Danish Flag Code

Danmark

Last modified: 2021-08-25 by christopher oehler
Keywords: denmark | scandinavian cross | dannebrog | danmark |
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image by Željko Heimer and António Martins-Tuválkin, 22 April 2016

Excerpts From The Danish Flag Code

(English)

Royal Order regarding the Ensign and Jack of Merchant Ships and Trader Ships as well as the chartered Companies' Ships, including pennants and streamers.

1. The Danish Merchant flag shall be red with a white cross without swallow-tail; taking the width at the hoist as basis, the white cross shall be 1/7 of the width, the 2 aftermost quarters shall be square, and the foremost quarters shall be 6/4 of the aftermost squares.

2. The merchant streamer shall be without swallow-tail of one colour, or with a white cross; having a length of 2 to 5 alen, depending on the ship, and the width 1/16 of the length. [An alen is two feet.]

6. All the royal merchant ships shall fly the merchant ensign from the ensign staff, but from the bow a royal jack, and from the main mast a royal pennant; all the subjects' merchant ships only merchant ensign from the ensign staff and from the mast tops merchant streamers.

9. All flag makers and captains shall abide by this order, and no ensigns, jacks, pennants or streamers, unless of the prescribed proportions, may be produced, ordered produced or flown. Transgressions may be punished as under the royal order of Feb 17th 1741 regarding the usage of pennants.

(Danish)

Forordning om Coffardi-Skibes og Commis-Farernes samt de octrojerede Compagniers Skibes Flag og Giøs, samt Vimpeler og Fløie.

1. Det danske Coffardi-Flag skal vœre rødt med hvidt Kors uden Split; Og skal, naar Flagets Brede ved Stangen sœttes som Basis og Grund for Proportionen, det hvide Kors vœre 1/7 af Flagets Brede ved Stangen; De 2de agterste røde Qvarterer vœre en lige Fiirkant, og de forreste røde Qvarterer vœre 6/4 af de agterste Fiirkanter.

2. Coffardie-Fløien skal vœre uden Split af een Couleur, eller med et hvidt Kors; I Lœngden fra 2 til 5 Alen, efter Fartøjets Beskaffenhed, og Breden 1/16 af Lœngden.

6. Alle Kongens egne Coffardie-Skibe skal føre Coffardie-Flaget fra Campagnen, men fra Bogspydet en Konge-Giøs, og fra Toppen Konge-Fløie; og alle andre Undersaatternes Coffardie-Skibe alene Coffardie-Flag fra Campagnen, og fra Toppene Coffardie-Fløie.

9. Alle Flagmagere og Skippere skal rette sig efter denne Fr., og ingen Flage, Giøs, Vimpler eller Fløie, uden efter foranførte Proportion, enten forfœrdige eller lade forfœrdige, eller paa Coffardie-Skibene uden efter denne Fr. føre, alt under Straf efter Fr. om Vimpel-Føringen 17 Febr. 1741, som herved igientages; og skal med Angivelse, Processer og Bødernes Inddrivelse denne Fr. angaaende i alle Maader forholdes, som i Fr. om Vimpel-Føringen er anordnet.

Pedersen, 1979, mentions that a royal resolution in 1854 'allowed everybody in the kingdom to fly the square Dannebrog from his property or home.'
The resolution can be found at retsinfo.dk.