The flag consists of three horizontal bands executed in the colours yellow, red and blue.

The colours are taken from the coat of arms of North Holland.

This in turn is a combination of the old coats of arms of North Holland and West Friesland.

Yellow (actually gold) and red belong to Holland, while blue is part of the West Frisian identity.

The current design was adopted by the Provincial Council on 22 October 1958 as the official tricolour of North Holland.