Thailand Life Tools

Alcohol sales rules in Thailand

Buddhist holy days and elections when alcohol sales are banned, and the general times when alcohol may be sold, each with its official source.

Quick answer

  • General sales hours: 11:00–24:00, in force since 29 May 2026. Some places, such as international airports and hotels, are excepted.
  • No sales on 5 Buddhist holy days, with some exceptions; the dates we have an official source for are listed below.
  • Separate bans apply around elections; the ones from official notices we have read are listed below.

Can alcohol be sold right now? See Today in Thailand

Buddhist holy days when alcohol sales are banned

An announcement of the Office of the Prime Minister, in force since 10 May 2025, bans the sale of alcohol on five Buddhist holy days, except in the cases listed below.

Check the current rules before you rely on this

This announcement was issued before Thailand’s alcohol control law was amended in 2025. The amended law keeps earlier announcements in force until the Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee replaces them, and a replacement was reported to be in preparation in 2026. We have not found a replacement, but we cannot rule out that one has been issued, so the days, exceptions or dates may have changed.

The announcement names the days but does not state any hours.

2026

  • Makha Bucha Day
  • Visakha Bucha Day
  • Asarnha Bucha Day
  • Buddhist Lent Day (Khao Phansa)
  • End of Buddhist Lent Day (Ok Phansa)

2027

  • Makha Bucha Day
  • Visakha Bucha Day
  • Asarnha Bucha Day
  • Buddhist Lent Day (Khao Phansa) No official date found yet; not listed
  • End of Buddhist Lent Day (Ok Phansa) No official date found yet; not listed

This list is incomplete. A holy day without a date here is still named in the announcement; we only list a date once an official source gives it.

  • A date that is not listed here is not necessarily free of restrictions. Election-related bans are listed separately below, and the general sales hours apply on other days.
  • Substitute public holidays are not named in the announcement and are not listed here.

Exceptions on these days

The announcement allows sales on these days only in the following cases:

  1. Inside passenger buildings at airports with international flights. (Announcement, clause 3(1))
  2. At service establishments (entertainment venues) under Thailand’s service establishment law. (Announcement, clause 3(2))
  3. At businesses operating like service establishments in tourist areas, as announced by the Minister of Public Health. This page does not list those areas. (Announcement, clause 3(3))
  4. In hotels under Thailand’s hotel law. (Announcement, clause 3(4))
  5. At national or international special events with large crowds, at venues on a list announced by the Minister of Public Health. This page does not list those venues. (Announcement, clause 3(5))

Sellers using these exceptions must screen customers and take the measures needed for public order, public safety and limiting access by children and young people (clause 4).

Legal basis and sources

Legal basis

Announcement of the Office of the Prime Minister on prohibited days for selling alcoholic beverages B.E. 2568 (2025), signed 7 May 2025 and published in the Royal Gazette on 9 May 2025. It replaces the announcement of 18 December 2024.

Sources

Sources for the dates

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Alcohol bans around elections

For each election below, the Election Commission of Thailand (ECT) announced that no one may sell, distribute, give away or serve alcohol of any kind during a set period around voting. The period and area shown are as stated in each notice.

These bans vary by election and location. The February 2026 general election ban covered the whole country, but the local election and by-election bans listed here applied only in the areas voting. Election bans are separate from the Buddhist holy-day bans above.

Upcoming elections

As of 17 October 2026, we have not recorded any upcoming election with an announced alcohol ban. This does not mean none is planned: elections, especially local elections and by-elections, can be announced at short notice.

Past elections (examples)

These elections have already taken place. They show how bans are set; they are not a calendar of future bans, and they are not every election held in this period.

  • Nonthaburi Provincial Administrative Organization chief executive election

    Local election

    Voting day
    Ban period (Thailand time)
    Sat, 19 September 2026 18:00 to Sun, 20 September 2026 18:00
    Where
    Nonthaburi province only.
    Official notice
    Office of the Election Commission of Thailand (Official institution, in Thai)

  • House of Representatives by-election, Udon Thani Constituency 3

    By-election

    Voting day
    Ban period (Thailand time)
    Sat, 29 August 2026 18:00 to Sun, 30 August 2026 18:00
    Where
    Udon Thani Constituency 3 only: Phen and Sang Khom districts, and Ban Khao subdistrict of Mueang Udon Thani district.
    Official notice
    Office of the Election Commission of Thailand (Official institution)

