Peru

Specification

Constitution, article 49, recognizes the red-white-red vertical flag as a national symbol. Law 32251, articles 4 and 23, specifies the plain rectangle and 2:3 hoist-to-fly ratio. The Instituto Geográfico Nacional’s Atlas Digital explicitly describes equal band widths; article 4 does not separately quantify them.

Colors and specimen

Red and white are the constitutional color names. These values come from the SVG, not a verified physical production standard.

Law 32251 leaves color codes to implementing regulations. The Ministry of Defence’s July 2025 publication is a consultation draft, not proof of enactment. This review did not verify a final regulatory color schedule. No Pantone, RAL, textile tolerance, or manufacturing shade is asserted.

Construction notes

For hoist H, set the fly to 3H/2. Divide the fly into three equal widths of H/2, coloring them red, white, and red. These coordinates express the cited ratio and equal-band guidance; they are not an additional official construction schedule.

The specimen uses a 900 × 600 viewBox. A full red path covers the frame; a white path from x=300 to x=600 covers its central third. Each visible band is 300 × 600. There are no borders, emblems, or lettering. The two red bands use the same fill. Local changes add only the viewBox and accessible provenance metadata to the Commons source-code geometry.

Historical record

El Peruano’s historical account traces the first national flag to San Martín’s decree of 21 October 1820, followed by redesigns in 1822. The law of 25 February 1825 prescribed an armorial vertical triband and a plain merchant version. The plain design therefore predates its modern general national role.

The government’s Bicentennial Project dates regulation of the plain national form to 31 March 1950; the decree also standardized 2:3 proportions. This record dates the plain national form to that measure, rather than treating every earlier flag as the same specimen. Law 32251, promulgated 18 January and published 19 January 2025, repealed Decree Law 11323. It traces the flag’s creation to 1825 and describes its author as anonymous.

The 2026 amendment, Law 32564, changes articles 11, 16, and 24 concerning other symbols and their use; it does not amend the plain flag description in article 4.

Symbols and interpretation

The plain specimen represents Peru through its two colors and band arrangement. El Peruano’s historical account cautions that stories explaining San Martín’s choice of colors lack confirming documentation; the famous dream is a literary story. No single origin story or color-by-color meaning is treated here as a construction requirement.

Usage and status

Under Law 32251, article 8, the Pabellón Nacional adds the Escudo Nacional and is reserved for state institutions. It is a separate flag variant. Article 21 permits compliant use of the plain national flag without prior local authorization outside obligatory dates; mandatory display follows applicable legislation.

The specimen illustrates the plain national flag only. Earlier armorial specimens and the current institutional pavilion require their own identification and should not be substituted for it.

Source trail

Checked 6 September 2026. Spanish legal descriptions are paraphrased in English.

• Congress / Constitution, article 49 — national status, band orientation, and color names.
• Official gazette / Law 32251 — articles 4, 8, 21, 23; second final provision; repeal clause.
• Instituto Geográfico Nacional / Atlas Digital, El Estado — equal-width bands.
• Ministry of Defence / Resolution 00836-2025-DE — publication of draft implementing regulations for consultation.
• El Peruano / De San Martín a Odría, 26 July 2024 — historical chronology, 1950 decree, and limits of origin traditions.
• Government Bicentennial Project / national flag history — 1825 creation and regulation without an emblem in 1950.
• Official gazette / explanation of Law 32564, March 2026 — scope of the later amendment.
• Wikimedia Commons / Flag of Peru.svg — SVG source code, contributor history, and public-domain declaration; local asset review.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do some Peruvian flags have an emblem?

This record identifies the plain Bandera Nacional, which has no emblem. The separate institutional Pabellón Nacional adds the Escudo Nacional and is reserved for state institutions under article 8 of Law 32251. Earlier armorial flags also require separate identification.

Why does this record distinguish 1825 from 1950?

The 25 February 1825 law prescribed an armorial vertical triband and a plain merchant version, establishing the earlier design lineage. The plain national form was regulated on 31 March 1950, so this record uses “1950–present in this national role.” The plain design predates that role. Its 2:3 hoist-to-fly ratio means two units of height for every three units of width.

Is #D91023 an official manufacturing color?

The supplied review does not establish it as an official manufacturing color. #D91023 is the red used in the SVG specimen and is presented as a screen approximation. The official color names are red and white; Law 32251 leaves color codes to implementing regulations. The cited July 2025 Ministry of Defence publication is a consultation draft, not proof of enactment. Physical color coordinates and a final regulatory color schedule remained unverified in the supplied review; no Pantone, RAL, textile tolerance or manufacturing shade is asserted.