 2025 give no height. The earlier 2019 edition of the flag regulations stated that a flag at half-mast is lowered by a third of the pole height from the top.

Why is the flag first raised all the way up?

Under the Swiss Armed Forces’ flag regulations, the flag is always first raised to the top of the pole, both when it is set at half-mast and when it is taken in. Only then is it lowered to half-mast or taken down.

Are foreign flags lowered to half-mast too?

Under the flag regulations, all flags at a military site are set at half-mast during mourning, except foreign flags and the flags of international organisations. The 2019 edition stated that where several national flags are flown, only the flag of the nation concerned is set at half-mast.

Sources

This guide is based on the following sources, most of them in German:

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