Flag and Etiquette
Committee
Foreign Ensigns

This page shows foreign ensigns commonly seen in U.S. waters.

Note, the flags on this page are not be drawn to scale. Many national ensigns sold in stores are not manufactured to correct proportions. For example, the United States flag is correctly proportioned 10:19 (nearly 1:2), not 3:5 as commonly sold. The numbers in parenthesis below are the correct hoist/fly ratios for each nations flag.

When you visit foreign water, your boat should display a courtesy flag (the civil ensign of the country you are visiting) whenever your U.S. national ensign (the USPS ensign or the yacht ensign should not be displayed in foreign waters) is displayed.

Index of beginning letters.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Antigua & Barbuda (1:2)

Australia (1:2)

Bahamas (1:2)

Barbados (2:3)

Belize (2:3)

Brazil (7:10)

Canada (1:2)

Colombia (2:3)

Costa Rica (3:5)

Cuba (1:2)

Dominica (1:2)

Dominican Republic (2:3)

Ecuador (1:2)

El Salvador (3:5)

Finland (11:18)

France (2:3)

Germany (3:5)

Greece (2:3)

Grenada (3:5)

Guatemala (5:8)

Haiti (3:5)

Honduras (1:2)

Ireland (1:2)

Italy

Jamaica (1:2)

Japan (2:3)

Liberia (2:3)

Mexico (4:7)

New Zealand (1:2)

Nicaragua (3:5)

Norway (8:11)

Panama (2:3)

Portugal (2:3)

Puerto Rico (2:3)

Russian (2:3)

Spain (2:3)

St. Kitts & Nevis (2:3)

St. Lucia (1:2)

St. Vincent & the Grenadines (2:3)

Sweden (5:8)

Trinidad & Tobago (3:5)

United Kingdom (1:2)

Venezuela (2:3)