Haiti’s flag is a blue‑over‑red horizontal bicolour bearing the coat of arms on a white panel: a palm with liberty cap, flags, artillery, and the motto “L’Union fait la Force.” Rooted in the 1803 revolutionary banner, the present form was restored on 25 February 1986 after the Duvalier era. Law codifies proportion, arms drawings, usage, and solemn protocol.
Haiti’s flag descends from the revolutionary bicolour attributed to 1803, when the French tricolour’s white band—seen as colonial—was removed, joining blue and red to symbolise unity among Haitians in the struggle for freedom. The modern state flag is the blue‑over‑red horizontal bicolour, with the national coat of arms centred on a white rectangle on the middle of the flag.
The coat of arms features a royal palm rising above a trophy of flags, artillery, and anchors, topped with a Phrygian liberty cap; below runs the motto “L’Union fait la Force.” From independence (1804) through the nineteenth century, variants alternated between blue‑red and black‑red or changed orientation, reflecting political divisions. Under François and Jean‑Claude Duvalier (1964–1986), a vertical black‑and‑red flag replaced the bicolour. The fall of that regime in 1986 brought the formal restoration, on 25 February, of the blue‑red with arms.
Legal provisions regulate proportion, the arms’ precise drawings, and contexts of display: public buildings, armed forces, and diplomatic missions. Fête du Drapeau (18 May) honours the banner’s origins. Protocol prescribes respectful handling, half‑masting by decree, and dignified retirement. The civil flag used domestically and by the merchant marine is the plain bicolour without arms, while the state and war flags bear the arms.