The current flag of San Marino was adopted on 6 April, 1862, which makes it one of the oldest flags in the world. Both blue and white colours originate from the national coat of arms which dates back to the 14th century. The coat of arms consists of a shield with three towers on three peaks as its motif. The shield is flanked by a wreath, above it there is a crown and below it there is a scroll with the Latin word 'liberates' meaning 'liberty'.

The blue represents the sky and the white basically represents the clouds around the mountains and snow.

The civil version of the flag excludes the coat of arms.