  • Bangkok governor and council, and Pattaya mayor and council elections

    Local election

    Voting day
    Ban period (Thailand time)
    Sat, 27 June 2026 18:00 to Sun, 28 June 2026 18:00
    Where
    Bangkok and Pattaya City only, not the rest of Chonburi or Thailand.
    Official notice
    Office of the Election Commission of Thailand (Official institution, in Thai)

  • House of Representatives general election and referendum

    General election

    Voting day
    Ban period (Thailand time)
    Sat, 7 February 2026 18:00 to Sun, 8 February 2026 18:00
    Where
    Nationwide (every constituency).
    Official notice
    Office of the Election Commission of Thailand (Official institution, in Thai) · Office of the Election Commission of Thailand, Office of Law and Cases (Official institution, in Thai)

  • Advance voting for the House of Representatives election

    Advance voting

    Voting day
    Ban period (Thailand time)
    Sat, 31 January 2026 18:00 to Sun, 1 February 2026 18:00
    Where
    The official notice does not say where this ban applied.
    Official notice
    Office of the Election Commission of Thailand (Official institution, in Thai) · Office of the Election Commission of Thailand, Office of Law and Cases (Official institution, in Thai)

  • Subdistrict Administrative Organization (SAO) council and chief executive elections

    Local election

    Voting day
    Ban period (Thailand time)
    Sat, 10 January 2026 18:00 to Sun, 11 January 2026 18:00
    Where
    Only in the voting areas of the SAOs holding elections. The notice does not name them.
    Official notice
    Office of the Election Commission of Thailand (Official institution, in Thai)
  • These election records are incomplete. We list only elections whose official notice we have read; many local elections are held in different areas throughout the year.
  • The notices list no exceptions. Do not assume that the exceptions to the general sales hours (such as hotels or airports) apply during an election ban.
  • Before you travel, check announcements from the Election Commission of Thailand (ect.go.th, mostly in Thai) for elections near your dates.

Legal basis

The notices cite the Organic Act on the Election of Members of the House of Representatives B.E. 2561 (2018) for House elections, and the Act on the Election of Local Assembly Members or Local Administrators B.E. 2562 (2019) for local elections. We have read the ECT notices, not the Acts themselves.

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General sales hours

General sales hours (Thailand time)
11:00–24:00
In effect since
  • Alcohol may generally be sold from 11:00 until midnight (24:00).
  • Selling alcohol outside these hours is prohibited, except in the four cases listed below.
  • These hours have applied since 29 May 2026. The announcement sets no end date.
  • The rule is about when alcohol may be sold, not about when or where it may be drunk.

Exceptions in the announcement

Sales outside 11:00–24:00 are allowed only in these cases. Each exception covers only the places described; it does not extend to other shops or venues.

  1. International airport passenger buildings

    Sales inside buildings that serve passengers at airports with international flights.

    Announcement, clause 3(1)

  2. Licensed entertainment venues

    Sales at service establishments (entertainment venues under Thailand’s service establishment law), within the opening and closing times set for them under that law. Those hours come from a separate law and are not listed here. This exception applies only to venues that are service establishments under that law.

    Announcement, clause 3(2)

  3. Hotels

    Sales in hotels under Thailand’s hotel law.

    Announcement, clause 3(3)

  4. Designated event areas and specified zones in Rayong

    Sales in areas set aside for selling alcohol at venues used for meetings, exhibitions, trade fairs, festivals or similar activities. Also, sales at food and drink outlets located in both the zone where service establishments may be licensed under a Royal Decree for Rayong province (No. 2, B.E. 2568) and the Eastern Aviation City promotion zone. This page does not list which events or areas qualify.

    Announcement, clause 3(4)

Duties of sellers using an exception

Sellers who sell alcohol outside the general hours under these exceptions must screen customers and take the measures needed to maintain public order and safety and to limit access to alcohol by children and young people (clause 4).

Before you rely on this

  • Separate restrictions apply around elections (see the election section above). Do not assume these hours apply on those days.
  • This page covers sale times only. Other alcohol rules, such as where alcohol may be sold or drunk, are not covered.
  • These are the hours when sales are allowed, not opening hours. Individual shops and venues may sell for shorter hours.
  • This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice. The Thai text of the announcement is authoritative, and rules can change.

Announcement of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee on prohibited sale times for alcoholic beverages B.E. 2569 (2026), signed 27 May 2026 and published in the Royal Gazette on 28 May 2026. It was issued under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act B.E. 2551 (2008), as amended, and replaces the previous announcement of 1 December 2025.

Sources

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