List of Polish flags
A variety of Polish flags are defined in current Polish national law, either through an act of parliament or a ministerial ordinance. Apart from the national flag, these are mostly military flags, used by one or all branches of the Polish Armed Forces, especially the Polish Navy. Other flags are flown by vessels of non-military uniformed services.
Most Polish flags feature white and red, the national colors of Poland. The national colors, officially adopted in 1831, are of heraldic origin and derive from the tinctures of the coats of arms of Poland and Lithuania. Additionally, some flags incorporate the white eagle of the Polish coat of arms, while other flags used by the Armed Forces incorporate military eagles, which are variants.
Both variants of the national flag of Poland were officially adopted in 1919, shortly after Poland re-emerged as an independent state in the aftermath of World War I in 1918. Many Polish flags were adopted within the following three years.
The designs of most of these flags have been modified only to adjust to the changes in the official rendering of the national coat of arms. Major modifications included a change in the stylization of the eagle from Neoclassicist to Baroque in 1927 and the removal of the crown from the eagle's head during the Communist rule from 1944 to 1990. Legal specification for the shades of the national colors has also changed with time. The shade of red was first legally specified as vermilion by a presidential decree of 13 December 1928.
This verbal prescription was replaced with coordinates in the CIE 1976 color space by the Coat of Arms Act of 31 January 1980.
National flags
The basic variant of the national flag is a plain white-and-red horizontal bicolor. A variant defaced with the coat of arms is restricted to official use abroad and at sea. Legal restrictions notwithstanding, the two variants are often treated as interchangeable in practice.| Image | English name Polish name | Design | Use |
| Flag of the Republic of Poland Flaga Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej | Horizontal bicolor of white and red Proportion 5:8 | National flag, inland ensign | |
| Flag with coat of arms of the Republic of Poland Flaga z godłem Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej | Horizontal bicolor of white and red defaced with the arms of Poland in the white stripe Proportion 5:8 | Polish embassies, consulates etc.; civilian airplanes during international flights; civilian airports and heliports; civil and state ensign |
Military flags
Rank flags used in all branches of the Armed Forces
Originally used only by the Navy, the use of these rank flags was extended in 2005 to all branches of the Armed Forces by an amendment to the relevant ministerial ordinance. They are flown to mark the presence and pay respect to the highest civilian and military authorities: the President of the Republic of Poland who is ex officio commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces; the Minister of National Defence who acts on the commander-in-chief's behalf in peacetime; Marshal of Poland, the highest rank in the Polish army ; and the Chief of the General Staff.| Image | English name Polish name | Design | Use |
| Jack of the President of the Republic of Poland Proporzec Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej | Red flag emblazoned with the white eagle of the arms of Poland and bordered with a white wężyk generalski, an ornate wavy line used in the Polish military as a symbol of general's rank Proportion 5:6 | On Navy vessels when the President is on board. On land when the President is present. | |
| Flag of the Minister of National Defence Flaga Ministra Obrony Narodowej | Swallow-tailed horizontal bicolor of white and red defaced in the white stripe with the arms of Poland and in the red stripe with a white anchor entwined with an S-shaped rope and a yellow cannon barrel in saltire Proportion 5:8 | On Navy vessels when the Minister is on board. On land when the Minister is present. | |
| Flag of the Marshal of Poland Flaga Marszałka Polski | Red flag with a double white border emblazoned with the Eagle of the Marshal of Poland holding two hetman's batons in saltire Proportion 5:6 | On Navy vessels when the Marshal is on board. On land when the Marshal is present. | |
| Flag of the Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces Flaga szefa Sztabu Generalnego Wojska Polskiego | Red flag with a double white border emblazoned with the Generals' Eagle Proportion 5:6 | On Navy vessels when the Chief of the General Staff is on board. On land when the Chief of the General Staff is present. |
Navy
The war ensign and the naval jack symbolize traditions of the Polish Navy dating back to Polish privateer fleet of the 15th–17th centuries.They are also symbols of a navy ship crew's courage, honor, unbreakable fighting spirit and readiness to defend Poland and its maritime rights. Naval Service Regulations define when, where and how the flags should be raised and lowered on board a navy ship.
