List of Croatian flags explained

This is a list of flags which have been, or are still today, used in Croatia or by Croatians and Croats.

Modern Flag

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	21 December 1990 – present	Flag of Croatia^[1]	Three equal horizontal fields, red on the top, white in the middle and blue on the bottom; the national coat of arms in the centre.
	21 December 1990 – present	Flag of Croatia (vertical)

Standard

Date	Use	Description
1 November 1990 – present		A square blue field with a border of red and white squares; in the center a version of the national coat of arms and a red-white-blue ribbon with the letters "RH" (the initials of the country's full name in Croatian, Republika Hrvatska).
1990 – present
1990 – present	Standard of the speaker of the Croatian Parliament
1941–1945		Standard of the Poglavnik of the Independent State of Croatia
1941–1945	Flag of Minister of Armed Forces in Independent State of Croatia
1941–1945	Flag of Minister in Independent State of Croatia
1941–1945	Flag of Vojskovođa (Marshal) in Independent State of Croatia

Military

Army

Date	Use	Description
1991–present		Green background with the shoulder sleeve insignia of the Croatian Army in the center
1991		Green background with the shoulder sleeve insignia of the Croatian National Guard in the center

1941–1945	Flag of Commander of the Armed Forces in Independent State of Croatia
1941–1945	Flag of a general of the infantry, artillery, etc. of Independent State of Croatia
1941–1945	Flag of a lieutenant general of the Independent State of Croatia
1941–1945	Flag of a general of the Independent State of Croatia

Navy

Date	Party	Description
	Civil and state ensign of Croatia	Identical to the national flag, but with 2:3 proportions.
1 March 1999 – present	Naval ensign of Croatia (ensign of the Croatian Navy)	Same as the civil ensign, but with two crossed anchors behind the coat of arms.
1 March 1999 – present	Naval jack of Croatia	A blue field with red and white border, with the national coat of arms and two crossed anchors in the centre.
1 March 1999 – present	Naval flag defence minister
1 March 1999 – present	Naval flag Chief of the General Staff
1 March 1999 – present	Naval flag of the General
1 March 1999 – present	Flag of the Commander of the Croatian Navy
1 March 1999 – present	Flag of an admiral
1 March 1999 – present	Flag of an Admiral of the Fleet
1 March 1999 – present	Flag of a vice admiral
1 March 1999 – present	Flag of a rear admiral
1 March 1999 – present	Flag of a commodore
1 March 1999 – present	Pennant of the commander of a fleet of naval vessels
1 March 1999 – present	Pennant of the commander of a flotilla of naval vessels
1 March 1999 – present	Pennant of the commander of a division of naval vessels
1 March 1999 – present	Pennant of the commander of a group of naval vessels
1 March 1999 – present	Pennant of the most senior commander of a naval vessel
1 March 1999 – present	Pennant of the commander of a naval vessel

1941–1945	Naval Ensign of NDH (1941-1944) Naval Jack of the NDH (1944–1945)	2:3 squares 5×5 (total ratio 2:3)
1944–1945	Naval Ensign of the NDH (1944-1945)	A tricolour of red, white, and blue and the NDH coat of arms. The flag used Ustaše colors, proportions 2:3.
1941–1945	Civil Ensign of the NDH	A tricolour of red, white, and blue with the Ustaše symbol in top-left corner, but without the Croatian coat of arms. The flag used Ustaše colors, proportions 2:3.
1941–1945	Flag of an admiral of the Independent State of Croatia
1941–1945	Flag of a vice admiral of Independent State of Croatia
1941–1945	Flag of a rear admiral of the Independent State of Croatia

1892–1918	Croatian civil ensign (1892–1918)	In the Croatian part of Austria-Hungary, it was used as a national flag, while on the Adriatic it was used by Croatian shipping companies, it was recognized as the third trade flag of the monarchy.
unknown	Flag of the Shipping Society Senj	The flag of the steamship company from Senj is based on the Croatian tricolor, on which the orange initials BDS (Brodarsko Društvo Senj) are written in a white stripe. This flag was, of course, flown on the masts or sails, and the prescribed Austro-Hungarian naval flag was flown with a flag spear on the stern or bowsprit.

