Many young people face the problem of purchasing alcohol in shops and cafes. Moreover, sellers often name completely different ages of “alcoholic majority”, which ranges from 18 to 21 years. It’s time to find out what age you can buy alcohol, and, accordingly, drink it. Knowing the laws will help you protect your rights regarding alcoholic beverages.
The age at which it is allowed to purchase alcohol depends on the country of residence. In Russia, you can buy alcohol from the age of 18. “The rules for the sale of alcoholic beverages, tobacco products and beer” prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages only to minors, and the age of majority in the Russian Federation begins at the age of 18. So if you have a passport confirming your majority with you in the store, ask the sellers to sell you vodka, cognac, beer, wine or any other alcoholic beverage.
If they still disagree, then I advise you to show them Article 426 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. Public contract. Where in the third paragraph it is clearly written: “the refusal of a commercial organization to conclude a public contract, if it is possible to provide the consumer with the appropriate goods, services, and perform the appropriate work for him is not allowed.” This is the rule of a public offer, for violation of it you will have to pay a fine.
However, recently there have been legislative initiatives of “Roszdravnadzor”, where it is proposed to prohibit the sale of alcohol to persons under the age of 21. It is also planned to reduce the maximum alcohol content in low-alcohol drinks to 7% (currently 9%) and fill them in packages of no more than 300 ml. But these are only proposals so far, they are not confirmed by real laws, and it is unlikely that such laws will appear. So in Russia, like in Ukraine, you can freely buy alcohol from the age of 18.
The age of drinking alcohol in other countries is shown in the following table.
| Country | Age of consumption at the point of sale (cafes, bars, etc.) | Age of consumption outside the point of sale (store purchase) |
| Australia | eighteen | eighteen |
| Austria | 16/18 | 16/18 |
| Azerbaijan | eighteen | eighteen |
| Albania | not limited | not limited |
| Algeria | eighteen | eighteen |
| Argentina | eighteen | eighteen |
| Bahamas | eighteen | eighteen |
| Belarus | eighteen | eighteen |
| Belize | eighteen | eighteen |
| Belgium | 16 (beer, wine) 18 (strong alcohol) | unlimited (beer, wine) 18 (strong alcohol) |
| Bulgaria | eighteen | eighteen |
| Bolivia | eighteen | eighteen |
| Botswana | eighteen | eighteen |
| Brazil | eighteen | eighteen |
| Brunei | alcohol is prohibited | alcohol is prohibited |
| Burundi | eighteen | eighteen |
| Hungary | eighteen | eighteen |
| United Kingdom | eighteen | eighteen |
| Venezuela | eighteen | eighteen |
| Gabon | not limited | not limited |
| Guyana | eighteen | eighteen |
| Gambia | alcohol is prohibited | alcohol is prohibited |
| Ghana | not limited | not limited |
| Guatemala | eighteen | eighteen |
| Guinea-Bissau | not limited | not limited |
| Germany | 16 (beer and wine) 18 (spirits) | 16 (beer and wine) 18 (spirits) |
| Greece | eighteen | not limited |
| Georgia | 16 | 16 |
| Denmark | eighteen | 16 |
| Dominican Republic | eighteen | eighteen |
| Egypt | 18 (beer) 21 (wine and stronger) | 18 (beer) 21 (wine and stronger) |
| Zambia | eighteen | eighteen |
| Zimbabwe | eighteen | eighteen |
| India | from 18 to 25 (depending on the state) | from 18 to 25 (depending on the state) |
| Israel | eighteen | eighteen |
| Indonesia | 21 | 21 |
| Ireland | eighteen | eighteen |
