Prohibition in action! Warsaw introduces a nightly ban on alcohol sales throughout the city
/ 16 March 2026 21:17
2 min to read
The Warsaw City Council has approved a resolution imposing a nighttime ban on the sale of alcohol throughout the Polish capital. The restrictions will apply to stores and gas stations.
When will the new rules take effect?
According to the City Council’s decision, the sale of alcohol will be prohibited between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
If the document is not challenged by the provincial governor, the new rules will take effect on June 1.
Fifty-seven city council members voted in favor of the decision, while two voted against it. They represented the opposition party Law and Justice.
Support from Warsaw’s districts
Before the decision was made, the city’s district councils expressed their positions on the restrictions. All 18 districts of Warsaw supported the introduction of a nighttime ban on alcohol sales.
The initiative to introduce such restrictions began with a draft resolution proposed by the civic organization Miasto Jest Nasze.
How the mayor’s position changed
Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski initially opposed a citywide ban on the nighttime sale of alcohol. He later changed his position and proposed his own regulatory plan.
Initially, the mayor rejected the idea of implementing restrictions citywide immediately and launched a pilot project in two districts—Śródmieście and Praga-Północ.
In these districts, the nighttime ban on alcohol sales took effect on November 1, 2025.
Reasons for introducing the restrictions
According to the mayor, the decision to extend the ban citywide was made after analyzing the results of the pilot project.
In particular, it showed that such restrictions help address residents’ complaints regarding noise, public order violations, and frequent late-night calls to emergency services.
Where the ban will not apply
At the same time, the new rules will not apply to duty-free shops in the area of the Frederic Chopin Airport.
Thus, it will only be possible to purchase alcohol at night in the airport’s duty-free shops.
