Am I allowed to own a foreign flag? [closed]

Sometimes I buy the local flag of a country I have visited as a souvenir.

Given that there is such a thing as a flag instruction, which in some countries is embedded into either criminal or civil law, I am wondering if I am even allowed to buy a foreign flag. Not living in the country of the flag, the countries don't have jurisdiction to enforce their flag protocol, so I could imagine that it is not allowed to own a foreign flag in some cases. Is this a correct assumption?

regulations souvenirs

Best Answer

You're affected by the laws of the country where you currently are. So if the country laws prohibit owning any specific flag - you'd better obey. Countries typically only care about their own flags.

However the Wikipedia article you linked to describes use of flags and that doesn't include owning the flag. Common restrictions may include:

prohibition of burning or otherwise destroying the flag in public or demonstrating the process - that can qualify as state symbol desecration
prohibition of using the flag or a fabric colored as a flag as clothes and especially underwear - for example pants with USA "stars-and-stripes" flag on the butt could qualify as offense
prohibition of public display of the flag other than during state holidays and on state property - for example, you may be disallowed to display the flag on a private house because it's not a governmental institution

This applies in most cases. In case of doubt check for local regulations in advance. This Wikipedia article may be a good start.

Pictures about "Am I allowed to own a foreign flag? [closed]"

Am I allowed to own a foreign flag? [closed] - A Person Holding a I Am a Voter

Am I allowed to own a foreign flag? [closed] - I Am Survivor Note on a Letter Board

Can you fly a foreign flag on your home?

The Flag Code requires that the US flag be flown on federal institutions, including public schools. It does not require you to fly the US flag and it does not forbid you from displaying a foreign flag.

Can you fly another nations flag under the American flag?

No other flag may be flown above the United States flag. The exception is at the United Nations Headquarters where the UN flag may be placed above flags of all member nations.

Is it disrespectful to fly another country flag?

There are no specific rules in the Flag Code for flying your own country's flag! I would recommend basically following the same guidelines though: Be respectful, and you'll be fine!

Can you fly a foreign flag in Australia?

The Australian Government's policy in relation to the flying of other nations' flags is to fly only the official flags of nations recognised by Australia.

So you want to buy a Foreign Flagged Vessel...

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: MART PRODUCTION, Edmond Dantès, Olya Kobruseva, Olya Kobruseva