Alcohol and the law

In Northern Ireland young people under 18 years old aren’t allowed to buy or drink alcohol in public. You should check that you are not breaking the law by drinking, or allowing your child to drink. Talk to your child to help them understand the risks of alcohol.

Under 14 years old

Anyone under the age of 14 may only drink alcohol in a private house and only for medical purposes.

However, because young people take longer to process alcohol than adults, it is a good idea for them to drink less, or not to drink at all.

Alcohol poses particular risks to young people under 15 years old and children under this age should not drink.

Under 18 years old

If you are under 18 years old, it's against the law to:

buy alcohol
drink alcohol anywhere other than a private house

It is an offence if you:

buy alcohol for someone under 18 years old
send someone under 18 years old to get alcohol from a licensed premises

It is an offence for a licence holder to:

sell or deliver alcohol to a person under 18 years old for drinking on or off the premises
sell or deliver alcohol to any person under 18 years of age, either on or off the premises
permit a young person under 18 years old to drink alcohol in licensed premises

A licensed premises or registered club may allow:

a young person accompanied by an adult to be in the bar area (but not at the bar) in premises up to 9.00 pm (10.00 pm in registered sporting clubs)
a young person to stay on the premises until 9.30 pm if eating a meal bought before 9.00 pm

A young person under 18 years old is allowed to be in:

an off-licence, if they are accompanied by an adult
a licensed refreshment room at a railway station, airport, harbour terminal or bus station
the bar area in a sporting club until 11.00 pm between 1 May and 30 September and for three prize-giving ceremonies in a calendar year
any part of an indoor arena or outdoor stadium containing a kiosk or other sales point which sells alcoholic drinks as well as food and non-alcoholic drinks
premises authorised for under 18s functions like school formals, teen discos and also private functions like birthday parties and anniversary celebrations when specific conditions have been met

Further guidance for licensed premises is available at:

Licensing and Registration of Clubs (Amendment) Act (NI) 2021 - Guide

What to do next

Comments or queries about angling can be emailed to anglingcorrespondence@daera-ni.gov.uk

If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit. Contacts for common benefits are listed below.

Employment and Support Allowance

Call 0800 587 1377

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

Personal Independence Payment

Call 0800 587 0932

If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or you can also call 0300 200 7818.

For queries or advice about careers, contact the Careers Service.

For queries or advice about Child Maintenance, contact the Child Maintenance Service.

For queries or advice about claiming compensation due to a road problem, contact DFI Roads claim unit.

If you can’t find the information you’re looking for in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) section, then for queries about:

Restrictions or regulations — contact the Department of Health
Travel advice (including self-isolation) — contact the Department of Health
Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations — contact the Department of Health or Public Health Agency

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk and for queries about your certificate, email covidcertni@hscni.net.

For queries or advice about criminal record checks, email ani@accessni.gov.uk

Application and payment queries can be emailed to ema_ni@slc.co.uk

For queries or advice about employment rights, contact the Labour Relations Agency.

For queries or advice about birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates and research, contact the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) by email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk

For queries about your GRONI account, email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk.

For queries about the High Street Spend Local Scheme, email HSSS.mail@economy-ni.gov.uk.

For queries about:

Car tax, vehicle registration and SORN
contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Swansea
Driver licensing and tests, MOT and vehicle testing
contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA), Northern Ireland

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk.

For queries or advice about passports, contact HM Passport Office.

For queries or advice about Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), including parking tickets and bus lane PCNs, email dcu@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about pensions, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

If you wish to report a problem with a road or street you can do so online in this section.

If you wish to check on a problem or fault you have already reported, contact DfI Roads.

For queries or advice about historical, social or cultural records relating to Northern Ireland, use the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) enquiry service.

For queries or advice about rates, email LPSCustomerTeam@lpsni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about 60+ and Senior Citizen SmartPasses (which can be used to get concessionary travel on public transport), contact Smartpass - Translink.

If you have a question about a government service or policy, you should contact the relevant government organisation directly. We don't have access to information about you.

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Alcohol and the law

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What to do next

Carer's Allowance

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Employment and Support Allowance

Jobseeker’s Allowance

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Alcohol and the law

Under 14 years old

Under 18 years old

More useful links

Help improve this page - send your feedback

Messages

What to do next

Carer's Allowance

Discretionary support / Short-term benefit advance

Disability Living Allowance

Employment and Support Allowance

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Personal Independence Payment