Coast Guard

Subnational flags

Flag	Administrative division		Adopted	Description
				A horizontal bicolor of yellow and green with the county's coat of arms in the center
				A blue field with two diagonal white stripes and the county's coat of arms in the center^[2]
				A horizontal bicolor of red and white with the county's coat of arms in the center
				A horizontal bicolor of blue and green with the county's coat of arms in the center^[3]
				A horizontal bicolor of red and yellow with the county's coat of arms in the center
				Orthogonally quartered red and blue with the county's coat of arms in the center
				A red field with narrow gold stripes at the top and bottom and the county's coat of arms in the center^[4]
				Unequal horizontal triband of blue and white with the county's coat of arms in the center^[5]
				A vertical bicolor of white and red with the county's coat of arms in the center
				Five unequal horizontal stripes of white and blue with the county's coat of arms in the center^[6]
				Unequal horizontal triband of green and yellow with the county's coat of arms in the center
				A sky blue field with the county's coat of arms between two thin white horizontal stripes^[7]
				A blue field with the county's coat of arms between two thin white horizontal stripes^[8]
				A blue field with narrow red and white stripes along either the hoist or the top side and the county's coat of arms in the center^[9]
				Unequal vertical stripes of yellow and blue with the county's coat of arms in the center of the yellow part^[10]
				Five horizontal stripes of red and white with the county's coat of arms at the hoist side^[11]
				Horizontal triband of blue and white with the county's coat of arms in the center^[12]
				Seven horizontal stripes of yellow and white with the county's coat of arms in the center^[13]
				Two white and blue horizontal stripes separated by a wavy line, with the county's coat of arms in the center^[14]
				Five horizontal stripes of green and white with the county's coat of arms in the center^[15]
				The city's coat of arms on a blue field.^[16]

Political flags

Flag	Date	Party	Description
Link to file<	-- Do NOT display a non-free flag image here. See talk page for more information -->	1989–present
	2015–present
	2005–2008
	1989–present
	1997–present
	1990–present
	1956–present		Founded in Argentina
	2011–2022
Link to file<	-- Do NOT display a non-free flag image here. See talk page for more information -->	1998–2015
	1991–1993 (officially)		Paramilitary arm of the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP)
	1946–1990

Ethnic groups flags

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	9 April 2005–present (1997–present in eastern Slavonia)		The Serbian tricolor (a horizontal triband of red, blue and white). Defined by the Serb National Council.
	???–present	Flag of Pannonian Rusyns in Croatia	The Croatian tricolor (a horizontal triband of red, white and blue) with a coat of arms that is similar to the coat of arms of Carpathian Ukraine. Defined by the Union of Rusyns of the Republic of Croatia.
	???–present
	???–present		Bicolor flag with a white and a light blue vertical stripe, containing Bunjevci coat of arms and three golden stars in each field's centre, respectively. Recognised by the Bunjevačka matica.^[17]
Former

