Alcohol regulations in Jersey

Licences needed

Customs & Excise Manufacturer / Approved Premises approval under Article 15 of the Customs and Excise (Jersey) Law 1999, plus an appropriate category licence under the Licensing (Jersey) Law 1974 if selling alcohol.

Authority

Agent of the Impôts (Jersey Customs and Immigration Service) for excise production/approved premises; Licensing Assembly (Royal Court) and Parish Assembly for liquor sales licences.

Documents

Application to Jersey Customs and Immigration Service for approved premises and excise accounting; parish and court application forms for liquor licensing.

Fees

Customs approved premises fee not confirmed; retail/off-licence fees under 1974 Law vary by category (e.g., £434+ for restaurants/on-licences; October 2026 consultation for the 2026 Law proposes £550 for on-licence, £200 for small off-licence, and £550 for large off-licence plus £50 application fee).

Time to obtain

not confirmed

Who can import

Commercial importers and customs approved traders registered with the Jersey Customs and Immigration Service; individuals aged 17+ may import within personal duty-free limits (1 litre of spirits).

Licences or registrations

Customs declaration and registration as a Customs Approved Trader (for duty deferment/bonded warehousing); an Off-Licence (6th Category) or On-Licence is required to sell imported alcohol in Jersey.

Authority

Jersey Customs and Immigration Service (Agent of the Impôts).

Documents

Customs import declaration, commercial invoice, and transport documents submitted via the Jersey customs portal.

Fees

No separate import permit fee confirmed; importers pay applicable excise duty (impôts) and 5% GST upon import or removal from bonded warehouse.

Time to obtain

not confirmed

Required

no

Process

No pre-market brand or label registration (such as US COLA) is confirmed in Jersey statute; products must comply with general food safety and food information/labelling regulations at point of sale.

Authority

Environmental Health / Government of Jersey (food safety and labelling enforcement).

Documents and samples

not confirmed

Fees

None (food business registration is currently free).

Renewal

not confirmed

Time to obtain

not confirmed

Jersey is part of the UK-Crown Dependencies Customs Union; UK/British Islands customs requirements apply under the Customs and Excise (Jersey) Law 1999. Commercial shipments must be declared to Jersey Customs and Immigration Service and are subject to Jersey excise duty (impôts) and 5% import GST unless held in customs approved premises. No excise strip stamps are required.

Jersey applies UK-Crown Dependencies Common External Tariff rates to imports from outside the customs union, while goods in free circulation within the UK/Crown Dependencies customs union enter free of customs tariff; all spirits imported or produced in Jersey are subject to domestic excise duty (impôts) per litre of pure alcohol.

Excise duty (impôts) is charged per litre of pure alcohol on all spirits imported into or produced in Jersey, with a reduced 50% rate for qualifying 'small independent distillers' (producing up to 2,000 litres of alcohol per year or 10,000 litres over the preceding 5 years). For 2026, alcohol excise duties were increased in line with inflation under the Finance (2026 Budget) (Jersey) Law, alongside a new 'tap relief' (10% duty reduction for beverages over 4.9% ABV served on tap from containers of 10 litres or more). Goods and Services Tax (GST) is charged at 5% on the duty-inclusive value.

Alcohol is sold by private businesses holding licences under the Licensing (Jersey) Law 1974 across 7 categories (including 1st Category Taverners/pubs, 2nd Category Residential/hotels, 3rd Category Restaurants, and 6th Category Off-Licences/supermarkets and shops). There is no state retail monopoly. Under the 1974 Law, 1st Category licences also permit off-sales until 9 pm. A minimum unit price policy of 65p per unit of alcohol applies to 6th Category (off-licence) sales to the public under Attorney General guidance.

Allowed for holders of an appropriate off-licence, subject to age verification (no sale or delivery to persons under 18) and food distance-selling rules requiring mandatory food/allergen information to be provided both at the time of online ordering and upon delivery.

Under Jersey food safety and Food Information legislation (aligned with UK/EU standards via the late-2025/2026 Food Safety and Labelling Regulations), labels must be in English and state the name of the food, alcohol strength by volume (% ABV for beverages over 1.2% ABV), net quantity, allergen declarations (clearly emphasised), place of origin, and business operator details.

Under Attorney General guidance and Licensing Assembly precedent under the Licensing (Jersey) Law 1974, any advertising or drinks promotion (including online or via text message) that encourages or is likely to encourage drinking to excess can result in referral to the Licensing Assembly and licence suspension or revocation. Off-licence promotions pricing alcohol below 65 pence per unit also trigger referral. Note: On-licence pricing restriction guidance was withdrawn on 30 May 2025.

Under the Licensing (Jersey) Law 1974 and Customs and Excise (Jersey) Law 1999, intoxicating liquor includes any liquor with an alcoholic content of 1.2% ABV or more. 'Distilled spirits' are defined in Article 1 of the Customs and Excise (Jersey) Law 1999 as spirits produced or manufactured by distilling, with a still, fermented agricultural products or other spirits. Specific spirit category definitions (whisky, gin, rum, vodka) follow UK/EU food standards alignment, though exact local statutory minimum ABVs are not confirmed in the retrieved snippets.

No dry parishes exist; however, every licence application must be considered by the local Parish Assembly, which recommends to the licensing authority whether the licence should be granted.

• May 2025: The Attorney General's on-licence drinks pricing guidance was withdrawn with effect from 30 May 2025 after a review concluded it restricted competition.
• December 2025: New food labelling regulations were brought forward to align Jersey with UK and EU Food Information to Consumers standards, requiring country of origin, allergen emphasis, and distance-selling information.
• January 2026: The Finance (2026 Budget) (Jersey) Law increased alcohol excise duties in line with inflation and introduced 'tap relief' (a 15% duty discount for draught alcohol up to 4.9% ABV and 10% discount for stronger drinks over 4.9% ABV served from containers of 10L or more).
• March & October 2026: On 10 March 2026, the States Assembly approved the Alcohol Licensing (Jersey) Law 2026 to replace the 1974 Law (effective 2027), simplifying the 7 licence categories into 3 (On-Licence, Off-Licence, Special Events Licence), shifting licensing administration from the Royal Court to a duly authorised officer, and launching a fee consultation in October 2026.

Jersey is an affluent island market with a strong hospitality and tourism sector, a low 5% GST rate, and tariff-free movement for goods in free circulation within the UK-Crown Dependencies Customs Union. The 2025 removal of on-trade promotional pricing restrictions, the 2026 introduction of excise 'tap relief' for 10L+ containers, and the 2026 licensing law overhaul make it easier for hospitality venues and retailers to list, promote, and sell premium and craft spirits.

• Jersey Customs and Immigration Service (Agent of the Impôts)
• Licensing Assembly (Royal Court of Jersey) / Parishes of Jersey
• Law Officers' Department (Attorney General of Jersey)
• Government of Jersey - Department for the Economy / Environmental Health