Alcohol sale hours and restrictions in Estonia

What time can you buy alcohol in a shop?

In a shop, and in a vehicle adapted for retail sale that travels a route made up of points of sale, retail sale of alcohol is allowed from 10.00 to 22.00 (AS § 40 lg 1¹, lg 1 p 1 and 7) [1]. A shop means a point of sale with a sales hall in the possession of a trader engaged in retail trade (AS § 40 lg 1 p 1) [1].

The Act provides two exceptions: the time restriction does not apply at a point of sale in the passenger-only area of an airport open to international traffic, or on board a ship or aircraft making international journeys (AS § 40 lg 1¹) [1].

In the Act, an alcoholic beverage means beer with an ethanol content of more than 0,5 per cent by volume and any other liquid intended for drinking with an ethanol content of more than 1,2 per cent by volume (AS § 2 lg 3) [6]. The time restriction therefore covers both beer above that threshold and other alcoholic beverages.

A municipal council may impose additional restrictions in its territory on the range of products, points of sale and form of sale (AS § 42 lg 1 p 1) [7]. It is therefore worth checking your own municipality's rules too.

Can you buy alcohol to take away from a bar or restaurant at night?

No. Catering and accommodation establishments, public events and other places where on-premises sale is allowed may sell alcohol for consumption on the spot (AS § 40 lg 2) [1], but selling alcohol to take away is prohibited from 22.00 to 10.00 (AS § 40 lg 2) [1]. So at night you cannot buy alcohol to take away from a bar, but this prohibition does not cover drinking on the spot.

On-premises sale may be restricted by the local authority: the council may restrict it in all or part of its territory during the hours set out in § 56 lg 2 of the Law Enforcement Act (AS § 42 lg 1 p 3) [7], which are from 22.00 to 6.00, and on the night before a day off from 00.00 to 7.00 (KorS § 56 lg 2) [8].

Can alcohol be delivered at night?

For delivery, the Act restricts the handover: handing over an alcoholic beverage to the consumer in the course of a delivery service is prohibited from 22.00 to 10.00 (AS § 41 lg 5) [2]. Alcohol may be sold by e-commerce through a business's shop or catering establishment entered in the register of economic activities (AS § 40 lg 1 p 12) [1]. Breaching the requirements for delivering alcohol is punishable by a fine of up to 200 fine units, or up to 3000 euros for a legal person (AS § 66) [9].

Who may not be sold alcohol, and when must ID be checked?

• Minors. Offering, transferring or handing over an alcoholic beverage to a minor is prohibited (AS § 47 lg 2) [3]. A minor is a person under 18 (TsÜS § 8 lg 2) [4]. A minor may not possess or consume alcohol (AS § 47 lg 1; AS § 46) [3] [10].
• Go-betweens. Alcohol may not knowingly be sold to a person who buys it to offer or hand it over to a minor (AS § 47 lg 4) [3], and a seller may not knowingly serve a person buying alcohol for someone showing signs of intoxication (AS § 45 lg 2) [5].
• People showing signs of intoxication. Selling an alcoholic beverage to a person showing signs of intoxication is prohibited (AS § 45 lg 1) [5].

The duty to check age lies with the seller: they must establish the buyer's age on the basis of an identity document (AS § 47 lg 3) [3]. No document is needed if the buyer is obviously an adult or is personally known to the seller. If the seller does not know the buyer to be an adult and the buyer does not show a document, the seller may not hand over the alcohol (AS § 47 lg 3) [3].

What are the penalties for a breach?

Breach	Natural person	Legal person
Breach of the age restriction in handling alcohol (AS § 67) [11]	fine of up to 300 fine units or detention	fine of up to 10 000 euros
Sale to a person showing signs of intoxication (AS § 68) [12]	fine of up to 200 fine units	fine of up to 3000 euros
Breach of other retail restrictions or prohibitions, e.g. selling outside the permitted hours (AS § 65) [13]	fine of up to 300 fine units	fine of up to 5000 euros
Buying alcohol for a minor or a person showing signs of intoxication (AS § 69) [14]	fine of up to 300 fine units or detention	–

A fine unit is the base amount of a fine and equals 8 euros (KarS § 47 lg 1) [15]. An adult who systematically sells or buys alcohol for a person under 18 is punishable by a pecuniary punishment or up to one year's imprisonment (KarS § 182¹ lg 1) [16], and a legal person by a pecuniary punishment (KarS § 182¹ lg 2) [16]. Compliance with the retail requirements is supervised in its territory by the rural municipality or city government (AS § 49 lg 4) [17], and the restrictions on alcohol consumption by minors by police officers (AS § 49 lg 5) [17].

