What's the drinking age in the duty free area?
Is the drinking age in the tax free/duty free area the same as in the country you are in or is there no real drinking age?
Can I buy spirits in the tax free even though the country's law doesn't permit me?
Are there ID checks in the duty free area?
Are the same rules enforced in the lounges?
Best Answer
Is the drinking age in the tax free/duty free area the same as in the country you are in or is there no real drinking age?
The same laws of the country apply; but there are some exceptions as @Calchas pointed out - there is a loophole in the UK law that allows giving away alcohol but restricts the sale of alcohol.
Can I buy spirits in the tax free even though the country's law doesn't permit me?
No, you cannot as you are still subject to the laws of the country.
Are there ID checks in the duty free area?
The merchants there are licensed by the same authority that licenses their counterparts that are on the other side of the immigration line. So, if you appear underage you will likely be "carded" (requested to show an ID or other proof of age) when buying/consuming restricted items like cigarettes, energy drinks or alcohol.
In short - the same laws of the country apply in the tax/duty free zone of the airport; since the airport is the legal jurisdiction of that country.
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Where can you drink in the world at 16?
At least eight countries and regions have set their MLDA at 16 years. These countries include Barbados, the British Virginia Islands, Cuba, Luxembourg, Panama, Serbia, Serbia, and Zimbabwe. In these countries, it is an offense for anyone to sell, give, or offer alcoholic drinks to people under the age of 16 years.Can an 18 year old buy alcohol in Dubai Duty Free?
A person has to be at least 18 years of age to be able to purchase alcohol from duty-free. Some supermarkets do sell alcohol in UAE. But it is mostly the hotels and resorts who sell alcohol in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.Where in Europe can you drink at 16?
Belgium, Denmark and Germany set 16 years as the minimum age for purchasing beverages containing less than 1.2 % of distilled alcohol and 18 years for buying spirits (more than 1.2 % of distilled alcohol). Sweden set the minimum age for purchasing beverages with more than 3.5 % of alcohol at 20 years.Can you drink in Dubai at 18?
Generally, the legal age for drinking alcohol is 18 in Abu Dhabi, but a Ministry of Tourism by-law prevents hotels from serving alcohol to those under the age of 21. In Dubai and all other emirates besides Sharjah, the drinking age is 21.Rnbstylerz \u0026 AREES - WHAT
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Answer 2
Tom (above) is right. Depending on what country governs which airline, the drinking age adheres to that country's policies.
However, there are some nuances to watch out for, for example, the airport you are flying out of. Depending on the airline, the entire flight (not just when you are in the country's general boundaries) can be bound to the laws of the airport you are flying out of.
From Map Happy:
But there are exceptions, depending on where the plane is leaving from. Some flyers from a bodybuilding forum (hey, everyone loves to travel) report that airlines will follow the origin country’s rule. So even if you’re on Aeromexico going to Puerto Vallarta from Los Angeles, you might not be able to drink booze on the outbound but would be able to on the return trip. At least you get to somewhere, right?
tl;dr It really depends on what airline you're flying.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Nicole Michalou, Oleja Titoff, Oleja Titoff, Peter Olexa