| Iceland | twenty | twenty |
| Spain | eighteen | eighteen |
| Italy | 16 | 16 |
| Cape Verde | eighteen | eighteen |
| Kazakhstan | 21 | 21 |
| Cambodia | not limited | not limited |
| Cameroon | eighteen | 21 |
| Canada | 18/19 | 18/19 |
| Kenya | eighteen | eighteen |
| Cyprus | 17 | 17 |
| China | eighteen | eighteen |
| Colombia | eighteen | eighteen |
| Comoros | not limited | not limited |
| Congo (Republic of) | eighteen | eighteen |
| Costa Rica | eighteen | eighteen |
| Kyrgyzstan | not limited | not limited |
| Latvia | eighteen | eighteen |
| Lesotho | eighteen | eighteen |
| Libya | alcohol is prohibited | alcohol is prohibited |
| Lithuania | eighteen | eighteen |
| Luxembourg | 16 | not limited |
| Mauritius | eighteen | eighteen |
| Malawi | eighteen | eighteen |
| Malta | 16 | 16 |
| Morocco | not limited | 16 |
| Mexico | eighteen | eighteen |
| Micronesia | 21 | 21 |
| Mozambique | eighteen | eighteen |
| Namibia | eighteen | eighteen |
| Niger | eighteen | eighteen |
| Nigeria | eighteen | eighteen |
| Netherlands | 16 (up to 15% by volume of alcohol) 18 (15% by volume and more) | 16 (up to 15% by volume of alcohol) 18 (15% by volume and more) |
| Nicaragua | 19 | 19 |
| New Zealand | eighteen | eighteen |
| Norway | 18 (up to 22% vol. Alcohol) 20 (22% vol. And more) | 18 (up to 22% vol. Alcohol) 20 (22% vol. And more) |
| Pakistan | alcohol is prohibited (Muslims) 21 (non-Muslims) | alcohol is prohibited (Muslims) 21 (non-Muslims) |
| Panama | eighteen | eighteen |
| Papua New Guinea | eighteen | eighteen |
| Paraguay | twenty | twenty |
| Peru | eighteen | eighteen |
| Portugal | 16 | 16 |
| Russia | eighteen | eighteen |
| Salvador | eighteen | eighteen |
| Samoa | eighteen | eighteen |
| Swaziland | not limited | eighteen |
| Seychelles | eighteen | eighteen |
| Singapore | eighteen | eighteen |
| Slovenia | eighteen | eighteen |
| Solomon islands | 21 | not limited |
| Thailand | eighteen | eighteen |
| Togo | not limited | not limited |
| Tonga | eighteen | not limited |
| Trinidad and Tobago | eighteen | eighteen |
| Turkmenistan | eighteen | eighteen |
| Turkey | eighteen | eighteen |
| USA | 21 | 21 |
| Uganda | eighteen | eighteen |
| Ukraine | eighteen | eighteen |
| Fiji | 21 | 21 |
| Philippines | eighteen | eighteen |
| Finland | 18 (up to 22% alcohol by volume) 20 (stronger) |
18 (up to 22% alcohol by volume) 20 (stronger) |
| France | eighteen | eighteen |
| Croatia | eighteen | eighteen |
| CAR | eighteen | eighteen |
| Chile | eighteen | eighteen |
| Sweden | eighteen | 18 (for beer with a strength of 3.5% vol. And less) 20 (for everything else) |
| Switzerland | 16/18, canton-specific 18 (spirits) | 16/18, canton-specific 18 (spirits) |
| Sri Lanka | eighteen | eighteen |
| Ecuador | eighteen | eighteen |
| Equatorial Guinea | not limited | not limited |
| Eritrea | eighteen | eighteen |
| Estonia | eighteen | eighteen |
| Ethiopia | eighteen | eighteen |
| South Africa | eighteen | eighteen |
| South Korea | 19 | 19 |
| Jamaica | not limited | 16 |
| Japan | twenty | twenty |
In most countries, drinking alcohol is allowed from the age of 18. In some states, it cannot be used at all, or there is no age limit. This information will be useful for tourists traveling to different countries.
Conclusions: any citizen of Russia or Ukraine aged 18 and over can freely buy vodka, beer, cognac, wine or other alcoholic beverage in the store. However, he does not break the law. You just need to have a document (passport, driver’s license, etc.) confirming the age of majority.
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