Thailand Removes Restrictions on Midday Alcohol Sales
Last update: December 3, 2025
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New rules allow sales from late morning to midnight as officials study impacts on public health, tourism and safety.
Thailand on Wednesday relaxed decades old alcohol sales restrictions, allowing people to buy wine, beer and spirits during previously prohibited afternoon hours as part of a six month trial.
The predominantly Buddhist country still enforces strict alcohol laws, limiting sales to set hours and banning them on religious holidays.
Until now, liquor stores, bars and other vendors were barred from selling alcohol between 2 pm and 5 pm.
CBI News reports that under the new rules, sales are permitted from 11 am to midnight during the trial period while a government committee reviews the effects of the change.
Officials last month reassessed the long standing afternoon ban, which was originally introduced to stop government employees from drinking during work hours and has long puzzled foreign visitors.
Deputy prime minister Sophon Saram said the concerns behind the rule no longer reflect the current era.
Health minister Pattana Promphat called the adjustment appropriate to today’s conditions in a notice published in the Royal Gazette.
Despite Thailand’s reputation for tourism and nightlife, its alcohol laws remain influenced by Buddhist teachings that view drinking as a moral failing.
Thailand also has some of the highest alcohol consumption rates in Asia, according to the World Health Organization, and one of the highest road traffic fatality rates globally. Nearly 33,000 people were killed in drunk driving incidents between 2019 and 2023, government data shows.
On Wednesday afternoon in central Bangkok, businesses reported little immediate change. Some shoppers still avoided alcohol, and several staff said customers were unaware of the new rules.
A beer garden server said she learned of the change on TikTok but had not seen more midday customers.
Some residents and visitors welcomed the shift. A Thai marathon runner said the revised hours would benefit tourists, while a British traveler said he had not known about the longstanding ban or its cancellation.
