Flag protocol in Portugal

When the national flag flies with other flags, Portuguese or foreign, it always takes the place of honour. The rule is in article 8 of Decreto-Lei n.º 150/87, which describes the flag’s place with two, three or more poles. This guide summarises those rules, the rules of the Azores and Madeira and the practice followed by local authorities. The flags of other countries are covered in the guide to foreign flags in Portugal.

Right and left in protocol

The decree describes the right from the point of view of a person facing outwards, that is, standing with their back to the building. The memorandum on flags of the Câmara Municipal do Sabugal sums up the convention: in protocol, the right is always the left of the person looking at it from the front. For someone arriving at the building, the place of honour is therefore on the left.

The rules of article 8

At the premises of international organisations based in Portugal and at international meetings, the decree provides for the national flag to be placed according to the protocol rule in use for such cases. Article 8(3) adds that the national flag is not smaller than the other flags flown with it.

Local authority practice

The Câmara Municipal do Sabugal memorandum describes the practice followed in a municipality with the national flag, the European Union flag, the municipal flag and the parish flags:

• The national flag is normally followed by the European Union flag and only then by the others.
• With an even number of flags, the place of honour is to the right of an imaginary central line inside a building, or on the right-hand side, with the others in linear order, outside.
• With more than five flags outside, the national flag is flown on the first pole on the right, so that it stands out more than it would in the centre.
• The poles stand to the right of the main door, that is, to the left of someone looking at it. When they are perpendicular to the door, the one closest to the door is for the national flag.
• When two flags are flown on the same pole, the national flag is at the top.

The Azores and Madeira

• Azores: Decreto Regulamentar Regional n.º 13/79/A provides that, on public buildings and at official ceremonies, the Azorean flag is always flown with the national flag. With two poles, the national flag takes the one on the right and the Azorean flag the one on the left; with three, the national flag takes the centre one and the Azorean flag the one on the right; with more than three, the national flag takes the first on the right and the Azorean flag the next one.
• Madeira: Decreto Regional n.º 30/78/M provides that the institutions and services under the regional government place a pole for the regional flag to the left of the national flag’s pole, and that the regional flag is flown with the national flag.

In both cases the regional flag takes the position subordinate to the national flag. The regional flags are described in the guide to flag types.

At ceremonies and indoors

According to the Sabugal memorandum, on a stage behind a presiding table the national flag is placed so that it can be seen from any angle, and in a procession it takes the right-hand side if there are only two flags. The national flag is not compulsory at a private event, but the memorandum notes that tradition almost always includes it when official figures are present.

The precedence of the persons present at an official ceremony, for example the place of the President of the Republic, ministers or mayors, is governed by Lei n.º 40/2006, the Law on the Precedence of the Protocol of the Portuguese State.

Mourning

During national mourning, all the flags flown with the national flag are at half-mast, and the order stays the same. The procedure is described in the guide to half-mast. The arrangement of poles at a company’s premises is covered in the guide to flagpoles for businesses.