What are Meta's rules for alcohol ads?
Meta allows alcohol ads that follow local laws and industry codes, never target anyone under 18, and meet higher minimum ages in some places, such as 21 in the United States, 19 in Canada and 25 in Sweden. Meta bans alcohol ads in a listed set of countries and Indian states. Non-alcoholic drinks and educational content are allowed.
Alcohol is a restricted category on Meta, which means brands, bars and retailers can advertise it, but only to adults, only where it is legal, and only within the rules each country sets. The policy reaches beyond bottles and cans: an event or venue built around alcohol sales, a cocktail recipe or a brand logo all count. The work is mostly in targeting, because the minimum age changes from country to country.
What counts as an alcohol ad?
Meta treats an ad as an alcohol ad if it promotes or depicts alcohol products or drinking, including:
- venues and events whose main business model depends on alcohol sales;
- invitations to an alcohol venue, or the availability of alcohol sales;
- alcohol brands or logos, shown or promoted;
- people drinking alcoholic beverages;
- recipes for alcoholic drinks.
Ads for non-alcoholic beverages are allowed, as are news, documentary, educational or public-service ads that reference or depict alcohol.
What minimum age applies in each country?
Every alcohol ad must exclude people under 18. Meta then sets a higher minimum in these locations:
| Location | Minimum age |
|---|---|
| Sweden | 25 |
| United States, Cameroon, Micronesia, Palau, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka | 21 |
| Iceland, Japan, Paraguay | 20 |
| Canada, Korea, Nicaragua | 19 |
| India: Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra, Punjab | 25 |
| India: Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and other listed states | 21 |
| India: Karnataka, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and other listed areas | 18 |
For countries not on Meta’s lists, alcohol ads are allowed if they follow local law and target people at least 18 years old.
Where are alcohol ads not allowed?
Meta lists countries where it prohibits alcohol ads in line with local laws: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brunei, Egypt, Gambia, Kuwait, Libya, Lithuania, Nepal, Norway, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. In India, the Indian states of Bihar, Gujarat, Manipur and Nagaland, and the territory of Lakshadweep, are also on the list.
How do you set up an alcohol campaign correctly?
- List every country, and for India every state, your ad set will reach.
- Remove any location where Meta prohibits alcohol ads.
- Find the highest minimum age among the remaining locations, or split locations with different ages into separate ad sets.
- Set that minimum age in the ad set; Meta treats minimum age as an audience control rather than a suggestion.
- Check the ad against local laws and industry codes, which Meta’s policy says you must also follow.
FAQ
Can I advertise a non-alcoholic beer?
Yes. Meta’s policy lists ads that promote non-alcoholic beverages as allowed. Its definition of an alcohol ad also includes depicting alcohol brands or logos and people drinking alcoholic beverages, so check the creative against that list before you treat the ad as non-alcoholic.
Who can see alcohol ads in the Ad Library?
Meta says that when an ad includes certain age-restricted content, such as alcohol, the creative is not shown in the Ad Library to people who are underage or not logged in to Facebook. Meta uses self-reported ages to apply this restriction when possible.
Does a bar or event ad count as an alcohol ad?
It can. Meta’s definition includes venues and events whose primary business model depends on alcohol sales, invitations to an alcohol venue, and ads about the availability of alcohol sales. Those ads follow the same 18+ minimum, country ages and prohibited-country list as ads for alcohol products.
Sources
- About Meta's Alcohol advertising policy (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Alcohol (Advertising Standards) (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Age and gender targeting (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- About the Meta Ad Library (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
Drafted with AI and checked claim by claim against the pages linked under Sources. Found a mistake? Tell us via the corrections policy.