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A civil ensign is an ensign (maritime flag) used by civilian vessels to denote their nationality. It can be the same or different from the state ensign and the naval ensign (or war ensign). It is also known as the merchant ensign or merchant flag. Some countries have special civil ensigns for yachts, and even for specific yacht clubs, known as yacht ensigns.
Most countries have only one national flag and ensign for all purposes. In other countries, a distinction is made between the land flag and the civil, state and naval ensigns. The British ensigns, for example, differ from the flag used on land (the Union Flag) and have different versions of plain and defaced Red and Blue ensigns for civilian and state use, as well as the naval ensign (White Ensign) that can also be used by yachts of the Royal Yacht Squadron.
The civil ensigns that are different from the general national flag can be grouped into a number of categories.
Civil ensigns with the national flag in the canton
Several countries use red flags with, in most cases, either the respective national flag or the Union Flag in the canton, patterned after the Red Ensign. British overseas territories fly the plain Red Ensign or a Red Ensign with the respective colonial arms in the fly. Saudi Arabia puts its national flag in the canton of an otherwise-green flag (the Saudi Arabian flag is hoisted with the flagpole to its right so the canton is in the upper right corner of the flag). Ghana stopped using its Red Ensign in 2003 with the adoption of a new merchant shipping act, which made the Ghanaian flag the proper national colors for Ghanaian ships. Similarly, Sri Lanka stopped using its Red Ensign in 1969 and uses the Sri Lankan flag as the civil ensign. Under the relevant shipping law for the Solomon Islands, the Shipping Act 1998, (No. 5 of 1998), the national flag of the Solomon Islands and not a Red Ensign is the appropriate flag: "The National Flag of Solomon Islands shall be the national colours for a vessel registered under this Act." Nevertheless, the Solomon Islands Red Ensign is still used in some cases.
Sovereign states
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Civil ensign
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British overseas territories and crown dependencies
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Civil ensign 
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Blue Ensign exceptions
In some cases, the Blue Ensign may be flown in lieu of the Red Ensign if a number of merchant vessels crew are former Royal Navy personnel or current Royal Navy Reservists, or commanded by an officer of the Royal Navy Reserve. India and Sri Lanka enact similar laws.
National flag 
Government ensign National flag 
Reserve ensign 
National flag 
Government ensign
Civil ensigns that vary greatly from the national flag
Several countries have civil ensigns that are very different from the national flag.
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Civil ensign 
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Civil ensign The Philippines (inland only)
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Civil ensign
Civil ensigns consisting of the national flag with an additional emblem
Well-known examples are the Italian civil ensign showing the shield with the arms of the sea republics, and the Polish civil ensign with the arms of Poland. Most of these emblems were added to distinguish the ensign from similar flags of other countries (e.g. Colombia/Ecuador) or from other signal flags (e.g. Malta/ H signal flag).
National flag 
Civil ensign 
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merchant marine ensign 
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Yacht ensign (US Waters only) United States (Yacht ensign; unofficial)
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Yachting club ensign Spain (Yacht ensign)
Civil ensigns that are simplified national flags with coat of arms removed
In several countries (such as Spain and much of Hispanic America, and some European countries), there are two main versions of the flag, a simpler one (usually a striped flag) and a more elaborate one with the national arms. The simpler one is used as a civil ensign (and in most cases also as a civil flag), whereas the version with the arms is mainly used by the government and the military. In El Salvador, the civil ensign also differs from the national flag in the proportions.
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Civil ensigns with a modified coat of arms
Some civil ensigns have had their coat of arms modified with an additional feature or features to distinguish them.
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Civil ensigns differing from the national flag in the proportions
Several former British colonies use 1:2 as a proportion for their ensigns and 3:5 for flags ashore, whereas Slovenia, Croatia and Hungary have it the other way around, with ensigns at 2:3 and flags ashore at 1:2. France is a special case: the overall proportion is the same, but the bands on the ensign differ in width slightly.
