Am I allowed to fly foreign flags in Denmark?
You may fly Dannebrog freely, but a foreign flag generally needs police permission again. After a Supreme Court ruling in 2023, foreign flags were free for a year and a half, but a new Flag Act took effect on 1 January 2025 and reinstated the ban — and it is the 2023 ruling people still point to. Private individuals use the rectangular flag; the swallow-tailed flag is reserved for the state and the royal house. A foreign flag is forbidden without permission, but the Nordic flags plus the German and the Ukrainian are exempt, as are the UN, EU and NATO. Non-national flags such as the rainbow flag are always legal, and a handheld flag is not covered.
📋 The rules
- You may fly Dannebrog freely (the rectangular flag)
- The swallow-tailed flag is reserved for the state and royal house
- A foreign flag needs police permission again (since 2025)
- Exempt: Nordic, German and Ukrainian flags
- UN, EU, NATO and the rainbow flag are always legal
🔓 Exceptions
- Nordic flags, the German and the Ukrainian flag may be flown without permission
- Flags of international bodies and non-national flags are always legal
- Waving a handheld flag is not covered by the ban
⚠️ Penalties & fines
Flying a banned foreign flag without permission can bring a fine. The law sets no fixed fine tariff, and that is awkward in itself: you cannot look up the price in advance, because the amount is set in the individual case. Misuse of the swallow-tailed flag can be punished under the Penal Code and is therefore not merely a breach of etiquette. The trap is the timeline: between the Supreme Court ruling in 2023 and the new Flag Act, foreign flags were free, and much of the advice online was written in that window. From 1 January 2025 the ban applies again — except for the Nordic, German and Ukrainian flags.
📎 Official sources
- Flag Act · Retsinformation →
- Politi.dk · Permission for a foreign flag →
- Domstol.dk · Flying the US flag (2023) →
❓ Frequently asked
Can I fly Dannebrog whenever I want?
Yes. Private individuals may freely fly Dannebrog as the rectangular flag. The swallow-tailed flag with the two points is reserved for the state and the royal house, and misuse can be punished under the Penal Code.
Can I fly a foreign flag?
Generally only with police permission again, since the new Flag Act took effect on 1 January 2025. The Nordic flags plus the German and the Ukrainian are exempt and may be flown without permission.
What happened in 2023?
A Supreme Court ruling made foreign flags free, and for a year and a half you could fly them without permission. A new Flag Act reinstated the ban from 1 January 2025, so advice from that window is now stale.
Can I fly the rainbow flag?
Yes. Non-national flags such as the rainbow flag are always legal and are not covered by the ban. The same goes for flags of international bodies such as the UN, the EU and NATO, which may be flown freely.
What is the penalty for flying illegally?
A fine. The law sets no fixed fine tariff, so the amount is decided in the individual case, and misuse of the swallow-tailed flag can be punished under the Penal Code. Waving a handheld flag is not covered.
🔎 Common searches
What people search to land here:
- “can I fly foreign flag denmark”
- “flag act 2025 ban”
- “dannebrog rectangular swallow-tailed”
- “foreign flag permission police”
- “nordic german ukrainian flag”
- “rainbow flag legal”