Last updated 26 September 2026 — by Adrian Tan, SDM. Marketing guidance, not legal advice. The National Symbols Act 2022 is administered by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, and prosecutions require the consent of the Public Prosecutor. If you need to use a national symbol outside what is described below, the route is ministerial approval, not an agency’s opinion.
Every July, Singapore’s feeds fill with red and white. Brands put the flag in their banners, on their packaging, on staff T-shirts and across their social tiles, and nobody asks permission, because since 2023 nobody has needed to.
That freedom has an end date written into law. The National Symbols Regulations 2023 define the “National Day period” as 1 July to 30 September, inclusive, every year. Inside it, a business may use the National Flag or its image commercially without approval, provided the use is not disrespectful. Outside it — from 1 October — using the flag or its image for a commercial purpose or in an advertisement is an offence unless the Minister has approved it, with a maximum of $10,000 or six months’ imprisonment.
This article sets out what changes on 1 October, what was never permitted even in August, and how the rules treat the other national symbols a marketer might reach for: the anthem, the pledge, the State Crest, the Lion Head and the national flower.
The framework: one Act, one set of Regulations
The National Symbols Act 2022 came into force on 1 August 2023 and repealed the Singapore Arms and Flag and National Anthem Act 1959. It declares seven national symbols in Part 2: the National Flag, the National Anthem, the National Pledge, the National Coat of Arms (which “may also be called the State Crest”), the public seal, the Lion Head symbol and the national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim. Section 14 lets the President make regulations governing their use, with a statutory ceiling on penalties of $30,000 or six months, and section 15 requires the Public Prosecutor’s consent for any prosecution.
The detailed rules sit in the National Symbols Regulations 2023, also in force from 1 August 2023. Two definitions in regulation 2 drive almost everything that follows.
- “Image” of the flag means a picture or visual image, “whether electronically generated or otherwise”, and also any picture or image “capable of being mistaken for” an image of the flag. A stylised red-over-white banner with a crescent and five stars counts even if it is not an accurate reproduction.
- “National Day period” means 1 July to 30 September, both dates inclusive, every year.
MCCY’s announcement when the rules took effect put the policy plainly: businesses no longer need to seek approval to use the flag or its image for commercial or decorative purposes during the National Day period, provided it is used respectfully.
The flag in advertising: regulation 12
Regulation 12(1) prohibits knowingly using or applying the National Flag or an image of it (a) for a commercial purpose, or (b) as a means of advertisement or for the purpose of any advertisement. Regulation 12(2) then allows it in two cases only:
- the use is during the National Day period and does not give rise to disrespect to the flag; or
- the use is approved by the Minister, who may approve only if satisfied it will not give rise to disrespect.
Regulation 12(4) adds an absolute rule with no seasonal exception and no approval route: a person must not knowingly use or apply the flag or its image as, or as part of, a trademark. A logo that incorporates the flag, or something capable of being mistaken for it, is prohibited all year round. The penalty for breaching either regulation 12(1) or 12(4) is a fine of up to $10,000 or imprisonment of up to six months, or both.
Two drafting points matter for digital marketing. “Commercial purpose” and “advertisement” are alternatives, so a flag in an organic brand post that promotes nothing specific can still be a commercial use. And “image” includes electronically generated images, so filters, stickers, AR effects, GIFs and AI-generated visuals are all images of the flag if they look like it.
What was never allowed, even in August
The National Day period relaxes the approval requirement. It does not relax everything, and several rules catch exactly the creative that National Day campaigns tend to produce.
Words or graphics on the flag
Regulation 15 prohibits knowingly producing or displaying a flag that distorts or otherwise modifies the design of the National Flag, and gives the example directly: “A flag with words or graphics superimposed on the design of the National Flag, or vice versa, is a modification”. A flag carrying a brand logo, a hashtag, a campaign line or a mascot is a modified flag. The maximum is $10,000 or six months. Regulation 16(2) extends stop orders to acts involving “distorted, or otherwise modified, but still recognisable elements” of the flag, so a heavily stylised version is not safe simply because it is stylised.
Bags, packaging and receptacles
Regulation 13(1) requires ministerial approval, at any time of year, to use the flag or its image “as part of any furnishing, covering or receptacle”, and regulation 13(5) defines “receptacle” to include “a paper, plastic and refuse bag“. A limited-edition carrier bag, a printed takeaway bag or a gift bag with the flag on it needs approval even in August. Where the use involves disrespect the maximum is $30,000 or six months; otherwise $5,000.
Placing it below your brand
Regulation 8(4) provides that the flag “must not be displayed below any other flag, emblem or object“, and regulation 8(5) requires it to be above all decorations when displayed on a platform or stage. In an event set, a shopfront installation or a trade-show booth, a physical flag hung beneath the company logo or a branded banner is a problem regardless of the season. The maximum is $5,000.
