Flying the flag at half-mast in the Netherlands

A flag at half-mast is a sign of mourning and respect in the Netherlands. The best-known occasion is National Remembrance Day on 4 May, but the flag also goes to half-mast after a death in the family or after a disaster. How this is done is set out in the Handleiding voor het gebruik van de Nederlandse vlag (guidance on the use of the Dutch flag), published by the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations in 2009.

How the flag goes to half-mast

The Handleiding describes flying at half-mast in fixed steps:

1. The flag is first raised fully, to the top.
2. It is then lowered slowly and with dignity until the middle of the flag is at half the normal height.
3. The halyard is made fast. The flag is not tied up but hangs free.

When taking it down, the Handleiding has the flag first go back to the top, slowly and with dignity, before it is lowered in the same way. A flag is therefore never taken straight down from the half-mast position.

How high is half-mast?

The Handleiding fixes the position by the middle of the flag: it hangs at half the normal height. On a 6 metre flagpole, the middle of the flag is therefore at about 3 metres. The Handleiding also asks for a staff or pole long enough that the flag, even at half-mast, never touches the ground or obstructs traffic. With a large flag on a short pole this can become tight. More is in the guides to flag sizes and the flag size calculator.

On a slanting flagstaff on the façade, half-mast is awkward because the flag is fixed to the staff. On a pole with a halyard and pulley, the flag can hang at any height. How the halyard and pulley work is described in the guide to flagpole mechanics.

4 May

On 4 May the flag instruction has the flag at half-mast from 18.00 until sunset, in tribute to the victims of war. The National 4 and 5 May Committee calls on residents to fly the flag at half-mast that day from sunrise to sunset. The flag is the tricolour without a pennant. During the commemoration, according to the Committee, other flags such as the municipal flag can also fly at half-mast.

On 5 May, Liberation Day, the flag flies at full mast again. On 15 August, the formal end of the Second World War, the flag also flies at full mast according to the National Committee, not at half-mast. The dates are in the guide to flag days.

Special flag instructions

On the death of a member of the Royal House and on other special occasions, the Prime Minister can issue a special flag instruction. The Prime Minister can also do so to commemorate the victims of a national or international disaster. Such an instruction names the day, the duration and whether flying is extended or limited. Zaanstad’s flag instruction points out that such an instruction often comes at the last moment and is announced through the Government Information Service and the media.

Half-mast after a death

According to the Dutch government, anyone may fly the flag at half-mast after a death. There is no rule on how long. Municipalities sometimes have their own arrangements for their buildings: Zaanstad, for example, flies the municipal flag on the day of the funeral when a serving administrator, council member or employee dies. More is in the guide to flags in mourning.

Half-mast and the orange pennant

The orange pennant belongs to the festive days of the Royal House. According to Zaanstad’s flag instruction, the flag is never flown in mourning position with the pennant.