# HOI4 Country Tags

> Every Hearts of Iron IV country tag, the three-letter code console commands use instead of a country's name, with the ideology each nation starts under. Includes how tag, annex and puppet take them, and why a run that uses them earns no achievements.

- **Game:** Hearts of Iron IV
- **Category:** Getting Started
- **Author:** LongBeam (https://guides-factory.com/about)
- **Difficulty:** Beginner
- **Reading time:** 3 min
- **Published:** 2026-09-09
- **Updated:** 2026-09-09
- **Tags:** Hearts of Iron IV, console commands, country tags, hoi4, reference
- **Adapted from:** [Countries — Hearts of Iron 4 Wiki](https://hoi4.paradoxwikis.com/Countries)
- **Canonical URL:** https://guides-factory.com/guides/hoi4-country-tags

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Every console command that names a country wants its three-letter tag, not its name. This page lists them, with the ideology each country starts under, so you can find the one you need without leaving the game to look it up.

## Quick answer

| What | Answer |
| --- | --- |
| What a country tag is | The three-letter code the game uses for a country — GER, SOV, ENG |
| Where you need one | Console commands: tag, annex, puppet, whitepeace and the rest take a tag |
| Switch country | tag [country tag] |
| Annex one | annex [country tag] |
| Tags in the list below | 94 playable countries |
| Mods | Mods add their own tags, and the mod's documentation is the authority |

## How to use a tag

Open the console and give the command the tag rather than the country's name. `tag GER` makes you Germany; `annex FRA` takes France; `puppet GER FRA` makes one the other's puppet. The tags are case-insensitive in practice, and the game prints an error rather than doing something surprising when it does not recognise one.

<p class="note">Console commands are disabled in ironman games, and Steam achievements need ironman — so a run where you use tags is a run that earns none.</p>

## Major countries

Countries in HOI4 are either major countries or minor countries . In a war, a faction will only surrender when all its participating major countries capitulate. The major countries in each faction are shown by golden frames around their flags in the war overview screen.

## Every country tag

| Country | Tag | Starting ideology |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kingdom of Afghanistan | `AFG` | neutrality |
| Albanian Kingdom | `ALB` | neutrality |
| Argentina | `ARG` | neutrality |
| Sultanate of Aussa | `AFA` | neutrality |
| Australia | `AST` | democracy |
| Austria | `AUS` | neutrality |
| Belgian Congo | `COG` | Non-aligned |
| Belgium | `BEL` | democracy |
| Bhutan | `BHU` | neutrality |
| Bolivian Republic | `BOL` | Democratic |
| Second Brazilian Republic | `BRA` | democratic |
| British Burma | `BRM` | Democratic |
| British Malaya | `MAL` | democracy |
| British Raj | `RAJ` | neutrality |
| Dominion of Canada | `CAN` | democracy |
| Chile | `CHL` | democracy |
| China | `CHI` | neutrality |
| Chinese Soviet Republic | `PRC` | communism |
| Colombia | `COL` | democracy |
| Costa Rica | `COS` | democracy |
| Cuba | `CUB` | democracy |
| Czechoslovak Republic | `CZE` | democracy |
| Denmark | `DEN` | democracy |
| Dominican Republic | `DOM` | fascism |
| Dutch East Indies | `INS` | neutrality |
| Ecuador | `ECU` | democracy |
| El Salvador | `ELS` | fascism |
| Estonia | `EST` | neutrality |
| Ethiopia | `ETH` | neutrality |
| Finland | `FIN` | neutrality |
| Gansu Ma | `GSM` | neutrality |
| German Reich | `GER` | fascism |
| Kingdom of Greece | `GRE` | neutrality |
| Guangdong Clique | `GDC` | neutrality |
| Guangxi Clique | `GXC` | neutrality |
| Guatemala | `GUA` | neutrality |
| Haiti | `HAI` | democracy |
| Hebei-Chahar | `HBC` | neutrality |
| Honduras | `HON` | democracy |
| Kingdom of Hungary | `HUN` | neutrality |
| Iceland | `ICE` | democracy |
| Iran | `PER` | neutrality |
| Iraq | `IRQ` | neutrality |
| Ireland | `IRE` | democracy |
| Japanese Empire | `JAP` | neutrality |
| Khotan Ma | `KHM` | neutrality |
| Sheikhdom of Kuwait | `KUW` | Non-aligned |
| Latvia | `LAT` | neutrality |
| Lebanese Republic | `LEB` | Democratic |
| Liberia | `LIB` | democracy |
| Lithuania | `LIT` | neutrality |
| Luxembourg | `LUX` | democracy |
| Manchukuo | `MAN` | fascism |
| Mengjiang | `MEN` | neutrality |
| Mexico | `MEX` | neutrality |
| Mongolian People's Republic | `MON` | communism |
| Sultanate of Muscat and Oman | `OMA` | neutrality |
| Nepal | `NEP` | neutrality |
| Netherlands | `HOL` | democracy |
| Dominion of New Zealand | `NZL` | democracy |
| Nicaragua | `NIC` | neutrality |
| Ningxia Ma | `NXM` | neutrality |
| Northeastern Army | `XIC` | neutrality |
| Norway | `NOR` | democracy |
| Mandatory Palestine | `PAL` | Non-aligned |
| Panama | `PAN` | democracy |
| Republic of Paraguay | `PAR` | democratic |
| Peru | `PRU` | fascism |
| Commonwealth of the Philippines | `PHI` | democracy |
| Poland | `POL` | neutrality |
| Portugal | `POR` | neutrality |
| Qinghai Ma (Xibei San Ma) | `XSM` | neutrality |
| Romania | `ROM` | democracy |
| Saudi Arabia | `SAU` | neutrality |
| Shandong Clique | `SND` | neutrality |
| Shanxi | `SHX` | neutrality |
| Siam | `SIA` | neutrality |
| Sichuan Clique | `SIC` | neutrality |
| Sinkiang | `SIK` | communism |
| South Africa | `SAF` | democracy |
| Sweden | `SWE` | democracy |
| Switzerland | `SWI` | democracy |
| Republic of Syria | `SYR` | Democratic |
| Tannu Tuva | `TAN` | communism |
| Tibet | `TIB` | neutrality |
| Jordan | `JOR` | Non-aligned |
| Turkey | `TUR` | neutrality |
| United Kingdom | `ENG` | democracy |
| United States | `USA` | democracy |
| Uruguay | `URG` | democracy |
| Venezuela | `VEN` | fascism |
| Yemen | `YEM` | neutrality |
| Yugoslavia | `YUG` | neutrality |
| Yunnan | `YUN` | neutrality |

## Also worth knowing

- **Releasable nations have tags too.** They do not exist at the 1936 start, and the tag only becomes useful once something has released them.
- **A mod's tags are not on this list.** Kaiserreich and the rest add their own countries, and their own documentation is where those live.

Source: [Countries](https://hoi4.paradoxwikis.com/Countries) on the Hearts of Iron 4 Wiki.

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## FAQ

### What is a country tag in HOI4?

A three-letter code the game uses to identify a country — GER for Germany, SOV for the Soviet Union, ENG for the United Kingdom. Console commands take the tag rather than the country's name.

### How do I play as another country with the console?

Use tag followed by the three-letter code: tag GER switches you to Germany and leaves your old country to the AI.

### Do country tags work in ironman?

The commands that use them do not. Console commands are disabled in ironman by design, and achievements need ironman enabled, so a run that uses tags cannot earn any.