Flying the flag at half-mast in Portugal

A flag at half-mast is the visible sign of mourning. In Portugal, Decreto-Lei n.º 150/87 links half-mast to national mourning, declared by the Government, and describes how the flag is raised and lowered in that case. This guide explains the rule and the practice. The circumstances in which national mourning is declared are covered in the guide to national mourning.

What the decree says

Article 7 of Decreto-Lei n.º 150/87 has three paragraphs:

1. When national mourning is declared, the national flag is flown at half-mast for the number of days set.
2. Whenever the national flag is at half-mast, any other flag flown with it is flown in the same way.
3. To fly at half-mast, the flag goes to the top before being lowered to half-mast, and the same procedure is followed when it is taken down.

The decree uses the expressions "meia haste" and "meia adriça" with the same meaning: the flag is halfway between the top and the foot of the pole.

Raising and lowering at half-mast

The decree does not set the exact height of half-mast. In practice the flag is roughly in the middle of the pole, and on a tall pole half-mast is clearly below the top. On an angled façade pole, where there is no room to lower the flag, the decree’s rules are hard to apply, which explains why many institutions have vertical poles. The relationship between the pole and the flag is covered in the guide to flagpole heights.

Several flags during national mourning

During national mourning, all the flags flown beside the national flag are at half-mast: the European Union flag, the regional flag, the municipal flag and others. The memorandum on flags of the Câmara Municipal do Sabugal illustrates the rule with three poles, all at half-mast. The order of the flags stays the same, as described in the guide to flag protocol.

Municipal mourning

Besides national mourning, the câmaras municipais sometimes declare municipal mourning, for example on the death of a local figure. According to the Sabugal memorandum, during municipal mourning only the municipality’s flag is flown at half-mast for the number of days set, while the national flag and the European Union flag stay at the top.

Half-mast outside official mourning

Decreto-Lei n.º 150/87 only provides for half-mast during national mourning. A private individual who flies the flag in their garden can, as a mark of respect, set it at half-mast during national mourning. Outside those situations, half-mast is sometimes used at family funerals, by associations or by companies, but the law does not regulate it. Under article 2 of the decree, the flag is in any case displayed in good condition and according to the official pattern.

Duration

The duration depends on the decree declaring national mourning. Under Lei n.º 40/2006, the Government declares national mourning, its duration and its scope by decree. In 2025, for example, the Government declared three days of national mourning for Pope Francis and two days on the death of Francisco Pinto de Balsemão. The examples are in the guide to national mourning.