| Image | English name Polish name | Design | Use |
| War ensign Bandera wojenna | Swallow-tailed horizontal bicolor of white and red defaced with the arms of Poland in the white stripe Proportion 10:21 | Naval ensign | |
| Naval jack Proporzec Marynarki Wojennej | Horizontal bicolor of white and red defaced with a cross pattée countercharged and, in the middle of the cross, with an armed arm brandishing a sabre in a torteau Proportion 4:5 | Flown together with the war ensign on Sundays, holidays and other special occasions; flown everyday when in foreign waters | |
| Navy flag Flaga Marynarki Wojennej | Swallow-tailed red flag emblazoned with the Navy Eagle Proportion 10:21 | Ceremonial flag used on military holidays, visits of high civilian or military authorities, or representatives of foreign countries, as well as other ceremonies. Flown together with flags of other branches of the Armed Forces during Polish Armed Forces Day ceremonies at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw. | |
| Commissioning pennant Znak dowódcy okrętu | Swallow-tailed bicolor of white and red defaced with a cross pattée countercharged near the hoist Proportion 1:25 | Ship commanded by a navy officer in a campaign | |
| Naval auxiliary ensign Bandera pomocniczych jednostek pływających Marynarki Wojennej | Blue flag with an image of the naval ensign in the canton Proportion 3:5 | Auxiliary naval vessels, such as patrol boats, tugboats, replenishment oilers, mine trawlers and degaussing stations, which are not allowed to fly the war ensign | |
| Naval airport flag Flaga lotnisk Marynarki Wojennej | Horizontal bicolor of white and red defaced with the arms of Poland in the middle of the white stripe, the Air Force checkerboard in the white stripe between the coat of arms and the hoist, and a white anchor entwined with an S-shaped rope in the red stripe below the checkerboard Proportion 5:8 | Naval airports and heliports |
Rank flags
Rank pennants
Air Force
Other branches of the Armed Forces
Flags of other uniformed services
Special state service vessels
Special state service flags are used by state-employed civil special-purpose ships while on duty. These flags all follow the same basic design; a white flag with a horizontal stripe whose width is 1/5 of the flag's width. In the middle, each flag is emblazoned with the national coat of arms superimposed on a golden or yellow anchor whose height is 3/5 of the flag's width. The middle stripe is broken in the middle and does not touch the anchor or the arms. The type of special service performed by the ship is indicated by the color of the middle stripe.| Image | English name Polish name | Design | Use |
| Hydrographic survey and Maritime Office flag Flaga statku hydrograficznego i dozorczego urzędu morskiego | White flag emblazoned with the coat of arms of Poland placed on a golden anchor in the middle of a blue horizontal stripe Proportion 5:8 | Hydrographic survey vessels and vessels of Maritime Offices | |
| Lifeboat and pollution control flag Flaga statku ratowniczego oraz specjalnego statku do zwalczania zanieczyszczeń | White flag emblazoned with the coat of arms of Poland placed on a golden anchor in the middle of an orange horizontal stripe Proportion 5:8 | Lifeboats and pollution control vessels | |
| Icebreaker flag Flaga statku używanego wyłącznie do łamania lodów | White flag emblazoned with the coat of arms of Poland placed on a golden anchor in the middle of a violet horizontal stripe Proportion 5:8 | Vessels used exclusively for breaking ice | |
| Pilot boat flag Flaga statku pilotowego | White flag emblazoned with the coat of arms of Poland placed on a golden anchor in the middle of an ash-grey horizontal stripe Proportion 5:8 | Pilot boats | |
| Fireboat flag Flaga statku pożarniczego | White flag emblazoned with the coat of arms of Poland placed on a golden anchor in the middle of a red horizontal stripe Proportion 5:8 | Fireboats | |
| Training ship flag Flaga statku szkolnego | White flag emblazoned with the coat of arms of Poland placed on a golden anchor in the middle of a black horizontal stripe Proportion 5:8 | Training ships | |
| Customs ship flag Flaga statku celnego | White flag emblazoned with the coat of arms of Poland placed on a golden anchor in the middle of a green horizontal stripe Proportion 5:8 | Customs ships | |
| Hospital ship flag Flaga statku sanitarnego | White flag emblazoned with the coat of arms of Poland placed on a golden anchor in the middle of a yellow horizontal stripe Proportion 5:8 | Hospital ships | |
| Telecommunication ship flag Flaga statku telekomunikacyjnego | White flag emblazoned with the coat of arms of Poland placed on a golden anchor in the middle of a brown horizontal stripe Proportion 5:8 | Telecommunication ships |