Disrespect
Every permission in the Regulations is conditional on the use not giving rise to disrespect. Regulation 5 makes it an offence to knowingly do a disrespectful act in relation to the flag, with a maximum of $30,000 or six months. Humour, parody and irreverent meme formats are the obvious risk, and they are also the formats social teams are most likely to use.
Stop orders can be served in your DMs
Beyond prosecution, an authorised officer who considers an act disrespectful to the flag, anthem or pledge may issue a stop order requiring the person to cease the act and take specified remedial action. Part 10 sets out how orders are served, and regulation 34(4) deals specifically with online content: where the act was done on an online location that allows the person to receive messages or allows comments, the order may be served by sending it through that mechanism.
The Regulations’ own illustration is worth quoting in substance: a stop order requiring a person to remove an image posted on Instagram may be served “through the direct message function of the Instagram application or through a comment on the Instagram post”. For a brand account, that means the social media team, not the legal department, may be the first to receive formal notice. Community managers should know what one looks like. Our guide to brand impersonation makes the same point about official-looking messages from the other direction: verify, but do not ignore.
The other symbols: anthem, pledge, State Crest, Lion Head and orchid
| Symbol | Commercial or advertising use | Seasonal window? | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Flag | Prohibited unless in the National Day period (respectfully) or approved; never as a trademark (reg 12) | Yes, 1 Jul – 30 Sep | $10,000 or 6 months |
| National Anthem | Tune or lyrics must not be used for any commercial purpose unless the Minister approves (reg 20) | No | $10,000 or 6 months |
| National Pledge | Must not be used for a commercial purpose or in advertising unless the Minister approves (reg 23) | No | $10,000 or 6 months |
| Coat of Arms / State Crest | Must not make or deal in a copy, including an image capable of being mistaken for it, save listed exceptions (reg 25); no distortion (reg 26) | No | $30,000 or 6 months |
| Lion Head symbol | Not restricted by the Regulations; MCCY guidelines on respectful use | Not applicable | — |
| Vanda Miss Joaquim | Not restricted by the Regulations | Not applicable | — |
The anthem: no window at all
The National Day relaxation is a flag rule. It does not extend to Majulah Singapura. Regulation 20 prohibits using the tune or the lyrics for any commercial purpose without ministerial approval, in any month. Regulation 19 adds rules on arrangements that matter to any production using the anthem even with approval: it must not be incorporated into another composition or medley, any arrangement must reflect the complete tune and, if lyrics are included, the complete lyrics, and it must not be sung in translation. A thirty-second ad with the anthem’s opening bars under a voiceover fails more than one of those tests.
The pledge: whole or substantially whole
Regulation 23 prohibits commercial or advertising use of the National Pledge without approval. For stop orders, regulation 24(2) limits the concept of an act relating to the pledge to acts relating to “the whole or substantially the whole” of it in any of the four official languages. That is a stop-order provision, not a licence to quote fragments commercially, and the safer reading for a brand is to leave the pledge’s words out of advertising entirely.
The State Crest: the strictest rule
Regulation 25 prohibits making or dealing in a copy of the National Coat of Arms, which includes any image or object “capable of being mistaken for” it. The examples of making include printing and drawing; the examples of dealing include publishing, distributing and exhibiting. The exceptions are narrow: government use, ministerial approval, reporting a misuse in good faith, news reporting, and use that is incidental to an otherwise lawful act and not disrespectful. The Regulations’ example is a photograph of a government building that happens to include the crest. A crest used deliberately in marketing is not incidental. The maximum is $30,000 or six months — the highest ceiling in this area.
This is also a fraud-adjacent rule. Imitation government letterheads are a common feature of scam messages, which is why the crest is protected more tightly than the flag. Any marketing that borrows the look of an official notice — crest-like seals on a “certificate”, a letter styled as a government communication — is exactly what the rule is built to stop.
The Lion Head and the orchid: the symbols meant for you
MCCY has explained that the Regulations deliberately do not restrict the Lion Head symbol or the national flower, which are intended as less-restricted symbols for people and organisations to use to identify with the nation, subject to guidelines on respectful use published by the National Heritage Board. For a brand that wants a year-round Singapore identity cue, these are the lawful choices. Guidance at the time of writing asks, among other things, that the Lion Head not be modified.
What to do before 1 October
The Regulations do not say, in terms, how a flag image published in August should be treated once the period ends. What they do say is that using the flag’s image “as a means of advertisement or for the purpose of any advertisement” outside the period requires approval, and a live, paid or pinned asset is plainly still being used for the purpose of advertisement. The low-risk reading is to retire commercial flag use by the end of 30 September. In practice:
- Switch off paid media carrying the flag or anything capable of being mistaken for it: display, social, programmatic and digital out-of-home.
