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The decrees 861 of 1934, issued by the national government
feeling President of the Republic the Senior General Pedro Nel
Ospina and the doctor Enrique Olaya Herrera respectively, contain
dispositions over the flag and the national shield. To the
continuation, transcribed is the pertinent part of the flag.
Decree No. 861 of 1934 (May 17)
Article 1-The Flag--flag and standard of the Republic of
Colombia, contains yellow, blue, and red, distributed en three
horizontal bands, of which the yellow, placed in the upper part,
will have the same width to the middle of the flag, and the other
two in equal bands to the forth part of the total, having the
blue in the center.
Article 2-The merchant flag of Colombia will be in accordance
with the established decree number 309 of 1980, three meters long
by two wide; it will bring in the center a shield in an oval
shape, in blue background, circled by a zone of red velvet of 5
centimeters wide, and a white star in the center, with 8 rays in
10 centimeters in diameter. The axes of the oval, inside the blue
background, are of 40 centimeters the bigger, and the 30 the
smaller.
Paragraph-This will be the flag that one puts in use in the boats
of the Colombian navy and in the accredited legations and
Consulates outside of the country.
Article 3-The flag of war in use in the Army, will be 1.30 meters
long, by 1.10 meters wide, for the standing army; the standard,
for the mounted arms, will be a meter long by one meter wide.
These flags will have in the center the shield of Arms of the
Republic, marked in a circumference of red velvet of 5
centimeters wide and 40 centimeters in diameter in the
exterior part, within which it will be written, in gold letters,
the name of the body (corps) of troops for which it represents.
Decree No. 62 of 1934 (January 11)
208-The flag of war in use in the Army will be, after the law,
1.35 meters long by 1.10 wide for the mounted arms (cavalry).
These flags will have in the center a shield of Arms of the
Republic, inside an oval of red wool-cloth, in which it will be
written, in embroidered letters of gold, the name of the body
(corps) of the troops or military divisions for which it
represents.
209-The flag with shield will only be used for the armed corps of
the Nation.
210-The national flags that are raised in the barracks, public
buildings, merchant ships, fortresses, etc. will be able to have
more or less the same dimensions and won't have the shield.
Vincent , 25 October 1997
The Decree No. 1967 of August 15, 1991, which is the latest
legislation on the use of the Flag, Coat of Arms and National
Anthem is online at the Colombian
Ministry of Communications website.
E.R, 18 June 2007
Searching through the local Yellow Pages, in the last page of the 2013
Edition, a reference appears regarding the national symbols. Then, they mention
the official measurements for the Colombian flag: 1.80 m long by 1.4 m wide.
Esteban Rivera, 01 April 2013
In a memo by the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (English: Ministry of Foreign Relations) labeled "Circular 36 del 23 de Marzo de 2021" (English: Circular 36 of March 23, 2021), subject "Normativa sobre el uso de la Bandera Nacional" (English: Regulations on the use of the National Flag) issued to the accredited Diplomatic Missions in the country (Ambassadors and Heads of Consular Missions) mentions the internal memo "Oficio No. I-GCD-19-004813 del 5 de marzo de 2019" (English: Administrative Act No. I-GCD-19-004813 of March 5, 2019) to remind the current regulations regarding the correct use of the "Bandera Nacional" (English: National Flag) especially those mentioned in "Decreto No. 1687 del 23 de Mayo de 1986" (English: Decree No. 1687 of May 23, 1986) and "Decreto No. 1967 del 15 de Agosto de 1991" (English: Decree No. 1967 of August 15, 1991), as follows:
- Decree No. 1687 of May 23, 1986
Article 1: As of the
validity of this Decree, in all public offices in the country and
abroad, the National Flag described in article 2 of the Law No. 12 of
February 29, 1984 will be used, the text of which is as follows: "The
national colors of the Republic of Colombia, yellow, blue and red,
will continue to be distributed in the National Ensign, in three
horizontal bands, of which the yellow, placed in the upper part, will
have a width equal to half the flag, and the two others, in bands
equal to a quarter of the total, with blue in the center."