National flag 
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Former civil ensigns no longer in current use or obsolete
National flag 
Civil ensign Albania
(1945–1992)
National flag 
Civil ensign Anconine Republic
(1797–1798)
National flag 
Civil ensign Anguilla
(1967–1969)
Flag of the Habsburg Monarchy 
Civil ensign Austria-Hungary
(1869–1918)
National flag 
Civil ensign Australia
(1901–1903)
National flag 
Civil ensign Australia
(1903–1908)
National flag 
Civil ensign The Bahamas
(1869–1904)
National flag 
Civil ensign The Bahamas
(1904–1923)
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Civil ensign The Bahamas
(1923–1953)
National flag 
Civil ensign The Bahamas
(1953–1964)
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Civil ensign The Bahamas
(1964–1973)
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Civil ensign Barbados
(1870–1966)
National flag 
Civil ensign British Guiana
(1906–1919)
National flag 
Civil ensign British Guiana
(1919–1955)
National flag 
Civil ensign British Guiana
(1955–1966)
National flag 
Civil ensign British Honduras
(1870–1919)
National flag 
Civil ensign British Honduras
(1919–1981)
National flag 
Civil ensign British Leeward Islands
(1871–1952)
National flag 
Civil ensign British Leeward Islands
(1952–1958)
National flag 
Civil ensign British Somaliland
(1903–1950)
National flag 
Civil ensign British Somaliland
(1950–1952)
National flag 
Civil ensign British Somaliland
(1952–1960)
National flag 
Civil ensign British Windward Islands
(1903–1953)
National flag 
Civil ensign British Windward Islands
(1953–1958)
National flag 
Civil ensign Burma
(1952–1974)
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Civil ensign Burma
(1974–2010)
National flag 
Civil ensign Cayman Islands
(1988–1999)
National flag 
Civil ensign Ceylon
(1875–1948)National flag 
Civil ensign Ceylon
(1955–1969)
National flag 
Civil ensign Croatia-Slavonia
(1868–1918)
National flag 
Civil ensign Croatia
(1939–1941)
National flag Civil ensign Croatia
(1941–1945)
National flag 
Civil ensign Cyprus
(1922–1960)
National flag 
Civil ensign England
(1674–1707)
National flag 
Civil ensign Ethiopia
(1975–1987)
National flag 
Civil ensign Ethiopia
(1991–1996)
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Civil ensign Etruria
(1803–1807)National flag 
Civil ensign Etruria
(1803–1807)
(Smaller ships)
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Civil ensign Falkland Islands
(1999)
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Civil ensign Fiji
(1908–1970)
National flag 
Civil ensign Finland
(1918–1920)
National flag 
Civil ensign Florence
(1251–1569)
National flag 
Civil ensign France
(1600's-1789)National flag 
Civil ensign France
(1689–1789, 1814–1830)
national flag 
Civil ensign French Algeria
(1848–1910)
National flag 
Civil ensign French Indochina
(1923–1949)national flag 
Civil ensign French Morocco
(1912–1956)
National flag 
Civil ensign The Gambia
(1889–1965)
Germany
(1896–1918)
National flag 
Civil ensign Germany
(1919–1933)National flag 
Civil ensign Germany
(1933–1935)
Germany
(1935–1945)
National flag 
Civil ensign East Germany
(1959–1973)
National flag 
Civil ensign West Germany
(1949–1990)[9]
National flag 
Civil ensign Ghana
(1963–1964, 1966–2003)
National flag 
Civil ensign Ghana
(1964–1966)
National flag 
Civil ensign Gold Coast
(1877–1957)
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Civil ensign Great Britain
(1707–1801)
National flag 
Civil ensign Greece
(1774–1821)
National flag 
Civil ensign Greece
(1822–1828)National flag 
Civil ensign Greece
(1828–1970)
National flag 
Civil ensign Haiti
(1964–1986)
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Civil ensign Hanover
(1816–1837)
National flag 
Hong Kong
(1876–1941, 1945–1955)
(Unofficial)
National flag 
Hong Kong
(1955–1959)
(Unofficial)
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Hong Kong
(1959–1997)
(Unofficial)
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Civil ensign Hungary
(1921–1946)
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Civil ensign Hungary
(1950–1957)
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Civil ensign Iran
(1910–1980)
National flag 
Civl ensign Ireland
(1701–1801)National flag 
Civil ensign Ireland
(1801–1922)
National flag 
