Legal drinking age
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The legal drinking age is (informally) the minimum age at which people are legally allowed to purchase or consume alcoholic beverages in a given jurisdiction. Some jurisdictions set a minimum age on the customers licensed retailers of alcoholic beverages may sell alcohol to. Some set down a more comprehensive prohibition against persons below the minimum age being on premises licensed to sell alcohol. At its strictest, the term describes the age below which persons must have their alcohol intake properly supervised by those responsible for them, or are simply not permitted to consume it. Frequently these minimum ages will differ in a single jurisdiction. Legal drinking ages are sometimes tied to other age of majority laws, such as the right to vote, to consume other substances such as tobacco or marijuana, and may include exceptions in cases of medical need or parental consent, or more complex stipulations regarding kinds of beverages: some countries distinguish between drinks with lower alcohol-content (such as beer and wine) and stronger spirit-based drinks.
In most countries the minimum age to purchase alcohol is at least 18, but there are notable exceptions (see list below), Generally, a lower minimum age, say between 12 and 16, is applied in relation to those persons who are not allowed on the premises of a licensed drinking establishment. This prohibition will either be absolute or partial, being limited to certain times of the day, like the evening and night. Exceptions may exist when the premises are licensed but not open to the public (i.e. are private members clubs) or when substantial meals are also served together with alcohol (e.g. restaurants and hotels). In some jurisdictions, such restrictions may be extended to unsupervised possession and/or consumption of alcohol by minors, and not merely presence at a licensed venue. An even lower age may apply in some jurisdictions that allow minors to drink in private with parental permission.
Contents |
[edit] Legal drinking age by country
Note that exact laws vary from country to country, and often between states or provinces. Laws on consumption of alcoholic beverages vary even more widely. In some countries all alcoholic beverages are illegal, often due to religious law.
[edit] A - D
Country / region | De jure | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Selling Age | Purchase Age | |||
Albania | No minimum age | |||
Antigua | 18 | |||
Argentina | 18 | |||
Armenia | No minimum age | |||
Australia | 18 | It is illegal to buy, drink or possess alcohol if under 18 in NSW but other states allow private consumption under the age of 18. [1] | ||
Austria | 16
(18 for hard liquor) |
from the age of 14 it is permitted to drink alcohol provided by parents; in Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland the legal drinking age is 16 for hard liquors too. | ||
Azerbaijan | 15 | 18 | ||
Bahamas | 18 | |||
Barbados | 18 | Those aged 11-18 are allowed to consume alcohol provided they are with an adult. | ||
Belarus | 18 | |||
Belgium | 16 | No minimum age to drink in private with a parent/guardian. No age restrictions on beer and wine in shops. | ||
Belize | 18 | |||
Bermuda | 18 | |||
Bolivia | 18 | |||
Brazil | 18 | |||
Bulgaria | 18 | |||
Canada | 18 in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec; 19 elsewhere | Drinking by minors under adult supervision is permitted in licensed premises in the provinces of Manitoba and New Brunswick and at home in Prince Edward Island, Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Saskatchewan. Drinking Age in any setting is sporadically enforced in Quebec. *Drinking Laws Legal drinking age legislation falls under provincial jurisdiction. | ||
China (mainland China) |
None | 18 | Just introduced in January, 2006. [1] | |
Chile | No minimum age | 18 | ||
Colombia | 18 | |||
Costa Rica | 18 | |||
Croatia | No minium age | |||
Cuba | No minimum age | 16 | ||
Cyprus | 17 | |||
Czech Republic | 18 | |||
Denmark | No minimum age | 16 (in shops), 18 (in bars and restaurants) | If a shop fails to ask for an ID-card and they are identified having sold alcohol to an ungerage, they are fined. A national ID-card can be obtain in the local town hall in order for the youth to verify the youth age towards shops. It is very often used as a birthday present. | |
Dominican Republic | 18 |
[edit] E - H
Country / region | De jure | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
Drinking Age | Purchase Age | ||
Ecuador | 18 | ||
Egypt | 21 | ||
Estonia | 18 | ||
Finland | None (see notes) | 18 (shops and Alko stores up to 22% ABV and all alcohol in bars), 20 (over 22% ABV in Alko stores) | Law mentions only minimum legal possession age. |
Fiji | 18 | ||
France | 18 | ||
Georgia | No minimum age | 18 | |
Germany | 16 (18 for hard liquor) |
The legal drinking age does not apply when drinking in private. Minors in possession of alcohol are not punished; however, people who make alcohol available to minors are. | |
Greece | 16 | ||
Guam | 18 | ||
Hong Kong | None | 18 | |
Honduras | 18 | ||
Hungary | No minimum age | 18 |
[edit] I - N
Country / region | De jure | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
Drinking Age | Purchase Age | ||
Iceland | 20 | Possession or consumption of alcohol by minors is not an offence but supplying them with alcohol is. Alcohol in possession of minors may be confiscated though. | |
India | Varies by state. 18-25 | Per state age limit. | |
