Drink Legally Overseas!

Drinking Age Laws

December 31st, 2006 at 7:37 pm

Drinking Age Laws in the United Kingdom

in: United Kingdom

The legal drinking age with the entire United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) for the purchase of alcohol is 18 years old.

The actual laws regarding the legal drinking age in the UK are complex and are detailed below:

Persons aged 5 - 18 may consume alcohol at home, it is only illegal for persons of those ages to drinking on licensed premises.

under 5 may only be given alcohol on medical order Children and Young Person’s Act of 1933
5 and over may consume alcohol, e.g. at home. It is only illegal for those aged 5-18 to drink alcohol on licensed premises (without meeting other licensing requirements)  
under 14 may not be present in the bar of licensed premises unless accompanied by a person over 28, it is before 9pm and a children Licensing Act of 1964, Deregulation and Contracting Out Act of 1994
14 and over may be in the bar of licensed premises during permitted hours at licensee’s discretion Licensing Act 1964
under 16 may be present in a restaraunt etc where alcohol is served with a meal and at the licensee’s discretion may consume (but not purchase) alcohol bought by a parent or guardian  
16 and over may purchase beer, porter, cider, or perry with a meal in an eating area on licensed premises (In Scotland wine also) Licensing Act of 1964
under 18 may not purchase or be supplied with or consume alcohol in a bar  
under 18 police have powers to confiscate alcohol from under 18s drinking in public and to contact their parents Confiscation of Alcohol (Young Persons) Act of 1997
under 18 Licensees and staff of licensed premises have a positive duty not to sell alcohol unless they are reasonably certain that the purchaser is not under the age of 18. The legal obstruction to test purchasing under the supervision of police or insperctors of weights and measures is removed. Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001
16-18 May not be employed in bar of a licensed premises, unless as part of a Modern Apprenticeship Scheme
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