The federal institutions flag has been used for decades to cover the caskets of federal officials. The form of the federal institutions flag is specified in the Directive concerning the German flags, which has undergone almost no changes since 7 June 1950.

The appearance of official flags to cover caskets is not specified in a directive or decree. The most important thing is that the flag should entirely cover the casket during the ceremony, so that neither the casket nor its hardware are visible, for example when resting on a catafalque. For this reason, flags used to cover caskets are often in the special format of 220 x 330 cm.

The question of which way to lay the flag on the casket can be answered by history: The state tradition is decisive. Since the Weimar Republic (1919–1933), the flag has been laid on the casket with the black stripe at the head and the gold stripe at the foot.

According to state tradition, at the death of the Federal President, the casket is covered with the federal institutions flag, not the Federal President’s standard.