Civil ensign Piedmont-Sardinia and later Italy
(1851–1946)
National flag 
Civil ensign Jamaica
(1906–1957)
National flag 
Civil ensign Jamaica
(1957–1962)
National flag 
Civil ensign Jamaica
(1962)
National flag 
Civil ensign Kenya
(1895–1963)
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Civil ensign Lucca
(1200's-1799)National flag 
Civil ensign Lucca
(1801–1805)
National flag 
civil ensign Lucca
(1818–1824)National flag 
Civil ensign Lucca
(1819–1820)National flag 
Civil ensign Lucca
(1820–1847)
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Civil ensign Malaya
(1957–1963)
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Civil ensign Mauritius
(1906–1968)
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Civil Ensign Mecklenburg-Schwerin
(1863–1918)
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Civil Ensign Modena and Reggio
(1830–1859)
National flag 
Civil ensign Montenegro
(1905–1918)
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Civil ensign Nigeria
(1914–1952)
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Civil ensign Nigeria
(1952–1960)
National flag 
Civil ensign North Borneo
(1882–1902)
National flag 
Civil ensign North Borneo
(1902–1942, 1945–1946)
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Civil ensign North Borneo
(1948–1963)
National flag 
Civil ensign Parma and Piacenza
(1851–1859)
National flag 
Civil ensign Piedmont-Sardinia
(1720–1799)National flag 
Civil ensign Piedmont-Sardinia
(1799–1802)National flag 
Civil ensign Piedmont-Sardinia
(1802–1814)National flag 
Civil ensign Piedmont-Sardinia
(1814–1816)
National flag 
Civil ensign Piedmont-Sardinia
(1816–1848)
National flag 
Civil ensign Poland
(1919–1928)
National flag 
Civil ensign Poland
(1955–1980)National flag 
Civil ensign Poland
(1980–1990)
National flag 
Civil ensign Prussia
(1823–1863)National flag 
Civil ensign Prussia
(1863–1892)
National flag 
Civil ensign Prussia
(1892–1918)
National flag 
Prussia
(1918–1935)
National flag 
Civil ensign Ryukyu Islands
(1952–1967)
National flag 
Civil ensign Ryukyu Islands
(1967–1972)
National flag 
Civil ensign Sarawak
(1870–1946)
National flag 
Civil ensign Sarawak
(1947–1963)
National flag 
Civil ensign Saxony-Anhalt
(1991–2017)
National flag Civil ensign Serbia
(1835–1918)
National flag 
Civil ensign Serbia
(2006–2010)
National flag 
Civil ensign Seychelles
(1903–1961)
National flag 
Civil ensign Seychelles
(1961–1976)
National flag 
Civil ensign Sierra Leone
(1916–1961)
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Civil ensign Singapore
(1946–1952)
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Civil ensign Singapore
(1952–1959)
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Civil ensign Solomon Islands
(1906–1947)
National flag 
Civil ensign Solomon Islands
(1947–1956)
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Civil ensign Solomon Islands
(1956–1977)National flag 
Civil ensign South Africa
(1910–1912)
National flag 
Civil ensign South Africa
(1912–1951)
National flag 
Civil ensign South Australia
(1870–1876)
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Civil ensign Spain
(1785–1927)
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Civil ensign Spain
(1931–1939)
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Civil ensign Spanish Morocco
(1937–1956)
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Civil ensign Straits Settlements
(1874–1904)
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Civil ensign Straits Settlements
(1904–1942, 1945–1946)National flag 
Civil ensign Tangier International Zone
(1953–1957)
National flag 
Civil ensign Trinidad and Tobago
(1889–1958)
National flag 
Civil ensign Trinidad and Tobago
(1958–1962)
National flag 
Civil ensign Turks and Caicos Islands
(1968–1999)
National flag 
Civil Ensign Tuscany
(1600's-1737)
National flag 
Civil ensign Tuscany
(1781–1800, 1815–1848, 1849–1860)National flag 
Tuscany
(1824–1848, 1849–1860)
National flag 
Civil ensign Venezuela
(1930–2006)
National flag 
Civil ensign Victoria
(1870–1877)
National flag 
Civil ensign Yugoslavia
(1919–1943)
National flag 
Civil ensign Yugoslavia
(1950–1992)
National flag 
Civil ensign Yugoslavia and later Serbia and Montenegro
(1992–2006)
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