Article 2: The Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Government, and National Defense will provide what is necessary for the proper compliance with this Decree.
- Decree No. 1967 of August 15, 1991
Article 7: The National Flag must be used by the
Colombian diplomatic missions in the facilities they occupy within
foreign territory, according to the agreements established with the
respective country.
Article 8: The National Flag with incorporated CoA may only be used by the President of the Republic and the Armed Corps of the Nation, being called War Flag for this case.
Article 12: The Coat of Arms of the Republic of Colombia may only be used on the flags of the President of the Republic, on the Flags of War, on letterheads, envelopes, etc., through which they are given in strictly official matters.
PARAGRAPH: It is authorized to sculpt it in monuments, churches, chapels, pantheons or military cemeteries, barracks, ships, educational centers and other places, provided that they meet conditions of severity, seriousness and respect.
From the regulations described, it can be deduced that in national entities (with the exception of the Presidency of the Republic and the Armed Corps of the Nation) as well as in the diplomatic and consular missions of Colombia abroad, only the national flag of Colombia can be used: three horizontal stripes, without any ornament or shield in the center as shown below
The Administrative Act also mentions that according to "Artículo 9 de la Ley 198 del 17 de Julio de 1995" (English: Article 9 of the Law No. 198 of July 17, 1995), the Ministry of Foreign Relations is the overseer of compliance and dissemination of regulations that regulate the proper use of the national flag
It is worth mentioning that Artículo 7 de la Ley 12 del 29 de Febrero de 1984 (English: Article 7 of the Law No. 12 of February 29, 1984) specifically mentions the following: "In these terms, the Law No. 3 of May 9, 1834 is replaced and all provisions that are contrary to it are repealed. In essence, this means that Law No. 12 of February 29, 1984 supersedes Law No. 3 of May 9, 1834, the latter which is considered the official adoption date (de iure) of the current CoA and the flag (as a tricolor, although in this case in vertical stripes, something that would be amended later on in 1861).
Furthermore, it is also worth mentioning that "Artículo 12 del Decreto No. 1967 del 15 de Agosto de 1991" defines the official denomination of what we call "Presidential flag", as "Bandera Nacional del Presidente de la República" (English: National Flag of the President of the Republic).
It is also important to mention that the 1955 version of the CoA is in fact a more thorough interpretation of the "Decreto No 3558 del 9 de Noviembre de 1949" (English: Decree No. 3538 of November 9, 1949) as published in the "Diario Oficial N.º 28820 del 6 de agosto de 1955" English: Official Gazette No. 28820 of August 6, 1955 by Enrique Ortega Ricaurte as Chief of the "Archivo Nacional de Colombia" (English: Colombia's National Archives) (currently "Archivo General de la Nación") (English: "Nation's General Archives") (official website: https://www.archivogeneral.gov.co/ ), as follows: (original text in Spanish):
Field of the shield: The National Shield is Swiss in shape and must be the same designated by the Law of May 9, 1834. It will have five parts wide by six long. In no case will it have a trim or edge (subsection "G" of article 336 of the Garrison Service regulations, approved by Decree No. 3558 of November 9, 1949 of the Executive Power). It must be arranged in a strip, that is, "divided into three equal parts, separated by two horizontal parallels."
Flags: The four flags that adorn the shield, which are not an integral part of it, will have the same inclination as those that appear in the one approved by the legislators of 1834. Their colors and arrangement are those set by the Decree of November 26, 1861 of General Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera, Provisional President of the United States of Colombia; "These flags are collected towards the vertex of the shield" (Article V of Decree 861 of May 17, 1924 of the President of the Republic of Colombia).
Condor: The Condor, which symbolizes freedom, is represented from
the front with outstretched wings and looking to the right, "because
it is more noble." From its beak will hang a green laurel wreath; and
on a fluttering ribbon, seized from the shield and intertwined in the
crown, will be written, in gold, with black letters: LIBERTY AND
ORDER.
