As of 1 January 2025, the only flags that can lawfully be raised are those of Denmark and its autonomous territories, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, as well as the other Nordic countries, neighbouring Germany and international organisations.

The Danish parliament introduced the legislation on flags following a Supreme Court ruling in 2023 which overturned a previous ban dating back to 1915.

That ban, introduced to protect Denmark’s neutrality during World War I, was found to have been unlawful, having been introduced without primary legislation.

The matter went to the Supreme Court after a Danish man was reported to police in 2018 for flying the US flag in his garden and subsequently acquitted of an offence.

The law only applies to flags raised on poles and does not apply to embassies.

It also permits the justice minister to exempt nations in “exceptional circumstances”. Ukrainian flags are currently permitted on this basis – though Palestinian flags are not.

Danish justice minister Peter Hummelgaard said in December that Dannebrog, the national flag, is “the most important national symbol we have in Denmark” and “should enjoy a very special status”.

“That is why I am pleased that the Danish parliament supports this special status with the adoption again of rules on flying flags, ensuring that in Denmark only the Dannebrog flag may be flown,” he added.