Flagpoles and national flag rules in Portugal

In Portugal the green and red flag is seen on public buildings, schools, fire stations, company headquarters and on many houses and farms. The use of the national flag is governed by law: there are rules on the days and hours it is flown, on half-mast during national mourning and on the place of honour when it flies with other flags. This page gathers information on the flag and on flagpoles in Portugal, based on Portuguese legislation and the authorities responsible.

The essentials in brief

• Days: Under Decreto-Lei n.º 150/87, the national flag is flown on Sundays and public holidays and on days of official ceremonies. All the dates are in the guide to flag days.
• Hours: The decree provides for the flag to fly between 9.00 and sunset, and to be lit when it stays up at night. More information is in the guide to flag rules.
• National mourning: When the Government declares national mourning, the national flag is flown at half-mast for the days set. The subject is covered in the guides to half-mast and national mourning.
• Size: No law sets the size of the flag according to the pole. The flag’s height is commonly between one seventh and one fifth of the pole’s height, and the flag size calculator shows the usual sizes.
• Price: The factors that affect the price are described in the guides to buying a flagpole and buying a flag.
• Permits: Putting up a flagpole is governed by the legal regime for urban development and building and by the municipal regulations. The subject is covered in the guide to flagpole installation.

Legislation and authorities

Article 11 of the Constitution defines the national flag as the symbol of the sovereignty of the Republic and of the independence, unity and integrity of Portugal, and as the flag adopted by the Republic established by the Revolution of 5 October 1910. The decree of the Constituent National Assembly of 19 June 1911 describes the flag, and the decree published in the Diário do Governo of 30 June 1911 sets its proportions: the length one and a half times the height, two fifths green at the hoist and three fifths red.

Decreto-Lei n.º 150/87 of 30 March brings together the general rules for the use of the national flag throughout the country, without prejudice to the specific rules for military and maritime use. According to the Presidency of the Republic, it updated scattered legislation dating in some cases from the beginning of the twentieth century. Article 332 of the Penal Code punishes insulting the national flag or anthem with up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 240 days, and with a lighter penalty for regional symbols.

National mourning is declared by the Government by decree, under article 42 of Lei n.º 40/2006 (the Law on the Precedence of the Protocol of the Portuguese State). The autonomous regions of the Azores and Madeira have their own flags, with rules of use set in regional legislation, and municipalities and parishes use heraldic flags under Lei n.º 53/91.

There is no specific law on flagpoles. They fall under the legal regime for urban development and building (Decreto-Lei n.º 555/99), the municipal urban development and building regulations of each municipality and, for advertising flags, Lei n.º 97/88 on the display of advertising messages.

The flagpole in Portugal

Under article 9 of Decreto-Lei n.º 150/87, flagpoles are placed in a place of honour, on the ground, on façades or on top of buildings. Public buildings often have two or three poles side by side, for the national flag, the flag of the European Union and the flag of the municipality or region. At houses, a pole in the garden or a bracket pole on the façade is most common. More information is in the guides to types of flagpoles and flagpole heights.

The country’s largest flagpole in a public space stands at the top of Parque Eduardo VII in Lisbon. According to RTP, the flag measuring 20 by 12 metres was raised in September 2005 on a pole 35 metres high. The story is told in the guide to the history of the flagpole.

About the guides

The guides are grouped by subject. Each guide covers one defined topic, ends with frequently asked questions, lists its sources and shows the date of its latest update. The dates of movable holidays, such as Good Friday and Corpus Christi, have been calculated for 2026 and 2027. The rules specific to the Azores and Madeira are mentioned in the guides where they apply, above all in the guides to flag types and flag days.