Can I still drive after one beer?
Only if you are actually fit to drive — 0.8 per mille is not a permission. The statute says intoxication is «proven in every case» once you show 0.8 per mille by weight or more (VRV Art. 2 para. 2). That is a rule of proof: above 0.8 there is nothing left to argue about. It is not a threshold below which driving is allowed. Anyone who is unfit to drive because of alcohol may not drive a vehicle at any level (VRV Art. 2 para. 1) — and is punished under the same provision. Professional and learner drivers are capped at 0.10‰ (VRV Art. 2a). And across the border — Buchs, Sargans, Feldkirch — the figure is 0.5‰.
📋 The rules
- 0.8‰ is a rule of proof, not a green light. Intoxication counts as «proven in every case» from 0.8 per mille by weight (VRV Art. 2 para. 2). Above that, unfitness is conclusive. Below it, unfitness is not ruled out — it simply has to be proven.
- An offence at any level: anyone unfit to drive because of alcohol may not drive (VRV Art. 2 para. 1). Below 0.8 the penalty still follows from SVG Art. 86 para. 1 — the proof then runs through the individual case instead of the reading.
- 0.10‰ for professional and learner drivers (VRV Art. 2a, in force since 1.1.2021): licensed and cross-border passenger transport, professional passenger transport, goods transport with heavy vehicles, dangerous goods, driving instructors, learner and practice drives and accompanying persons. The old Art. 2 para. 4 («no alcohol 6 hours before duty»), still quoted by secondary sources, has been repealed.
- New drivers are not covered: Liechtenstein has no probationary licence and no probationary period, so the 0.10 limit does not apply to them. The unfitness rule of Art. 2 para. 1 does, of course.
- Drug limits (VRV Art. 2 para. 2a): THC 1.5 µg/L; free morphine, cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, MDEA and MDMA 15 µg/L each.
🔓 Exceptions
- Prescribed medication: anyone who proves that a substance under Art. 2 para. 2a was taken on medical prescription is not deemed unfit on the mere detection of it (VRV Art. 2 para. 2c). Being genuinely unfit is still an offence.
- Drivers in the Art. 2a groups may be breath-tested without any sign of unfitness at all (SVG Art. 51 para. 1a). For everyone else, the police need indications first.
- It is also an offence to hand a vehicle to a driver who is unfit (VRV Art. 2 para. 3) — the owner and the passenger are liable too. Passing over the keys is not a way out.
⚠️ Penalties & fines
Driving while unfit is an offence carrying a fine of up to CHF 50,000, or imprisonment of up to 6 months in default (SVG Art. 86 para. 1). Breaching the 0.10 limit: up to CHF 20,000. Refusing a blood test: up to CHF 50,000 (Art. 86a). There is no on-the-spot fine for alcohol — the fine catalogue contains no alcohol item at all; it always goes to the Landgericht. On top comes a mandatory licence withdrawal of at least 3 months (Art. 16 para. 1 lit. b-bis), and at least 1 year on a repeat within 5 years. The most expensive item: your liability insurer has a right of recourse (Art. 61 para. 3) — the victim gets paid, and the bill comes back to you.
📎 Official sources
- Gesetze.li · VRV (LR 741.11), Art. 2 and 2a — consolidated version →
- Gesetze.li · SVG (LR 741.01), Art. 16, 51, 61, 86 and 86a →
- aha — Youth Information Liechtenstein · new drivers, no probationary period →
❓ Frequently asked
Does 0.8 mean I may drive up to 0.79?
No. 0.8 is the point at which intoxication is conclusively established — it is not a permission. Anyone shown to be unfit to drive below 0.8 is punished under the very same provision (VRV Art. 2 para. 1).
Is the limit 0.5 as in Switzerland?
No, the Liechtenstein figure is 0.8: Switzerland cut its limit to 0.5, Liechtenstein stayed at 0.8. But the moment you cross the border, the local 0.5 applies to you immediately.
Can I drive after one beer?
Only if you are genuinely fit to drive — that is decided by your condition, not by a reading alone. If you drive while unfit, the drive is an offence whatever the device shows afterwards.
I drive a lorry — what limit applies to me?
Goods transport with heavy vehicles, professional passenger transport, dangerous goods, driving instructors and learner drives are all capped at 0.10 per mille (VRV Art. 2a). That is effectively zero, and a breach costs up to CHF 20,000.
Is there an on-the-spot fine for alcohol?
No — the fine catalogue contains no alcohol item whatsoever. It always becomes criminal proceedings before the Landgericht, plus a mandatory licence withdrawal of at least three months.
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