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Rules
Experience Host

Experiences involving alcohol in New Delhi

These information pages can help you get started in learning about some of the laws and registration requirements that may apply to your Trips or Experiences on Airbnb. These pages include summaries of some of the rules that may apply to different sorts of activities, and contain links to government resources that you may find helpful.

Please understand that these information pages are not comprehensive, and are not legal advice. If you are unsure about how local laws or this information may apply to you or your Experience, we encourage you to check with your city or an attorney.

Please note that we don’t update this information in real time, so you should confirm that the law has not changed recently.*

I plan to serve alcohol as part of my Experience. Do I require a license for that?

Alcohol is heavily regulated in New Delhi under the Delhi Excise Act and the Delhi Excise Rules. Every aspect of alcohol is regulated including selling, purchasing, transporting, storing, dispensing and possessing. Even the possession of liquor at home in excess of prescribed limits could require a license.

You can find our more information about the types of alcohol licenses available here, and it’s a good idea to contact the local authority to find out more.

Here are some examples of where the above considerations are likely to apply (but please double-check with your local authority):

  • I want to host evening drinks and snacks at home to greet guests. I’d like to charge for this experience.
  • I’d like to run a gin-infusing course. I’ll provide the gin and ingredients to guests OR guests will bring their own alcohol, and they’ll take a bottle of infused gin home.

Here are some examples of where the above considerations may not apply (but please double-check with your local authority):

  • I’d like to bring guests on a visit to a couple of local bars.
  • I’ll be serving meals at home - I’d like to let people bring and serve themselves their alcohol if they want to. I will not charge anything for this and the fee I charge for the meal covers the meal only.
  • I’ll be serving meals at home - I’d like to serve one complimentary glass of alcohol to guests when they arrive. I’m not recovering my cost for this in a hidden charge.

You should therefore plan Trips or Experiences offering alcohol carefully and consult a local lawyer to figure out what you can or can’t do and the permissions required. Failure to comply with the applicable regulations could lead to penalties including fines.

Please note that if your Experience or Trip extends to a place outside New Delhi, the laws may differ. You may need to refer to laws applicable to that place and consult a local lawyer for advice.

What if my experience is BYOB, and I want to allow guests to bring their own alcohol?

If you are allowing your guests to bring their own alcohol to drink without charging anything extra for them drinking at your place, you may not require an alcohol licence in this case. However, you should confirm the position with the local authority.

If my Experience involves alcohol, do I need to watch out for anything else?

Yes. Age of guests and location.

  • In all circumstances, make sure that alcohol is only being served to and consumed by Guests who are above the legal drinking age of 25 in New Delhi. Also, make sure you aren’t serving alcohol to a Guest who you know is inebriated or has a drinking problem.
  • It’s important for you to know and inform your guests that consumption of alcohol in a public place is prohibited under the Delhi Excise Act, and public intoxication is prohibited under the Indian Penal Code. So, if your Trip or Experience involves visiting a public place (for instance a walking tour in a park or a picnic at a historic place) make sure alcohol is neither served nor consumed by your guests. If your Experience is a pub crawl, make sure you take your guests to places that are licensed to serve alcohol. People under intoxication may be denied entry in certain public or private places. They could be subject to penalties for consuming alcohol in public place, appearing in public or private places in a state of intoxication and causing annoyances or public nuisance. You should be wary of the law and also check the rules of places which are included as part of your Experience or Trip.

Is there anything else I should think about?

If your Experience will involve serving or providing food with alcohol, we suggest you refer to our page on experiences involving food in New Delhi for general information.

We also recommend that you read our page on business licensing in New Delhi for reference.

*Airbnb is not responsible for the reliability or correctness of the information contained in any links to third party sites (including any links to legislation and regulations).

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