What the law says

• „Alkohoolse joogi jaemüük on lubatud käesoleva paragrahvi lõike 1 punktides 1 ja 7 osundatud müügikohtades alates kella 10.00 kuni 22.00.“ [1] (translation: retail sale of alcoholic beverages is allowed at the points of sale referred to in points 1 and 7 of subsection 1 of this section from 10.00 to 22.00; AS § 40 lg 1¹) – shops and mobile shop vehicles may sell alcohol only from 10.00 to 22.00.
• „Alkohoolse joogi kaasamüük on keelatud ajavahemikul kella 22.00-st kuni 10.00-ni.“ [1] (translation: selling alcoholic beverages to take away is prohibited from 22.00 to 10.00; AS § 40 lg 2) – at night alcohol cannot be bought to take away from a bar or restaurant either.
• „Alkohoolse joogi tarbijale üleandmine kohaleveoteenuse osutamisel on keelatud ajavahemikul kella 22.00-st kuni 10.00-ni.“ [2] (translation: handing over an alcoholic beverage to a consumer in the course of a delivery service is prohibited from 22.00 to 10.00; AS § 41 lg 5) – the same hours apply to delivery.
• „Alkohoolse joogi valduse üleandmisel peab senine valdaja tuvastama valduse omandaja vanuse isikut tõendava dokumendi alusel.“ [3] (translation: when handing over possession of an alcoholic beverage, the previous possessor must establish the acquirer's age on the basis of an identity document; AS § 47 lg 3) – checking age is the seller's duty, not the buyer's.
• „Alkohoolse joogi jaemüük müügisaalita müügikohas on keelatud.“ [2] (translation: retail sale of alcoholic beverages at a point of sale without a sales hall is prohibited; AS § 41 lg 3) – alcohol may be sold only at a point of sale with a sales hall or another place the Act allows.

What to do

1. As a seller, make sure your till system or working procedures do not allow alcohol to be sold in a shop before 10.00 or after 22.00 (AS § 40 lg 1¹) [1], or to be sold to take away from a catering establishment during those hours (AS § 40 lg 2) [1].
2. Instruct staff to ask for ID from every buyer who is not obviously an adult and not personally known to them, and to refuse the sale if no document is shown (AS § 47 lg 3) [3].
3. Refuse to sell to a person showing signs of intoxication and to a buyer who is knowingly buying for a minor or an intoxicated person (AS § 45 lg 1 and 2; AS § 47 lg 4) [5] [3].
4. Check any additional restrictions set by your rural municipality or city council (AS § 42 lg 1) [7].
5. For deliveries, organise the handover so that it does not take place from 22.00 to 10.00, and establish the recipient's age at the handover too (AS § 41 lg 5; AS § 47 lg 3) [2] [3].

Frequently asked questions

Can you buy alcohol at the airport at night?

The time restriction does not apply at a point of sale in the passenger-only area of an airport open to international traffic, or on board a ship or aircraft making international journeys (AS § 40 lg 1¹) [1].

Does the restriction apply to alcohol-free beer?

An alcoholic beverage is beer with an ethanol content of more than 0,5 per cent by volume and any other beverage with an ethanol content of more than 1,2 per cent by volume (AS § 2 lg 3) [6]. A beverage with a lower ethanol content is not an alcoholic beverage within the meaning of the Alcohol Act.

Does the seller always have to ask for ID?

No, not if the buyer is obviously an adult or is personally known to the seller (AS § 47 lg 3) [3]. If the seller does not know the buyer to be an adult and the buyer does not show a document, the seller may not hand over the alcohol (AS § 47 lg 3) [3].

Can a minor sell alcohol in a shop?

Only under the supervision of an adult employee and if they are at least 16 (AS § 47 lg 5 p 2) [3]. When storing or moving alcohol under adult supervision, a minor may handle only alcohol in unopened packaging (AS § 47 lg 5 p 1) [3].

Where is selling alcohol prohibited altogether?

On the premises and grounds of childcare providers, kindergartens, youth work institutions, youth associations, hobby schools, youth camps, basic schools, upper secondary schools, vocational schools, healthcare providers, welfare institutions, custodial institutions and the Defence Forces (AS § 41 lg 1) [2]. Schools have an exception: a point of sale used as a students' practice place at a vocational school under its curriculum, and an event aimed at adults held outside teaching hours at a basic school, upper secondary school or vocational school (AS § 41 lg 1 p 1; AS § 40 lg 1 p 9 and 10) [2] [1]. Retail sale is also prohibited in an excise warehouse, in a motor vehicle used to provide passenger transport, as peddling (from the hand, a cart, a basket, a tray or a box), and at the venue of an event aimed at children while it takes place (AS § 41 lg 2) [2].