Historical flags

Historical national flags

Date	Use	Description
27 June – 21 December 1990	Early flag of the Republic of Croatia (federal unit of Yugoslavia).^[18] Also flag of Croatian political opposition in exile 1945 – 1990.	Three equal horizontal fields, red on the top, white in the middle and blue on the bottom, coat of arms of Croatia in the center of the middle field. The first field of the coat of arms was never specified in the Croatian constitution. The flag used Republic of Croatia colors, proportions 1:2.
18 January 1947 – 27 June 1990	Flag of the Socialist Republic of Croatia (subdivision of SFR Yugoslavia).	A tricolour of red, white, and blue with a (golden-rimmed) red star in the center. The flag used Yugoslav colors, proportions 1:2.
8 May 1945 – 18 January 1947	Flag of the People's Republic of Croatia (subdivision of FPR Yugoslavia).	A tricolour of red, white, and blue with a red star in the center. The flag used Yugoslav colors, proportions 1:2.
15 December 1943 – 8 May 1945	Flag of the Federal State of Croatia (provisional subdivision within DF Yugoslavia).
1941–1945	State flag of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH)	A tricolour of red, white, and blue with the Ustaše symbol in top-left corner (letter "U" surrounded by Croatian interlace) and the Croatian coat of arms (but with the first field white, as opposed to red) in the center. The flag used Ustaše colors, proportions 2:3.
1941–1945	Variant of the state flag of the NDH	A variant of tricolour of red, white, and blue with the Ustaše symbol in top-left corner and the Croatian coat of arms in the center. The flag used Ustaše colors, proportions 2:5.
1941–1945	Civil flag of the NDH	A tricolour of red, white, and blue without the Ustaše symbol and the Croatian coat of arms. Similar to the Dutch flag, proportions 2:3.
21 November 1939 – 17 October 1943 (21 January 1941)	Flag of the Banovina of Croatia (subdivision of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia). Used de facto 1939–1941; legally valid 1939–1943.	A tricolour of red, white, and blue. The flag used Yugoslav colors, proportions 2:3.
21 November 1939 – 17 October 1943 (21 January 1941)		A tricolour of red, white, and blue. The flag used Yugoslav colors, proportions 2:3.
1918		A tricolour of red, white, and blue. The flag used Yugoslav colors, proportions 1:2.
1860–1918	Unofficial, but more common, flag of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia, which used a different crown on top of the shield.^[19]	A tricolour of red, white, and blue, with the composite coat of arms of the Triune Kingdom superimposed and centred The flag used Croatian colors, proportions 2:3.
1860–1918	The tricolour was again made legal in Croatia, and in 1868, made the Flag of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia (subdivision of the Austria-Hungary). State flag, unofficial outside Croatia-Slavonia.	A tricolour of red, white, and blue, with the composite coat of arms of the Triune Kingdom superimposed and centred The flag used Croatian colors, proportions 2:3.
1860–1918	The tricolour was again made legal in Croatia, and in 1868, made the Civil flag the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia (subdivision of the Austria-Hungary).^[20] ^[21] Civil flag, official on all levels.	A tricolour of red, white, and blue. The flag used Croatian colors, proportions 2:3.
1871	Flag of Croatia used during the Rakovica revolt.	A tricolour of red, white, and blue. The flag used Croatian colors, proportions 2:3. It features the kingdom coat of arms but with the Coat of arms of Illyria in the centre.
8 March 1852 – 1868	Flag of the Kingdom of Croatia (subdivision of the Austrian Empire). Official on all levels.	Two bars of red and white. The flag used Croatian colors, proportions 1:2. The flag design was similar to the flag of Monaco.
1848–1852	Flag of the Kingdom of Croatia (subdivision of the Austrian Empire). The flag was banned from 1852 to 1860.	A tricolour of red, white, and blue with the Triune Kingdom coat of arms in the center. The flag used Croatian colors, proportions 1:2.
1830-1848	Coronation flag of the Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg)	A yellow swallow-tailed flag with Croatia in gold and the Croatian coat of arms. Coronation flag from 1830 coronation of Ferdinand I of Austria.
Early 16th century–1526		Banner of Croatian troops (chessboard) in battle of Mohacs, carried by one of the captains of Croatian ban.

Royal Standards

Date	Use	Description
1868–1871	Royal bans Standard of Baron Levin Rauch	Red-White-Blue flag, A-side Royal COA, B-side Bans family crest
1860–1867	Royal bans Standard of Baron Josip Šokčević	Red-White-Blue flag, A-side Royal COA, B-side Bans family crest
1848–1859	Royal bans Standard of Count Josip Jelačić Bužimski	Red-White-Blue flag, A-side Royal COA, B-side Bans family crest
1680-1690	Royal bans Standard of Nikola III Erdody	A-side Royal COA, B-side Bans family crest

Coronation Standards

Date	Use	Description
1618	Banner of Croatia at Ferdinand II's coronation	Banner with the arms of Croatia
1618	Banner of Slavonia at Ferdinand II's coronation	Banner with the arms of Slavonia
1830	Coronation flag from 1830 coronation of Ferdinand I of Austria.	A yellow swallow-tailed flag with Croatia in gold and the Croatian coat of arms on it.

