People who consume alcohol between 2pm and 5pm in Thailand now risk heavy fines.
An amended law on alcohol control strengthens enforcement and significantly tightens restrictions on marketing and advertising.
Consumers are now responsible
Waiter and customers in a bar. Photo: Darya Sannikova
The sale of alcohol in Thailand has been prohibited in most retail stores and supermarkets between 2pm and 5pm since 1972.
But the changes to the law on the control of alcoholic beverages, which came into force on Saturday, November 8, 2025 , now toughen the penalties.
People can be fined 10,000 baht (about 269 euros) or more if they consume or are served alcohol during prohibited hours or in prohibited places.
Advertising for alcohol is prohibited
Alcohol advertising is prohibited in Thailand.
And the strengthened laws also prohibit advertising for alcoholic beverages, unless the content is purely factual.
The use of celebrities, influencers or public figures to promote alcoholic beverages for commercial purposes is also prohibited.
Exceptions for tourist areas and hotels
Photo: SEEN Restaurant & Bar in Bangkok.
Although there are exemptions for licensed entertainment venues, hotels, certified establishments in tourist areas and airports offering international flights, the responsibility has been shifted to consumers.
See: Thailand: Alcohol once again permitted in the afternoon in certain places
A dreaded impact on restaurants and bars
Glasses of beer in a restaurant.
The new regulations will have a negative effect on restaurants, as it is now the customers who are "limited" by the stipulated selling hours, said Chanon Koetcharoen, president of the Thai Restaurant Association.
If an establishment sells a bottle of beer to a customer at 1:59 p.m., for example, but the customer remains seated and drinks on the premises until 2:05 p.m., this will constitute a violation of the law under Article 32, and that person may be fined.
"This will hinder the growth of the restaurant sector," said Mr. Chanon, who also runs a restaurant in Bangkok .
Along Khao San Road , a Bangkok area known as a backpacker hangout, one establishment has stated that it operates as a hybrid bar-restaurant from 11am to 2am.
The sale of alcohol is poorly controlled, given that customers can order drinks between officially prohibited hours and actually do so.
Bob, an assistant manager working Fridays, who declined to give his full name because he is not authorized to speak publicly, said:
"With the possibility that drinkers themselves could be fined, alcohol sales could drop by half during those hours."
There are also concerns that stricter legislation could give authorities the opportunity to fine customers, restaurants — or both — for personal gain.
A measure that has been heavily criticized
Alcoholic drinks in a Thai store. Photo: Khaosod
Taopiphop Limjittrakorn, a member of parliament from the opposition People's Party who has campaigned for the liberalization of alcohol, has said that the sale of alcohol should be allowed 24 hours a day.
"The amended law aims to serve the interests of those who oppose alcohol," said Mr. Taopiphop.
It also risks causing confusion among foreign tourists who might order a drink before the cut-off time, but consume it after, he added.
In Thailand, where Buddhism is the main religion, practitioners and monks follow the five precepts, which include abstinence from alcohol and intoxicating substances in order to promote mindfulness and avoid recklessness.
- Thailand tightens restrictions on the sale and consumption of alcohol.
- Consumers can now be fined at least 10,000 baht if they drink during prohibited hours or in prohibited places.
- Restaurants and bars fear a drop in customers and arbitrary application of sanctions.
See also:
Thailand: Shopping on Shopee or Lazada will cost more in 2026
Flying to Thailand will cost more: warning of risk to tourism
Alcohol + durian: a deadly combination normally well known in Thailand
Thailand: Alcohol consumption is declining among young people
Thailand relaxes alcohol ban during Buddhist holidays
Source: Bangkok Post
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10 comments
They're doing it on purpose... it's impossible!
In Thailand, the new restrictions on alcohol consumption, particularly between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., raise deeper questions than simple regulation.
They reflect a conception of power where governing means above all controlling.
These rules undoubtedly stem from good intentions: to avoid excesses, reduce accidents, and preserve public order.
But by trying too hard to protect, we sometimes end up infantilizing them.
Citizens need points of reference, certainly, but also trust.
In other countries, individual responsibility prevails: the focus is on conscience rather than prohibition.
Here, the law seems to compensate for a lack of civic education and dialogue.
A society matures when it learns to govern itself.
Authority does not have to guide every action; it must inspire responsibility.
Excellent point and very good analysis, Gaspard, especially since the application of this new legal directive will undoubtedly lead to interpretations that are as random as they are subjective on the part of the state agents responsible for enforcing it…
Yet another directive that will fall flat, especially since exceptions will, as usual, be left to the discretion of the controls carried out (when there are any!)...
I completely agree with you… but if you empower people, they will also start asking questions and then want answers… and then it will be very difficult to govern under the same conditions…
In fact, they will make exceptions in the areas most likely to be subject to abuse (Pattaya, Phuket, Bangkok), where there are drunk tourists 24/7 and where there are the most accidents and incivilities.
But they will cause trouble in the quieter areas where people live peacefully and where disturbances are very rare.
Like almost all new laws, it is full of inconsistencies and inaccuracies that make the legal text difficult to understand and apply.
Exactly, "biloutte"!!!
I'm very curious to see how police officers will implement this new directive, which opens the door to all the underlying abuses and corrupt interpretations that must already be germinating in the minds (is anyone there???) of certain officials…
In short, not even enough to make a "grauss prooout din s'maronne, hein, biloutte"!
In addition to Gaspard, the example is with the Mexican Miss where Mr. Nawat infantilizes a "Latin woman".
He wanted to infantilize this Miss.
Now, the Thais know the character of these ladies.
If someone can explain to me how to cry without shedding a tear.
I tried, but I haven't succeeded yet.
Mr. Nawat must have supernatural powers!!!
All the alcoholics are in shambles 😅, there were fewer messages and you made fewer scandals when the law on cannabis was changed.
I don't think alcoholics will be affected.
They will have their fridges or shelves well stocked for the off-peak periods.
But whether the government wants to accept it openly or not, the party scene and boozy nights are a huge source of tourism, and therefore revenue, in the country.
A lot of locals make a living from this.
I'm not just talking about the big disco bosses; but all the "small staff" too.
Honestly, I still don't understand who can and cannot sell during those periods.
As for the age-old alcohol/cannabis link. Meh.
My point of view, as I stated in my previous message: all their new laws are absurd because they don't know what they want and make and unmake everything with each change of government.
That is, every 6 months.
Tourism will fall even further.
Does this apply to bars as well?