National emblem of France


This article outlines the heraldic and non-heraldic national emblems used to represent France.

Coat of arms

Timeline of usage

The coat of arms is still used, e.g. in relation to presidential inaugurations, including that of Emmanuel Macron in 2017.

Previous versions

Non-heraldic emblems

Diplomatic emblem

It was adopted in 1913 by the French Foreign Ministry as a symbol for use by French diplomatic missions and was based on an earlier design by the sculptor Jules-Clément Chaplain. The emblem also appears on the cover of French passports. It consists of: 1) A wide pelte shield with, on the one end, a lion-head and on the other an eagle-head, bearing a monogram "RF" standing for République Française An olive branch symbolises peace. 3) An oak branch symbolises or wisdom. 4) The fasces, a symbol associated with the exercise of justice and the republic; note that this use of the fasces predates the adoption of this symbol by Benito Mussolini as the emblem of Italian Fascism.

Other RF and ''Tricolor''-based emblems

Historical symbols

One has been a symbol of France since 1912, although it does not have any legal status as an official coat of arms. It appears on the cover of French passports and was adopted originally by the French Foreign Ministry as a symbol for use by diplomatic and consular missions using a design by the sculptor Jules-Clément Chaplain.