Flag protocol in Denmark: the position of Dannebrog and other flags

When several flags are raised together – at a hotel, a sporting event, a business with foreign guests or a town hall – the order is visible to everyone. There is no law on the order of flags in Denmark, but Dannebrogs-Samfundet describes a fixed practice in »Sådan bruges Dannebrog«. The main rule is that within the country’s borders, Dannebrog comes first, highest and foremost.

Dannebrog’s place

Dannebrog is raised first and lowered last, and all flags are raised at the same time as Dannebrog.

The Nordic flags

When the flags of the Nordic countries are flown in Denmark, Dannebrogs-Samfundet gives this order:

1. Denmark
2. Sweden
3. Norway
4. Finland
5. Iceland
6. Faroe Islands
7. Åland
8. Greenland

With a smaller number of poles, Dannebrog stands in the middle, with Sweden and Norway on either side and Finland and Iceland at the ends.

Other countries’ flags

If flags from countries outside the Nordic region are raised, all flags follow Dannebrog in alphabetical order by the countries’ French names, according to Dannebrogs-Samfundet. The order says nothing about one country ranking above another. Some examples where the French name gives a different position from the Danish one:

If there are special reasons, a country’s flag can be placed immediately after Dannebrog, for example during an official visit.

Supranational flags and convention flags

The UN flag, the EU flag, the NATO flag and the flag of the Nordic Council are supranational flags. They are not covered by the ban in the Flag Act, and the police list them among the flags that need no permission. The Red Cross flag is an example of a convention flag. According to Dannebrogs-Samfundet, Dannebrog has the place of honour here too.

Size and proportions

According to Dannebrogs-Samfundet, the flags have at least the same horizontal measurements. Countries’ flags have different proportions: with a flag height of 1 metre, Dannebrog is 1.32 metres long, the flags of Norway and Iceland 1.38 metres, Sweden’s 1.60 metres and that of the United States 1.90 metres. In a group of flags, the sizes can therefore be adjusted so that the flags carry roughly the same weight.

Permission

Flags of countries not exempted in the Flag Act require police permission. According to the police, permission to fly other countries’ flags is as a rule not given for national flag days. More in the guide to foreign flags in Denmark, and about flags at businesses in the guide to flagpoles for businesses.