Source: Wikipedia
A very interesting source both in legislation as well as illustrations of the historical variations of the CoA is seen in this official document, "Gaceta del Congreso No. 858 del 25 de Noviembre de 2008" (English: Congressional Gazette No. 858 of November 25, 2008) in which a Bill ("Proyecto de Ley No. 326 Senado" (English: Senate Bill No. 326 of 2008), "Proyecto de Ley No. 176 Cámara" (English: House Bill 176 of 2008)) which sought to modify Article 3 of the Law 12 of 1984.
In the end, the Bill seems to have not been approved. However it had been
used de facto since 2002, when then President Ãlvaro Uribe Vélez commissioned
the publicity firm Duque Imagen Limitada of Publicist Carlos Duque to have
a "Elaboración de un Manual de uso de la bandera y el escudo de
Colombia" (English: Elaboration of a Manual of use of the flag and
coat of arms of Colombia, more properly a "Corporate identity manual"
to be used by all government organizations) which derived in the CoA
as a logo symbol, as seen here:
https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/images/c/co)new.jpg.
Sources: https://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/MAM-1323759, and
https://piedadmaya.com/el-escudo-de-colombia-convertido-en/
Here's an incomplete list of regulations (Decrees and Laws) pertaining the symbols of Colombia (national flags and CoA's) in chronological order:
"Ley 198 del 17 de Julio de 1995" (English: Law 198 of July 17,
1995)
"Decreto No. 1967 del 15 de Agosto de 1991" (English: Decree No.
1967 of August 15, 1991)
"Decreto No. 1687 del 23 de Mayo de 1986" (English: Decree No. 1687
of May 23, 1986)
"Ley 12 del 29 de Febrero de 1984" (English: Law 12 of February 29,
1984)
"Decreto No 3558 del 9 de Noviembre de 1949" (English: Decree No.
3538 of November 9, 1949) (Military Forces Regulation, also known as
Garrison Service regulations)
"Decreto No. 861 del 17 de Mayo de 1934) (English: Decree No. 861 of
May 17, 1934)
"Decreto No. 62 del 11 de Enero de 1934" (English: Decree No. 62 of
January 11, 1934)
"Decreto No. 309 del 28 de Abril de 1890" (English: Decree No. 309
of April 28, 1890)
"Decreto No. 838 del 5 de Noviembre de 1889" (English: Decree No.
838 of November 5, 1889)
"Ley 124 del 13 de Julio de 1887" (English: Law 124 of July 13,
1887) (as United States of Colombia)
"Decreto del 26 de Noviembre de 1861" (English: Decree of November
26, 1861)
"Decreto del 26 de Julio de 1861" (English: Decree of July 26,
1861)
"Ley del 30 de Junio de 1858" (English: Law of June 30 (other
sources mention June 23, 1858) (as Grenadine Confederation)
"Ley 3 del 9 de mayo de 1834" (English: Law 3 of May 9, 1834)
"Ley del 17 de Diciembre de 1831" (English: Law of December 17,
1831)
"Ley del 6 de octubre de 1821" (English: Law of October 6, 1821)
"Ley 1 del 18 de Julio de 1821, Ley Fundamental de la Unión de los
Pueblos" (English: Law 1 of July 18 (other sources mention July 12),
1821, Founding Law of the People's Union)
"Decreto del 10 de enero de 1820" (English: Decree of January 10,
1820)
"Ley 1 del 17 de Diciembre 1819, Ley Fundamental de la República de
Colombia" (English: Law 1 of December 17, 1819, Founding Law of the
Republic of Colombia)
"Ley del 14 de Noviembre de 1815" (English: Law of November 14, 1815)
"Ley 14 de Julio de 1814" (English: Law 14 of July 1814) (as United
Provinces of New Grenada)
"Ley del 26 de Abril de 1814" (English: Law of April 26, 1814) (as
United Provinces of New Grenada)
Esteban Rivera, 14 August 2023
![[Correct uses of the National Flag]](../images/c/co-leg.jpg)
image located by Esteban Rivera, 14 August 2023
1. President of the Republic
2. Armed Forces of the Nation
3. Other National Entities and Diplomatic Missions of Colombia abroad
new.jpg){kind=link}