Tips on flying national flags on flagpoles in the United Kingdom

When was the last time you received a lesson on how to fly the Union Jack flag? If you can answer yes, then you don’t need to read on. Well done, pat yourself on the back and go and fly the flag high. If I was to ask most people about the history of the Union Jack I would probably receive a very vague response. We need to be familiar with our flags, we all have the right to fly the flag on land or water.

Flags may be flown on every day of the year. If flown at night they should be illuminated. No permission is required to fly the national flags, and they are excluded from most planning and advertising regulations (you need to check for flagpoles with your local council).

The Union Jack flag should always be flown the right way up. Not many people will notice but if you turn it round, the left diagonal stripe will not be positioned correctly.
When flying the national flags with other nations, each flag should be the same size, or have the same width.

National flags should never be used as a table cloth or seat cover. When raising or lowering flags, the Union Jack should be raised first and lowered last. National flags should never be worn in a damaged or worn condition. If you need to replace your flags, see our national flags webpage.

If you are unsure of anything when flying these types of flags, we would always suggest that you seek advice. You don’t want to fly or position your flags incorrectly as this could be seen as an insult.