Country flag

Netherlands Flag

The Netherlands uses a simple horizontal tricolour of red, white, and blue. Its balanced layout is widely recognised but can be confused with other red-...

Where is Netherlands?

The highlighted area marks the country on the world map.

About Netherlands and its flag

The Netherlands uses a simple horizontal tricolour of red, white, and blue. Its balanced layout is widely recognised but can be confused with other red-white-blue flags. The current colours were formally defined by Royal Decree in 1937, giving the modern flag an explicit official specification.

Flag design and meaning

The Dutch national flag has three equal horizontal bands: red at the top, white in the middle, and blue at the bottom. There are no arms, stars, or other central devices. Its clean tricolour layout means the precise colour order is the most important identification feature.

Red, white, and blue tricolour: The modern design developed from an earlier orange, white, and blue predecessor documented from 1572, with red becoming established during the seventeenth century.

History and adoption

An orange, white, and blue predecessor is documented from 1572. During the seventeenth century, orange gradually gave way to red in the familiar tricolour. A Royal Decree formally defined the red, white, and blue national colours in 1937, establishing the modern official specification.

How to recognise this flag

Look for three equal horizontal bands in the order red, white, and blue, with no emblem in the centre.
The Netherlands is similar to Luxembourg, but the Dutch blue band is characteristically darker.