flag of convenience

English

Noun

flag of convenience (plural flags of convenience)

1. (figuratively) Registration of a ship in a country chosen for its low taxes, permissive regulations, etc.
   • 2018 December 1, Drachinifel, 6:44 from the start, in Anti-Slavery Patrols - The West Africa Squadron‎^[1], archived from the original on 29 November 2024:

     The terms of the treaties restricted the Navy's potential actions somewhat, but slavers were beginning to recognise that no flag of convenience was likely to to keep them safe for long, especially as the United States began to send a few ships to help out what was now called the Preventative Squadron starting in the 1820s.

2. (literally) The flag flown by a ship so registered (corresponding to the country of registration).
3. (business, by extension) Use of a particular location or jurisdiction as one's nominal base of operations in order to take advantage of favorable laws and regulations or to avoid restrictions on one's operations.

Translations

flag of a chosen country of registration

• Danish: bekvemmelighedsflag n
• French: pavillon de complaisance (fr) m
• German: Billigflagge f
• Greek: σημαία ευκαιρίας (el) f (simaía efkairías)
• Hebrew: דֶּגֶל נוֹחוּת (he) m (degel nokhut)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: bekvemmelighetsflagg n

• Polish: tania bandera f, wygodna bandera f
• Swedish: bekvämlighetsflagg (sv) c

See also

• flag-hopping
• flag state