This post was most recently updated on January 6th, 2023
The legal drinking age in Cyprus is 18 years. Initially, the legal age was 17 years, but it has been raised to 18 since the rise of illegal sales and bad alcoholism influence among young kids.
The new amendments to the law restrict the sale and consumption of alcohol and raise fines for businesses charged with selling alcohol to minors.
Specifically, the fines will be €500 out of court. If convicted in court, individuals found to be selling or distributing alcohol to minors could be sentenced to six months in prison or fined €3,000 or both.
One of the bad practices Cypriots do is, they water down the alcohol (mainly wine) and give it to their kids who are 15/16 years old.
If kids start getting this kind of support from their families, they would obviously lean toward alcoholism at a young age. At least, that’s what I think.
You can click the links below to learn about different cities in Cyprus.
In Cyprus, it is also prohibited to sell or serve alcohol to anyone under the age of 18 years.
Some of the people in Cyprus parliament were actually opposed to raising the legal drinking age from 17 to 18.
Some of the opposed statements towards the new law were:
“We are a tourist country, and we can’t imagine the police entering a nightclub or a beach bar to ask for identification. We care about our children, we care about society, and we must think correctly.”
“We have to adapt the law to our country, our culture. The state should equip the family and the education, with the right skills to make the children able to say no to alcohol and not be under the impression that we can discipline them with laws.”
According to a survey conducted on students under 18 years old, it was found that Alcohol is the most popular substance among 16 years old. Almost half of the students who participated in the survey reported using alcohol at the age of 13 or earlier.
The survey results showed Cyprus has the third-highest percentage of minors using alcohol in 47 countries, with the trend showing an increase, particularly among young girls.
I think the raised age law was very much needed. What do you think? Let me know in the comment section below.
Can you drink on beaches in Cyprus?
It’s also OK to drink in public places (like beaches) in Cyprus, and it’s also more or less socially acceptable and very not frowned upon as long as you behave well and don’t cause any scenes or get into physical fights.
What time can I buy alcohol in Cyprus?
It depends on where you are buying the alcohol from. Usually, supermarkets are open 7 days a week from 8 o’clock in the morning to 8 o’clock in the evening. If you are buying it from a pub or a bar, you could get it any time of the day or night.
Buying alcohol in Cyprus is fairly straightforward, with supermarkets selling a wide range of alcoholic drinks alongside their other products
What is the legal smoking age in Cyprus?
The legal smoking age in Cyprus is 18 years. You also have to be 18 years old to buy Cigarettes. Smoking is also prohibited in cars carrying children under the age of 16.
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