Polish parliament approves ban on nighttime alcohol sales in shops
All forms of advertising alcohol will also be prohibited.
In a decisive vote, the Polish Sejm, the lower house of parliament, overwhelmingly approved a bill that introduces strict anti-alcohol measures across the country. The legislation, which mandates a ban on all forms of alcohol advertising and sales during nighttime hours, received support from a resounding 400 out of 433 MPs present.
The only groups opposing the bill were two far-right parties, the Confederation and the Confederation of the Polish Crown. Once approved by the Senate and President Karol Nawrocki, the new restrictions will go into effect on June 1, 2026.
The new measures include a ban on off-premises alcohol sales between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., with local authorities having the option to extend this curfew to 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. if desired. Bars, clubs, and restaurants are exempt from the nighttime restriction, but will still be required to enforce age restrictions on buyers. Shop staff will face stricter checks to verify the age of potential underage purchasers, and the cost of alcohol licences will increase.
Additionally, packaging for alcoholic drinks must now include warnings about their harmful effects on pregnant women and minors.
The push for these stricter alcohol regulations began with separate bills submitted by the Left (Lewica) and the centrist Poland 2050 parties, which were later merged into a single package. Many Polish municipalities, including major cities like Warsaw and Kraków, have already implemented local bans on nighttime alcohol sales, leading to a marked decrease in police interventions during the first half of the implementation period.
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