Alcohol regulations in Falkland Islands (Malvinas)

Licences needed

No dedicated distilling licence is required to operate a still unless prescribed by specific still regulations under s. 132 of the Customs Ordinance 2003; to sell the spirits, a Justices' Off-Licence or On-Licence is required under the Licensing Ordinance 1994.

Authority

Courts & Tribunals Department (Summary Court / Licensing Justices) for sales licensing; Falkland Islands Customs & Immigration Service (Collector of Customs) for duty assessment.

Documents

Application form filed with the Clerk to the Summary Court and notification to the Chief Police Officer.

Fees

£90.00 application fee for the grant of a new Justices' Licence; £125.00 for grant or renewal of a Justices' On-Licence (effective 1 July 2026 under the Finance Ordinance 2026).

Time to obtain

Not confirmed for new full licences (subject to a court hearing date and police notification; occasional licences take approximately 7 days if unopposed).

Who can import

Any individual or business (subject to age 18+ for personal allowances; commercial resale requires a Justices' Licence under the Licensing Ordinance 1994).

Licences or registrations

No special alcohol import licence is required; standard customs entry declaration to the Collector of Customs is required under the Customs Ordinance 2003.

Authority

Falkland Islands Customs & Immigration Service

Documents

Customs entry form (or entry by bill of sight), Biosecurity/Customs declaration, commercial invoice, and shipping documents.

Fees

No alcohol-specific import permit fee; standard customs service fees apply (£102 minimum during normal working hours, £152 outside normal working hours as of 1 July 2026).

Time to obtain

Cleared upon arrival and submission of customs entry and payment of duty.

Required

no

Process

No mandatory brand or label registration exists for alcoholic beverages. Products must generally comply with UK, EU, or international food safety and labelling standards.

Authority

Directorate of Health and Social Services / Falkland Islands Customs & Immigration Service

Documents and samples

None required for routine alcohol imports; trade samples and labels may be granted duty relief under section 117 of the Customs Ordinance 2003.

Fees

None

Renewal

Not applicable

Time to obtain

Not applicable

There is no state import monopoly. Under section 125 of the Customs Ordinance 2003, unless otherwise permitted by the Collector of Customs, spirits may not be imported in any ship of less than 40 tons register, nor in containers of a capacity of less than 40 litres each unless they are in bottles properly packed in cases. No fiscal or excise strip stamps are required. Travellers aged 18 or over have a duty-free allowance of 1 litre of alcoholic beverage over 22% ABV (or 2 litres up to 22% ABV).

Under the Customs Ordinance 2003 and the 2026 Customs Resolution, local tariff code 2207 (Spirits, s. 124) is charged a specific duty of £17.42 per litre (increased from £16.91 in 2025/26 and £16.42 in 2024/25). Local tariff code 2206 (Spirituous Beverages, s. 129) is charged £9.34 per litre, and local tariff code 2208 (Other Strong Liquor over 12% and under 22% ABV that is not spirits, wine, beer, fortified wine or spirituous beverages, s. 131) is charged £1.37 per litre.

The Falkland Islands has no Value Added Tax (VAT), Goods and Services Tax (GST), or sales tax. Under section 124(1) of the Customs Ordinance 2003, spirits distilled or manufactured locally are subject to the exact same prescribed duty rate (£17.42 per litre) as imported spirits.

Private sector system managed via licences issued under the Licensing Ordinance 1994. The seven licence categories are: Justices' On-Licence (pubs/bars, allowing on- and off-premises sale), Justices' Off-Licence (shops and wholesalers, off-premises consumption only), Part V licences (Restaurant only, Residential only, or Residential and Restaurant), Occasional Licence (events), and Club Registration Certificate. Off-licence sales hours begin at 8:00 a.m. on weekdays and Sundays (excluding Christmas Day and Good Friday), and Part V licences are permitted to sell alcohol for 30 minutes later each evening than general Justices' On-Licence hours.

Allowed; section 43 of the Licensing Ordinance 1994 explicitly exempts from permitted-hours restrictions the ordering of intoxicating liquor to be consumed off the premises and the despatch by the vendor of liquor so ordered. Delivery or supply to persons under 18 (section 67) or persons subject to a court Prohibition Order (section 76) is strictly illegal.

Labels must be in English and clearly state the product name, net quantity, alcoholic strength by volume (% ABV) for beverages over 1.2% ABV, allergen declarations, country of origin, and producer/importer details, following UK/EU food labelling standards. Beverages over 1.2% ABV are exempt from mandatory ingredient lists and nutrition declarations, and there are no mandatory statutory health warnings or excise stamps required.

Not confirmed (no specific statutory bans on alcohol advertising were identified in the Licensing Ordinance 1994).

Under section 2 of the Licensing Ordinance 1994, 'intoxicating liquor' covers spirits, wine, beer, cider, and any fermented, distilled, or spirituous liquor exceeding 1.2% ABV and an original gravity of 1016°. Under the Customs Ordinance 2003 (s. 2), 'alcohol' means ethyl alcohol (excluding methyl alcohol and naphtha), and 'other strong liquor' is defined as an alcoholic beverage between 12% and 22% ABV that is not spirits, spirituous beverage, wine, fortified wine, or beer. For specific spirit category definitions (whisky, gin, rum, vodka), UK and EU standards of identity are generally accepted.

There are no geographic dry areas, but the Falkland Islands operates a personal 'blacklist' system under section 76 of the Licensing Ordinance 1994. A court-issued Prohibition Order (lasting 6 to 12 months) makes it a criminal offence for a named individual to buy, consume, or possess alcohol, or to enter or remain in premises holding a Justices' On-Licence or Club Registration Certificate, and makes it an offence for anyone to sell or supply alcohol to them.

• In June 2024 (Customs Resolution 2024), the import duty on spirits increased from £15.56 to £16.42 per litre, and on spirituous beverages from £8.35 to £8.81 per litre.
• For the 2025/2026 financial year, the import duty on spirits increased from £16.42 to £16.91 per litre, and on spirituous beverages from £8.81 to £9.07 per litre.
• In June 2026 (2026/2027 tariff update), the import duty on spirits increased from £16.91 to £17.42 per litre, on spirituous beverages from £9.07 to £9.34 per litre, and on other strong liquor from £1.33 to £1.37 per litre.
• Effective 1 July 2026, the Finance Ordinance 2026 updated Schedule 3 of the Licensing Ordinance 1994, raising the fee for a new Justices' Licence application to £90.00 and the grant or renewal of a Justices' On-Licence to £125.00.

The Falkland Islands levies no VAT or sales tax, requires no pre-import product or label registration, and directly accepts UK and EU compliant English-language labels. Although the resident population is small, steady demand is supported by UK military personnel, fishing fleets, and seasonal cruise tourism, provided exporters pack bottled spirits in proper cases to satisfy section 125 of the Customs Ordinance 2003.

• Falkland Islands Customs & Immigration Service
• Falkland Islands Courts & Tribunals Service (Liquor Licensing)
• Falkland Islands Legislation Portal