Government proposes allowing home deliveries and online sales of alcoholic beverages

The Government proposes an amendment to the Alcohol Act that would allow the delivery of alcoholic beverages to customers. In practice, the amendment would allow, for example, home deliveries and online sales of alcoholic beverages.

As a result of the legislative amendment, alcohol could be ordered and delivered to customers from Alko and, for example, from shops, kiosks, petrol stations and restaurants that hold a retail sale licence. The proposal would also allow the delivery of alcoholic beverages from such producers of fruit wines containing up to 13 per cent alcohol and producers of craft beers containing up to 12 per cent alcohol that are currently licensed to sell their own products at the place of production. 

“The reform is a moderate step towards a European alcohol culture and regulation. In future, alcoholic beverages could be delivered to customers, for example, in connection with customers having their grocery shopping and food orders from restaurants delivered to their homes. This is about making everyday life easier and deregulating provisions. However, the legislative amendment would ensure that alcohol deliveries are implemented responsibly. Deliveries of alcoholic beverages would be subject to a licence and to monitoring. Selling or delivering alcoholic beverages to minors or intoxicated people would not be permitted,” says Minister of Social Security Sanni Grahn-Laasonen. 

Deliveries of alcoholic beverages would require a delivery licence and delivery passport

Following the legislative amendment, the Alcohol Act would include a new type of licence for deliveries of alcoholic beverages alongside retail sale and serving licences. In addition, all operators delivering alcoholic beverages would be required to have a separate delivery passport. The holders of a delivery licence would also be required to have a self-supervision plan.

Alcoholic beverages purchased from domestic retail outlets could be delivered to recipients only between 9.00 and 21.00, while beverages ordered from Alko could be delivered within Alko's opening hours. 

Selling or distributing alcoholic beverages to minors or heavily intoxicated persons would still be prohibited. When ordering alcoholic beverages online, buyers would be obligated to prove their age using strong electronic identification. In addition, the age of recipients would always be checked in a verifiable manner when the beverages are delivered to them. The authorities would monitor compliance with age limits through test purchases, for example.

The Act would also specify the places where alcohol could not be delivered. Such places would include units providing healthcare and social welfare services, early education centres, comprehensive schools or leisure facilities for children and young people. The delivery ban would also apply to restaurants, serving areas, public events under the Assembly Act and those premises and areas for which the police have issued a prohibition on the consumption of alcoholic beverages for the purpose of maintaining public order. 

Proposal is based on the Government Programme 

The proposal is included in the 2025 Budget. The Act is scheduled to enter into force on 1 January 2025. However, it is proposed that the entry into force be staggered so that most of the provisions on the delivery licence would enter into force five months after the entry into force of the Act, i.e. on 1 June 2025. 

The proposal is based on the Government Programme, which states the following:

Online sales of alcohol and other retail sales concepts based on delivery and collection will also be allowed for Alko and other domestic operators that hold a retail trade licence, while ensuring age limit control. In deliveries within Finland, the current alcohol content limits for domestic retail sales will be applied, with exceptions applicable to craft breweries, microbreweries and wines sold at vineyards.

Inquiries:

Saara Karttunen, Senior Specialist, firstname.lastname(at)gov.fi

Tuomas Pulkkinen, Coordinator, firstname.lastname(at)gov.fi

Niilo Heinonen, Special Adviser to the Minister of Social Security, tel. +358 295 163 603,

firstname.lastname(at)gov.fi