It is flown by the Peruvian military and national police and is typically inscribed with the service, name and number of the unit flying it.

In 1820, during the struggle for independence, British-born General William Miller hoisted in Tacna the first flag that represented the emerging country.

The first flag of the Republic of Peru was created by General José de San Martín, and officially decreed on 21 October 1820.

The flag was defaced with an oval-shaped laurel crown in the center, surrounding a sun rising behind mountains by the sea.

Historian Jorge Fernández Stoll thinks in 1820 San Martin was in favor of a constitutional monarchy, and he chose to use monarchical symbols and colors: Castile used the red and white colors for many years, the old flag of the viceroyalty the cross of Burgundy was red and white and the flag's diagonal lines mimicked the cross shape, the red color was the royal symbol of the mascaipacha of Inca kings and of the ensign of the Spanish king at that time.

This consisted of a horizontal triband, with a white band between two red ones, and a golden Inti at the center, similar to the flag of Argentina.

On 25 February 1825, during Simón Bolívar's administration, the Constituent Congress changed the design of the flag by promulgating the law of national symbols.

The fundamental change was the image of the sun for the brand new coat of arms, designed by José Gregorio Paredes and Francisco Javier Cortés.

The flag of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation showed the coats of arms of Bolivia, South and North Peru, from left to right and slanted at different angles, on a red field, adorned by a laurel crown.

After the War of the Pacific, the coat of arms in the flag was slightly altered to represent the territory lost after the Treaty of Ancón.

Tal la llevaron con gloria y honor, héroes peruanos de invencible ardor.

This is the flag of Peru, of white and red in color, as a flame of love, which in Ayacucho and Junín it dawned victorious with the Sun of Liberty

Every Peruvian shall feel in his heart vibrating, the love for the national flag and fight under its folds, and if ever needed for its laurels and honor, die.