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France: Standard of the President of the Republic

At sea
On cars and planes
- 2024 regulation
- Before 2024

See also:

At sea

Flag of President of the Republic at sea - Image by Željko Heimer, 23 September 2001

The flag at sea is square with three blue-white-red stripes, and the optical proportions.

Armand du Payrat, Željko Heimer & Ivan Sache, 23 July 2017

On cars and planes

2024 Regulation

Car pennant of the President of the Republic since 2024 - Image by Olivier Touzeau, 28 April 2026

A new regulation about some specific rank flags used on cars or in planes was published in 2024: Instruction n° 849/ARM/SGA/DMCA/SHD/DHS/DSD relative à la symbolique militaire dans les armées et la gendarmerie nationale du 10 avril 2024.
Source: Official bulletin of the Ministry of Armed Forces.

The text introduces a pennant for the President of the Republic. This pennant was not listed in the 1963 Regulation.
This is the first regulation for this particular flag (which is there considered a pennant) and it means that this presidential flag shoudn't remain without emblem in the center as it had been de facto since 1995.

Corentin Chamboredon & Olivier Touzeau 12 May & 25 August 2025

According to the new regulation, these pennants (rank flags) are attached to the left front wing by a 45cm-high removable pole, topped with an 8cm-high golden spearhead, they are 35 x 40cm in size and in the national colors. The obverse and reverse bear the same motifs. The aircraft pennants are identical, but are only displayed during taxiing or when stationary. They are not used on rotary-wing aircraft.

Pennant in the national colors with a golden fringe (and braids of 3 cm), with in its white part the emblem of a lictor's fasces of the president of the Republic (25 cm high), embroidered in gold and with a golden fringe of 3 cm [not sure about this last part, the French word here is galon, not frange. I don't know why, maybe it is a specific word used in the military].
White cravat with golden fringe (and braids of 3 cm) fixed under the finial.
Nota: The 2024 text makes a difference between the golden braids (galons dorés) on the edges of the pennant, and the fringes added only on the presidential pennant, besides the braids.

According to the Service historique de la Défense, the President has full discretion to adopt another symbol or their initials.

Olivier Touzeau 14 July & 25 August 2025

Picture of the car pennant of the President of the Republic since 2024 - Image reported by Olivier Touzeau, 28 April 2026

Rhe new pennant has been produced and was in use for the for the first times during the ceremonies on May 8th commemorating the end of the fightings of WWII in France.
Pictures have been published here on the Linkedin account of the Mobile Gendarmerie Armored Group, when some days ago the pennant was handed over by the Service historique de la Défense (SHD) to be added to the presidential command car.

The exact size of the golden braids and of the emblem are a little different of what was prescribed on the text.

The emblem is not exactly the one which can be seen here on Wikipedia.
On the pennant, the animals are two lions, of the same shape on each side of the pelta (crescent-shaped shield), and not a lion at dexter and an eagle at senester ; the olives of the olive branch and the acorns on the oak branch are visible.
The accurate version can be seen on this representation on Wikipedia of the so-called "arms" of the French Republic

Olivier Touzeau, 28 April 2026

Pictures from the TV footage of the 14 July 2026 ceremonies - Image reported by Olivier Touzeau, 30 August 2026
with (left) the civil car with former flag between Elysée palace and Champs-Elysées,
and (right) the command car presidential flag for the troop review.

During Bastille day celebrations 2026, the new presidential pennant appeared only on the Command Car, not on the official civilian car, which only had a tricolor one without emblem.
Only two copies of the new pennant were produced so far. For this technical reason, they were reserved exclusively for the Command Car and its backup vehicle; consequently, the only option available for the presidential car which took the President from the Élysée palace to the Champs-Élysées prior to the troop review was the earlier pennant with the all-white stripe.

Corentin Chamboredon & Olivier Touzeau, 14 Julyl 2026

Before 2024

Presidents Jacques Chirac, Nicolas Sarkozy, François Hollande and Emmanuel Macron did not add any personal emblem to the standard's "template".
The presidential car flag is in proportion 7:8 with a golden fringe.

Armand du Payrat, Željko Heimer & Ivan Sache, 23 July 2017