Poland’s Senate backs a nationwide overnight ban on retail alcohol sales

Poland’s Senate approved a bill on Friday, November 6, that would impose a nationwide overnight ban on retail alcohol sales, tighten advertising rules and curb promotional practices, while also adding several exceptions that soften parts of the proposal.

The measure amends Poland’s sobriety and alcohol policy law. Under the version backed by the Senate, stores would be barred from selling alcohol from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. across the country, while restaurants and other food service venues would be exempt. Municipal governments would also gain the power to widen the restricted period by adding hours from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. or from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Senators approved the bill with amendments unanimously, according to PAP, as reported by Rzeczpospolita. The changes now return to the lower house for further consideration.

The bill would also require sellers to verify a buyer’s age whenever there is doubt, with refusal of sale becoming mandatory if the buyer’s age cannot be confirmed. That provision would apply as a strict obligation on retailers.

One of the broadest parts of the proposal concerns advertising. The bill would ban the advertising of all alcoholic drinks, including beer, with penalties ranging from 30,000 zlotys to 1 million zlotys, or criminal restrictions on liberty. At the same time, the Senate added an amendment that would allow advertising for nonalcoholic beer. That amendment passed by a single vote, with 46 senators in favor and 45 against.

Senators also supported a change that would permit alcohol advertising in wholesale outlets, food service establishments and stores dedicated exclusively to alcohol sales. Other amendments would allow nighttime alcohol sales at airports and would let craft breweries organize educational events and culinary tourism activities.

The Senate rejected an amendment that would have blocked direct home delivery of alcohol purchased online. As a result, that restriction was not added to the bill at this stage.

The proposal would also ban preferential sales practices, including discounts, promotional bundles, vouchers, free gifts and participation in loyalty programs. The reported effect would be to eliminate common volume-based offers such as “6+6” or “12+12.” If enacted, those limits could reshape how producers, retailers and large chains market beer, wine and spirits, especially because the bill reaches beyond hours of sale and into pricing, promotion and brand visibility.

According to an amendment accepted by the Senate, the new rules would take effect in June 2027. That timeline, if it survives the remaining legislative process, would give retailers, brewers and other drinks companies several months to prepare for changes that could affect late-night sales, in-store promotions and advertising strategy across Poland.

The vote follows earlier local experiments with nighttime alcohol restrictions in several Polish cities. The Senate’s action would turn those scattered local rules into a national framework, while still letting municipalities tighten the limits further. For the drinks industry, the combination of shorter retail selling hours, stricter ad controls and a ban on many promotional tools could have a particularly strong effect on beer and mass-market off-premise sales, even with the Senate’s carveout for nonalcoholic beer.