North-Rhine-Westphalia flag 10 x 15 cm

After the establishment of North-Rhine Westphalia in 1946, this flag had been in use since 1948 although it was not formally established until 1953. The plain tricolour is the state's civil flag. Government authorities use the state flag (Landesdienstflagge), where the flag is defaced by the state coat of arms.

The flag is a combination of the two former provinces of Prussia that comprise most of the state: the Rhine Province and Westphalia.