Historical city flags

Date	Use	Description
2016	A proposed flag of the city of Rijeka using the old flag of the Free State of Fiume (1921–1924) and the coat of arms of the city of Rijeka. The proposed flag had horizontal stripes of crimson (dark red), golden yellow and cobalt blue with the coat of arms of the city of Rijeka at the middle.	Proposed flag of the city of Rijeka
1995	The variant of the commemorative flag of Split, celebrating the 1700-year anniversary of the construction of Diocletian's Palace.	A vertical blue flag with a white-color word art repeatedly reading 'Split', stacked together to depict Diocletian's Palace and its bell tower.
pre-1945	Variant flag of Split, featuring the device from the pre-1945 coat of arms.	A blue flag with a white-color illustration of the walls of Diocletian's Palace and the bell tower of Saint Domnius Cathedral behind them.
1941–1945	The flag is made up of two vertical stripes, one blue and the other white. This flag was made supposedly during World War 2, although no evidence has surfaced as to when the flag was used.	Flag of Csáktornya (Čakovec)
1779–1918/ 1920–1924		Three horizontal bars of burgundy red, gold and blue.
14th century	Flag of Šibenik (Sibinicho) as seen in 1339 pergament map from Angelino Dulcert.	A flag with a very large white disc, charged with a red cross, on the yellow field.
14th century	Flag of Šibenik (Sibinicho) as seen in a map from Guillelmus Soleri.	A flag with a very large white disc, charged with a red cross, on the yellow field.
14th century	Flag of Šibenik (Sibinicho) as seen in an excerpt from the Catalan Atlas.	A flag with a very large white disc, charged with a red cross, on the yellow field.
14th century	Flag of Senj (Segna) as seen in 1339 pergament map from Angelino Dulcert.	Verticaly divided, the left field is red with a 8-pointed star, and the right field is light yellow.
14th century	Flag of Senj (Segna) as seen in an excerpt from the Catalan Atlas.	Verticaly divided, the left field is red with a 8-pointed star, and the right field is light yellow.
14th century	Flag of Senj (Segna) as seen in a map from Guillelmus Soleri.	Verticaly divided, the left field is red with a 8-pointed star, and the right field is light yellow.

Historical regional flags

Date	Use	Description
1820–1918	Flag of the Kingdom of Dalmatia	Two horizontal bars of blue and gold. Proportions 1:2.
1820–1918	Variant flag of the Kingdom of Dalmatia	Two horizontal bars of faded blue and gold. Proportions 1:2.
1852–1868		Two horizontal bars of blue and silver. Proportions 1:2
mid 1800's-1852; 1860–1918		Three horizontal bars of blue, white and red. Proportions 1:2
unknown		Three horizontal bars of blue, white and green. Proportions 1:2
1779–1918		Three horizontal bars of burgundy red, gold and blue.
1849–1918	Flag of Margraviate of Istria in the Austrian Littoral	Three horizontal bars of gold, red and blue.
1849–1918	Variant flag of Margraviate of Istria in the Austrian Littoral	Three horizontal bars of gold, red and blue with the coat of arms of the Austrian Littoral on it.

Historical flags (medieval)

Date	Use	Description
1350	Banner of Esclavonia (according to Book of All Kingdoms)	A banner of Esclavonia (according to Book of All Kingdoms). A yellow and red banner with a star on it.
1444	Flag of Croatian troops in Varna battle	Banner of Croatian soldiers (white flag with black cross) under leadership of Franko Talovac in the battle of Varna
1444	Flag of Croatian troops in Varna battle	Banner (black flag) of Rafael Herczeg's banderium, bishop of Bosnia, in the battle of Varna
Early 16th century–1526	Flag of Croatian troops in Mohacs battle	Banner of Croatian troops (chessboard) in battle of Mohacs, carried by one of the captains of Croatian ban
1526	Flag of Croatian troops in Mohacs battle	Banner of Croatian troops (St. Andrew's Cross) in battle of Mohacs, carried by one of the captains of Croatian ban
1526	Flag of Croatian troops in Mohacs battle	Banner of Croatian troops (red with a cross) in battle of Mohacs, carried by one of the captains of Croatian ban
1526	Flag of Croatian troops in Mohacs battle	Banner of Croatian troops (divided in two halves, upper is red with cross, lower is white-red) in battle of Mohacs, carried by one of the captains of Croatian ban
1526	Flag of Croatian troops in Mohacs battle	Banner of Croatian troops (arpadian) in battle of Mohacs, carried by one of the captains of Croatian ban
1526	Flag of Croatian troops in Mohacs battle	Banner of Croatian troops (divided on red and white with spears) in battle of Mohacs, carried by one of the captains of Croatian ban
1526	Flag of Croatian troops in Mohacs battle	Banner of Croatian troops (Hungarian) in battle of Mohacs, carried by one of the captains of Croatian ban

