Duty-Free Alcohol Allowance by Country (2026): Litres of Wine, Beer & Spirits You Can Bring
The alcohol allowance is set by the country you are arriving in, and it runs from nothing at all in Saudi Arabia and the Maldives to 42 litres of beer in the UK. The most common cap is a single litre of spirits — but the same bag of bottles that is fine in one country is over the limit in the next.
Below is the 2026 alcohol allowance for 43 destinations, taken from each country’s own customs authority: litres or bottles of spirits, wine and beer, plus the minimum age. After the table: how the limits are counted, whether spirits, wine and beer stack, the countries that ban or restrict alcohol, and what happens when you go over.
1 L
spirits — the common limit (US, EU, Thailand, Egypt, Indonesia)
42 L
beer — the UK allowance for Great Britain
0
Saudi Arabia and the Maldives — alcohol is banned
21
minimum age in the US and Indonesia
Duty-free alcohol allowance, country by country
Each row is the allowance for an adult arriving by air. Click a country for its full page, with the official source.
| Destination | Alcohol allowance | Minimum age |
|---|---|---|
| Americas | ||
 United States | 1 litre. The state you land in must also allow it. | 21 |
 Canada | One of: 1.5 L wine, 1.14 L spirits or 8.5 L beer | Your province’s drinking age |
 Mexico | 3 L of alcoholic drinks + 6 L of wine | 18 |
 Brazil | By air or sea: 24 units, max 12 per type. By land: 12 L in total. | 18 |
 Chile | 2.5 L | 18 |
 Peru | 3 L of liquor | 18 |
 Costa Rica | 5 L of wine, spirits or liquor | — |
 Dominican Republic | 5 L | — |
 Jamaica | 2 L | 18 |
| Europe | ||
 United Kingdom | 42 L beer + 18 L still wine + 4 L spirits over 22% (or 9 L weaker drinks) | 17 |
 European Union (arriving from outside) | 4 L still wine + 16 L beer + 1 L spirits over 22% (or 2 L fortified or sparkling wine) | — |
 Switzerland | 5 L up to 18% + 1 L over 18%, per person per day | 17 |
 Norway | 1 L spirits + 1.5 L wine + 2 L beer or cider. Drinks over 60% are banned. | 18 (20 for drinks over 22%) |
 Iceland | Counted in units, e.g. 1 L spirits + 0.75 L wine + 3 L beer, or 18 L beer | 20 |
 Turkey | 1 L over 22% + 2 L up to 22% | 18 |
 Serbia | 1 L spirits (or sparkling or liqueur wine) + 1 L other wine | — |
 Georgia | Per 30 days: 1 L at 22%+ or 2 L under 22%, plus 4 L wine and 16 L beer | 18 |
| Middle East & Africa | ||
 United Arab Emirates | 4 L, or 2 cartons of beer (24 cans each, max 355 ml). Excess is confiscated. | — |
 Saudi Arabia | Banned. Alcohol of any kind is illegal to import. | — |
 Bahrain | 3 L + 12 cans of beer | 18 |
 Oman | Non-Muslims only: 2 L wine + 48 cans of beer | — |
 Israel | 1 L spirits + 2 L wine | 18 |
 Egypt | 1 L of spirits. The quantity is recorded in your passport. | — |
 South Africa | 2 L wine + 1 L spirits or other alcoholic drinks | 18 |
 Kenya | 1 L of spirits or wine, or 2 L of wine | — |
 Mauritius | Choose one: 1 L spirits + 2 L wine or beer; 2 L spirits; or 4 L wine or beer | 18 |
 Seychelles | 2 L up to 16% + 2 L over 16% | 18 |
| Asia & Pacific | ||
 Japan | 3 bottles (about 760 ml each) | — |
 South Korea | 2 bottles, max 2 L and US$400 | 19 |
 China | Declare at 1.5 L or more of drinks at 12% or above | — |
 Hong Kong | 1 L of liquor over 30%. Beer and wine are not covered. | 18 |
 Taiwan | 1.5 L (1 L from Mainland China) | 18 |
 Singapore | Only after 48+ hours abroad: e.g. 1 L spirits + 1 L wine, or 2 L beer | 18 |
 Thailand | 1 L | — |
 Indonesia | 1 L | 21 |
 Philippines | 2 bottles of liquor worth under ₱10,000 | — |
 Vietnam | 1.5 L above 20%, or 2 L below 20%, or 3 L of drinks and beer | 18 |
 India | 2 L | — |
 Sri Lanka | 1.5 L spirits + 2 bottles of wine | — |
 Maldives | Banned. Confiscated at the airport, even from duty-free. | — |
 Australia | 2.25 L | 18 |
 New Zealand | 4.5 L wine or beer, or 3 bottles of spirits (up to 1.125 L each) | 17 |
 Fiji | 3 L spirits, or 4.5 L wine or beer, or a mix within the total | 18 |
That country is not in this table yet. Try the 43 destinations listed above.
A standard wine bottle is 750 ml. A six-bottle case is 4.5 litres, so it is over the EU limit of 4 litres of still wine but fine in Mexico (6 litres of wine) or the UK (18 litres). Count in litres, not bottles, unless the country counts in bottles.
