Alcohol — Thailand
What travelers need to know about alcohol in Thailand. What is legal at home can be a serious crime here — each rule links to its official source.
Alcohol in Thailand: restricted — there are real limits travelers must follow.
Alcohol is sold only 11:00-24:00 in Thailand, and sales stop nationwide on five Buddhist holy days. Airport terminals, hotels and licensed venues are exempt - and the old 2pm-5pm afternoon ban was scrapped in May 2026.
Selling outside permitted hours or on a prohibited day breaches s.28 of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act B.E. 2551; s.39 sets imprisonment of up to 6 months, a fine of up to 10,000 baht, or both. The offence falls on the seller, not the buyer. Selling to anyone under 20 breaches s.29 and is punishable under s.40 by up to 1 year's imprisonment or a fine of up to 20,000 baht.
§ Royal Gazette of Thailand (ratchakitcha.soc.go.th). Alcohol Beverage Control Committee Notification re: Prescribing Prohibited Hours for Selling Alcoholic Beverages B.E. 2569, Vol. 143 Special Part 134 Ng (28 May 2026). Dry days: Prime Minister's Office Notification on Prohibited Days for Selling Alcoholic Beverages B.E. 2568, Vol. 142 Special Part 189 Ng (9 May 2025), https://ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/documents/70097.pdf. Continuity confirmed from s.53 of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act (No. 2) B.E. 2568, Vol. 142 Part 57 Ka (9 September 2025), https://ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/documents/83910.pdf. Penalties from the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act B.E. 2551 as published by the Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health.Verified Sep 8, 2026