Republic of Ragusa flags

Date	Use	Description
1358–1808		Saint Blaise, patron saint of Dubrovnik, today the official flag of the City of Dubrovnik
1358–1808	Variant flag of Republic of Ragusa
1358–1808
1358 – c. 1667
c. 1667–1807	Civil and merchant flag
1358–1808	The "Libertas" Flag of Dubrovnik
1358–1808	Secondary ensign

Other

Date	Use	Description
1996-1998		Flag of the United Nations
1995–1996		Flag of Serbs of Croatia
1991–1995
1995–1996	War Flag of Serbian Krajina
1941–1943	Flag of the 369th Croatian Reinforced Infantry Regiment (obverse and reverse)
1924–1947
1918–1941
1921
1920–1924
1919–1920
1919–1920

Flag proposals

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1990	Proposal by Krsto Mažuranić
	1990	Proposals by Boris Ljubičić

Croatian people in other countries

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1992 - 1996		A tricolor of red, white, and blue with the coat of arms of Herzeg-Bosnia in the center
	2005 - today		A tricolor of red, white, and blue with the shield from the coat of arms of Croatia in the center

External links

Croatia - Historical Flags (1848-1918)

Notes and References

Web site: Croatia Flag . 2023-12-29 . United States Department of State . en-US.
http://www.bpz.hr/opci_podaci/grb_i_zastava/default.aspx Brodsko-posavska županija: Grb i zastava
http://www.istra-istria.hr/index.php?id=16 Istarska županija: Grb i zastava
http://www.kzz.hr/glasnik/brojevi/pdf/KZZ_Glasnik_2005_2.pdf Službeni Glasnik Krapinsko-Zagorske Županije
http://www.licko-senjska.hr/index.php/o-zupaniji/opci-podatci Ličko-senjska županija: Opći podatci
http://www.obz.hr/hr/pdf/znamenjaWEB.pdf Znamenja Osječko-baranjske županije/The Symbols of Osijek-Baranja County
http://www.pgz.hr/Press/Sluzbena_obiljezja Primorsko-goranska županija: Službena obilježja
http://sibensko-kninska-zupanija.hr/stranica/grb-i-zastava/71 Šibensko-kninska županija: Grb i zastava
http://www.smz.hr/site/grb Sisačko-moslavačka županija: Zastava i grb
http://www.dalmacija.hr/ustroj/zupanija/splitsko-dalmatinska-zupanija/grb-i-zastava Splitsko-dalmatinska županija: Grb i zastava
http://www.varazdinska-zupanija.hr/%C5%BEupanija/opce-informacije/ Varaždinska županija: Opće informacije
http://www.zupanija.info/o-zupaniji/heraldika/ Virovitičko-podravska županija: Heraldika
http://www.vusz.hr/info/osnovni-podaci Vukovarsko-srijemska županija: Osnovni podaci
http://www.zadarska-zupanija.hr/o-nama/2014-09-17-09-52-11 Zadarske županija: Zastava i grb Zadarske županije
http://www.zagrebacka-zupanija.hr/grb_i_zastava_zagrebacke_zupanije Zagrebačka županija: Grb i zastava
http://www.zagreb.hr/default.aspx?ID=111 Grb i zastava Grada Zagreba
Web site: Bunjevačka zastava u centru Baje . . Bunjevačka matica . 25 June 2023.
2015-06-20 . 20. lipanj 1990. - Prijedlog o promjeni imena i grba države . 20 June 1990 - Proposal on the change of name and coat of arms of the state . . . Croatian Radiotelevision.
Jelena Boršak-Marijanović, Zastave kroz stoljeća (Flags thru the centuries), Croatian His0ory Museum, Zagreb, 1996, p. 110
Web site: Hrvatska-povijesne zastave. zeljko-heimer-fame.from.hr. Heimer. Željko. 2 March 2019.
Web site: Croatia in the Habsburg Empire. crwflags.com. Heimer. Željko. Zdvořák. Janko Ehrlich. 4 March 2019.