Litres, bottles or alcohol units: how countries count
Most customs authorities count litres. A few count bottles or units, and that changes what you can buy.
New Zealand counts bottles: 3 bottles of spirits, up to 1.125 litres each — or 4.5 litres of wine or beer.
South Korea: 2 bottles, no more than 2 litres and US$400 in total.
Philippines: 2 bottles of liquor, with a total value under ₱10,000.
Brazil counts units: 24 units by air or sea, with a maximum of 12 of any one type.
Iceland counts alcohol units: for example 1 litre of spirits, 0.75 litre of wine and 3 litres of beer, or 18 litres of beer on its own.
Sri Lanka: two regular-size bottles of wine and 1.5 litres of spirits for tourists.
Spirits, wine and beer: do the limits stack?
Some countries let you bring spirits, wine and beer on top of each other. Others give you one choice, and you split the allowance.
European Union
Stacks
4 litres of still wine and 16 litres of beer and 1 litre of spirits over 22% (or 2 litres of fortified or sparkling wine).
StacksUnited Kingdom
Stacks
42 litres of beer and 18 litres of still wine and 4 litres of spirits over 22% (or 9 litres of weaker drinks).
StacksMexico
Stacks
3 litres of alcoholic drinks and 6 litres of wine. The separate US$500 goods allowance cannot be used for alcohol.
StacksCanada
Pick one
One of: 1.5 litres of wine, 1.14 litres of spirits or 8.5 litres of beer — not all three.
Pick oneMauritius
Pick one of three
Option A: 1 litre of spirits and 2 litres of wine, ale or beer. Option B: 2 litres of spirits. Option C: 4 litres of wine, ale or beer.
Pick oneSingapore
Set combinations
1 litre of spirits plus 1 litre of wine or beer, or 2 litres of wine, or 2 litres of beer — only after 48+ hours abroad, and not when arriving from Malaysia.
Set combos
Where alcohol is banned or heavily restricted
Saudi Arabia
Banned
Alcohol and intoxicants of all kinds are banned from import. Penalties include confiscation, fines and imprisonment.
IllegalMaldives
Banned
Tourists get no allowance. Alcohol bought on the flight or in duty-free shops is confiscated at the airport. Resorts and hotels serve it under licence.
ConfiscatedOman
Non-Muslims only
Up to 2 litres of wine and 48 cans of beer for non-Muslims. Muslims may not bring alcohol in.
RestrictedHong Kong
1 litre of liquor
1 litre of liquor over 30% for travellers aged 18 or over. Beer and wine are not covered by the concession.
Spirits onlyUnited Arab Emirates
4 litres
Up to 4 litres, or 2 cartons of beer (24 cans, max 355 ml each). Excess quantities are confiscated.
Excess seizedNorway
Drinks over 60% banned
1 litre of spirits, 1.5 litres of wine and 2 litres of beer or cider. Drinks over 60% alcohol are banned.
Strength cap
Where you can bring the most
UK: 42 litres of beer, 18 litres of still wine and 4 litres of spirits.
Switzerland: 5 litres up to 18% plus 1 litre over 18%, per person per day.
Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic: 5 litres of wine, spirits or liquor per adult.
Oman: 48 cans of beer plus 2 litres of wine — for non-Muslims only.
Minimum ages differ. 17 in the UK, New Zealand and Switzerland; 18 in most countries; 19 in South Korea; 20 in Iceland (and 20 in Norway for drinks over 22%); 21 in the US and Indonesia. Under the limit age you get no alcohol allowance at all.
What happens if you go over the alcohol limit
Going over rarely makes the bottles illegal. It means duty, seizure, or — in a few countries — worse.
Australia: duty on all the alcohol, not just the excess.
Singapore: anything above the set combination is taxed.
UAE: excess quantities are confiscated.
Maldives: all alcohol is confiscated at the airport, including bottles bought in duty-free.
Thailand: anything above 1 litre is dutiable and must be declared.
China: carrying 1.5 litres or more of drinks at 12% or above puts you in the red channel, and duty is charged above the limit.
Egypt: the litre you buy as a tourist is recorded in your passport.
Getting the bottles home is a separate rule. In hand luggage, a bottle over 100 ml only passes security if it is sealed in a duty-free security bag with the receipt — see Is a Duty-Free Bag an Extra Carry-On? and the 100ml liquids rule.
Before you fly — checklist
1
Check the alcohol allowance for the country you are landing in, not the one you are leaving.
2
Check the unit: litres, bottles, or alcohol units.
3
Check whether spirits, wine and beer stack or share one choice.
4
Check your age against the minimum age, and any ban on alcohol entirely.
5
Going over? Declare it and pay — undeclared alcohol is seized.
6
For tobacco, see Duty-Free Tobacco Allowance by Country (2026). For the value limit and cash, see Duty-Free Allowance by Country (2026).
Alcohol allowances change, and each customs authority has the final word. Always confirm the current limit with the customs agency of the country you are entering before you travel. Updated 2026.