Skip to main content
N I Direct government services

Main navigation

  • Home
  • News
  • Contacts
  • Help
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Health and wellbeing
  3. Living well
  4. Healthy lives
  5. Alcohol and drugs

Alcohol, young people under 18 and the law

There are strict laws on selling and drinking alcohol in licensed premises in Northern Ireland. You should check that you are not breaking the law by allowing your child to drink.

Under 14s

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 and government advice is that children under this age should not drink.

Under 18 years old

A licensed premises or registered clubs 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 to consume a meal purchased before 9.00 pm

A young person under 18 is allowed to be in:

  • an off-licence, if they are accompanied by an adult
  • a licensed refreshment room at 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 (as outlined in the Department for Communities' guide in sections 14 and 15 for licensed premises and sections 36 and 37 for registered clubs)

Buying or drinking alcohol

Anyone under 18 is not allowed to buy alcohol or drink alcohol in a place other than a private house.

It is an offence for a person to:

  • buy alcohol for someone under 18 years of age
  • send a young person under 18 years of age 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 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 to drink alcohol in licensed premises

Towns and cities may also have local bye-laws banning drinking alcohol in public.

  • Selling alcohol in licensed premises and registered clubs
  • The Licensing (Northern Ireland) Order 1996

More useful links

  • You, your child and alcohol
  • When alcohol affects family life
  • Getting help with drug or alcohol problems
Share this page Share on Facebook (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share on Twitter (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share by email (external link opens in a new window / tab)

Alcohol and drugs

  • Alcohol units
  • Alcohol, young people under 18 and the law
  • Drugs and your child
  • Getting help with drug or alcohol problems
  • How alcohol affects your health
  • Mixing alcohol with other drugs
  • Pregnancy and alcohol
  • Risks of taking drugs
  • What happens when you drink alcohol
  • When alcohol affects family life
  • You, your child and alcohol
  • Young people and risks of alcohol

Translation help

How to translate this page

Help improve this page - send your feedback

What do you want to do?
Report a problem
Which problem did you find on this page? (Tick all that apply)

Messages

You will not receive a reply. We will consider your feedback to help improve the site.

Don't include any personal or financial information, for example National Insurance, credit card numbers, or phone numbers.

What is your question about?

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.

Carer's Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912
Email 
dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Discretionary support / Short-term benefit advance

Call 0800 587 2750 
Email 
customerservice.unit@communities-ni.gov.uk

Disability Living Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912 
Email dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

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 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.

Related sites

  • gov.uk
  • nibusinessinfo.co.uk

Links to supporting information

  • Accessibility statement
  • Crown copyright
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS