flag of convenience

American  

noun

1. the foreign flag under which merchant ships register in order to save on taxes or wages, or to avoid government regulations.

---

flag of convenience British  

noun

1. a national flag flown by a ship registered in that country to gain financial or legal advantage

---

Etymology

Origin of flag of convenience

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

Another popular method of deception is to adopt a false flag or flag of convenience.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026

ITF data shows that in 2024, around 90% of the abandoned vessels sailed under a flag of convenience.

From BBC • Aug. 18, 2025

Most athletes who defected competed under a kind of flag of convenience – traveling to the Summer Games from eastern Europe with a plan to head west.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 4, 2021

Perversely, a flag of convenience, seen as a way to avoid government regulation, had Shell seeking a government safety net — and a longer, more dangerous, near-shore route.

From New York Times • Dec. 30, 2014

In common with 34 other Transocean oil rigs, Deepwater Horizon was registered under the flag of convenience of the Marshall Islands, a country of barely 65,000 people halfway between Hawaii and Papau New Guinea.

From The Guardian • May 30, 2010