Ireland | 18 | By law, only a passport, driving licence or the Garda age card is accepted as proof of age. Purchasing alcohol for a minor is illegal. | |
Israel | 18 | ||
Italy | 16 | No purchasing age | |
Iran | - | Consumption of alcohol, as well as selling it, is illegal for any age and punishable by law. Only alcohol used for Jewish or Christian religious ceremonies is allowed. | |
Jamaica | 18 | ||
Japan | 20 | Alcohol can be bought in some vending machines. | |
Kuwait | - | Illegal to buy. | |
Kenya | 18 | Not known | |
Liechtenstein | 18 | ||
Luxembourg | 17 | ||
Korea, South | 18 or 19 | From January 1st of the year the person becomes 19 | |
Latvia | No minimum drinking age | 18 | |
Lebanon | 18 | ||
Lithuania | 18 | ||
Macedonia | 18 | ||
Malaysia | 18 | The sale of alcohol to Muslims is illegal, as is consumption of alcohol by Muslims. | |
Mexico | 18 | ||
Moldova | No minimum age (beer), 18 (wine and spirits) | ||
Morocco | 18 for Muslims, No minimum age for foreigners and non-Muslims | Selling alcohol to Muslims is technically illegal according to Islamic law, however, 18 is accepted as the legal drinking age. | |
Nepal | 18 | ||
Netherlands | 16 (under 22% ABV), 18 (22% ABV and over) | No minimum age to drink in private with a parent/guardian. | |
New Zealand | No minimum age | 18 | While minors can drink at any age, they can only legally be supplied alcohol by their legal guardian or spouse. On 8 November 2006 the New Zealand Parliament rejected a bill to return the legal age to 20. [2] |
Nigeria | There is no legal minimum age, although bars rarely serve to people under the age of 18[citation needed] | ||
Norway | 18 (under 22% ABV), 20 (22% ABV and over) | Beer, cider and Smirnoff Ice can be bought in any store, whilst all beverages above 4.7% must be bought at The Wine Monopoly[citation needed] |
[edit] P - Z
Country / region | De jure | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
Selling Age | Purchase Age | ||
Peru | 18 | ||
Philippines | 18 | ||
Poland | No minimum selling age | 18 | |
Portugal | 16 | People suffering from mental illness or already extremely inebriated cannot purchase or obtain alcoholic beverages. People under 16 can drink if parents allow | |
Puerto Rico | 18 | ||
Romania | No minimum selling age | 18 | Sale of all distilled spirits is illegal for those under 18. Advertising distilled alcohol is forbidden during the day (between 5:00 and 22:00). All restrictions apply on sale and distribution to underage persons, not consumption. |
Russia | 18 | ||
Saudi Arabia | Illegal to all | Forbidden by Sharia Law (Koran law) | |
Serbia | 18 | ||
Slovakia | No minimum selling age | 18 | Only the seller can be punished. |
Slovenia | No minimum selling age | 18 | |
Singapore | 18 | ||
South Africa | 18 | ||
Spain | 18 | ||
Sri Lanka | 18 | ||
Sierra Leone | No minimum age | ||
Sweden | 18 (bars and restaurants, beer and cider with ≤ 3.5% (volume) alcohol in shops), 20 (Systembolaget stores) Always enforced in Systembolaget stores.[citation needed] | Popular bars very often have limits like 25 (owners decision, these guests have more money, behave better etc) | |
Switzerland | No minimum selling age | 14–16 (beer and wine), 18 (spirits) | Age limit on beer and wine varies between cantons |
Taiwan | 18 | Parents, guardians, and others taking care of people under 18 are required pursuant to the Children and Youth Welfare Law (zh:兒童及少年福利法) to prohibit underage drinking or risk administrative fines when the situations are serious. | |
Thailand | 20 | Rarely, if at all enforced. | |
Turkey | 18 | ||
Uganda | 18 | ||
Ukraine | 21 | 21 | |
United Arab Emirates | 21 | 21 | Dubai laws state that no person under the age of 16 may be in a place serving alcohol after 18:00. Alcohol is only served in restaurants and bars attached to hotels. |
United Kingdom | 15 | 18 | Persons aged 16 and over can drink beer, cider or wine in a restaurant or in a pub with an area specifically set aside for meals. The minimum purchase age in "relevant premises" is 18 but persons over the age of 16 may drink beer, porter and cider under the same circumstances provided they are accompanied by an adult. Those under 14 cannot enter pubs. [3] Alcohol may be given by parents to children over the age of 5 in a private home. [4] |
United States | 18 | None federal, 21 in all states | Financial incentives create de facto federal purchase age of 21. Private consumption is tolerated. Some states do not allow those under the legal drinking age to be present in liquor stores or in bars (usually, the difference between a bar and a restaurant is whether food is being served). Contrary to popular belief, few states specifically prohibit minors' consumption of alcohol in private settings (an exception includes Connecticut). In some cases or states, alcohol permits can be purchased at a cost to the parent or legal guardian. As of 2006, 20 states do not specifically ban underage consumption and an additional 15 states have family member and/or location exceptions to their underage consumption laws. [5] Federal law explicitly provides for religious, medical, employment and private club possession exceptions; as of 2005, 31 states have family member and/or location exceptions to their underage possession laws. [6] Underage purchase of alcohol, though illegal in all fifty states, is not a federal offense, although restrictions on highway funding for states that allow it make it illegal federally de facto. See National Minimum Drinking Age Act and underage drinking in America. |
Venezuela | |||
Vanuatu |
[edit] References
- ^ Alcohol and young people - New South Wales police