- Replace evergreen assets: website hero banners, landing pages, email headers and templates, app splash screens.
- Unpin and archive National Day posts on brand profiles, and swap cover images and profile frames.
- Take down physical displays: window graphics, in-store decoration and point-of-sale material. Regulation 13(2) ties decorative use to the period too.
- Stop selling or giving away flag-printed merchandise and staff attire, unless approved.
- Remove flags from branded vehicles: regulation 7 allows display on motor vehicles during the period (other than hearses) and otherwise only in limited cases or with approval.
- Swap the identity cue to the Lion Head or the orchid if you want a Singapore signal to stay.
Build this into the calendar rather than doing it from memory. Our guide to building a social media content calendar works well with a fixed “30 September: retire flag creative” task, and our guide to year-end marketing budgets is where the Q4 creative refresh should be costed.
Worked examples
1. A café’s National Day menu graphic in August. A social tile with a flag illustration and “Happy 61st, Singapore!” is commercial use during the period. Permitted, if respectful — but if the café’s logo is placed across the flag, regulation 15 is engaged regardless of the date.
2. A property developer’s October launch. A developer wants a flag-waving family in its October showflat campaign “to feel Singaporean”. This is advertising use outside the period: approval first, or swap to the Lion Head or skyline imagery.
3. A retailer’s red-and-white carrier bags. A limited run of National Day shopping bags printed with the flag needs approval under regulation 13(1) even if distributed in August, because a bag is a receptacle.
4. A startup’s logo. A founder wants a crescent-and-five-stars motif in the company logo. Regulation 12(4) prohibits the flag or its image as part of a trademark, and “image” includes anything capable of being mistaken for the flag. There is no approval route. Choose a different mark.
5. A brand video with the anthem. An agency proposes the anthem’s melody under a corporate anniversary film. That is commercial use of the tune needing approval under regulation 20, in any month, and a partial arrangement would also fail regulation 19. If it will run on screens in public places, check the film rules in our guide to film advertising rules as well.
National symbols are not the only identity rules with new force this year. Since 15 September 2026, the Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act has let the Minister order content taken down; our guide to the Racial Harmony Act and brand content explains what that means for campaigns.
Frequently asked questions
Can businesses use the Singapore flag in advertising?
Only during the National Day period, 1 July to 30 September, and only if the use is not disrespectful, or at other times with the Minister’s approval. Using the flag or its image for a commercial purpose or in an advertisement outside those cases is an offence under regulation 12 of the National Symbols Regulations 2023, with a maximum of $10,000 or six months’ imprisonment.
Can I put my logo on the Singapore flag?
No. Regulation 15 prohibits producing or displaying a flag that distorts or modifies the design of the National Flag, and gives a flag with words or graphics superimposed on it as an example. That applies all year, including during the National Day period.
Can the Singapore flag be part of a company logo or trademark?
No. Regulation 12(4) prohibits using the flag or an image of it as, or as part of, a trademark. “Image” includes anything capable of being mistaken for the flag, and there is no seasonal exception or approval route for this rule.
Can I use the National Anthem in a commercial video?
Only with the Minister’s approval, which applies all year round. Regulation 20 prohibits using the tune or lyrics for any commercial purpose without approval, and regulation 19 separately prohibits incorporating the anthem into a medley or using an arrangement that does not reflect the complete tune.
Which national symbols can businesses use freely?
The Lion Head symbol and the national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim, are not restricted by the National Symbols Regulations. MCCY describes them as less-restricted symbols intended for people and organisations to identify with the nation, subject to guidelines on respectful use.
Can a stop order be sent through Instagram?
Yes. Regulation 34(4) allows a stop order about an act done online to be served through the platform’s messaging or comment function, and the Regulations illustrate this with service through an Instagram direct message or a comment on the post.
The takeaway
Singapore relaxed its national symbols rules in 2023, and the relaxation is real: for three months a year, a business can put the flag in its marketing without asking anyone. But the relaxation is seasonal, it applies to the flag and not to the anthem, the pledge or the crest, and it sits alongside rules that apply every day — no flag in a trademark, no logo on the flag, no flag on a bag without approval, and nothing below your brand.
The operational point is the calendar. The National Day period ends on 30 September, and a campaign that was lawful on that day needs approval on the next. Treat 30 September as a hard retirement date for flag creative, and move any year-round Singapore identity to the Lion Head or the orchid, which are the symbols the Government intends businesses to use.
If you want your social calendar and brand assets audited for this kind of seasonal and regulatory risk, that is part of what our social media marketing team does; see our client case studies. Start with our guide to social media management in Singapore, then the related rules: Hari Raya marketing and halal claims, charity fundraising marketing and the legal requirements for a Singapore website.
