What is the penalty for giving alcohol to a minor?
Up to three years in prison if you do it repeatedly — not a fine. Act 219/1996 prohibits selling and serving alcoholic drinks to persons under 18 — and equally otherwise enabling them to drink. The Criminal Code goes further: whoever repeatedly serves, or serves in a larger quantity, alcoholic drinks to a person under eighteen is liable to imprisonment for up to three years. The minor themselves, for breaching the ban, receives a reprimand from the municipality and, in warranted cases, a ban on visiting places where alcohol is served. If the police catch them, it is an offence.
📋 The rules
- It is banned to sell and to serve to under-18s
- It is also banned to otherwise enable drinking
- Governed by Act 219/1996
- Repeated serving: a crime, up to 3 years
- The municipality issues the minor a reprimand
🔓 Exceptions
- In warranted cases, also a ban on visiting places serving alcohol
- If the police catch a minor, it is an offence
- From 15 July 2026, community work can also be imposed for an offence
⚠️ Penalties & fines
The line between an offence and a crime is thin here. A one-off serving breaches Act 219/1996, but whoever serves a minor alcohol repeatedly, or serves it in a larger quantity, commits a criminal offence carrying imprisonment for up to three years. This is not only about shopkeepers — it applies to a parent, an acquaintance or an older friend too. New from 15 July 2026: minor community work can also be imposed for an offence. An adult may be given 20 to 150 hours, a juvenile 10 to 75 hours. For a teenager that means an offence is no longer just a letter home, but hours of work for the municipality.
📎 Official sources
❓ Frequently asked
Is giving alcohol to a minor a crime?
It can be. Whoever repeatedly serves, or serves in a larger quantity, alcoholic drinks to a person under eighteen is liable to imprisonment for up to three years under the Criminal Code.
Does this only apply to shopkeepers?
No. The ban on selling, serving or otherwise enabling under-18s to drink applies to everyone — to a parent, an acquaintance or an older friend, not only to licensed premises.
What happens to the minor?
The municipality issues a reprimand and, in warranted cases, a ban on visiting publicly accessible places where alcoholic drinks are served. If the police catch them, it is an offence.
What is minor community work?
A new penalty for offences from 15 July 2026. An adult can be given 20 to 150 hours and a juvenile 10 to 75 hours of work for the municipality. An offence no longer ends at a fine or a reprimand.
Must a seller ask for ID?
If in any doubt about age, yes. Selling alcohol to a person under 18 is prohibited and the liability falls on the premises — which is why ID is asked for even from people who look older.
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