The drink-driving limit is a national rule rather than a European one, and it changes value at every border you cross. The spread is wider than most people expect: from zero tolerance in four countries to 0.8 per mille in England, Wales and Northern Ireland — four times the Swedish limit.
Drive abroad and the local limit applies, whoever issued your licence. Not knowing it is not a defence.
Drink-driving limits in Europe
Figures are per mille (‰) of alcohol in the blood. The novice column applies to drivers who passed their test recently — how recently varies by country.
| Country | Limit | Novice drivers |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| Belgium | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Bulgaria | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Croatia | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Cyprus | 0.5 | 0.2 |
| Czechia | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Denmark | 0.5 | 0.2 (licence held under 3 years) |
| Estonia | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Finland | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| France | 0.5 | 0.2 |
| Germany | 0.5 | 0.0 (probationary period or under 21) |
| Greece | 0.5 | 0.2 |
| Hungary | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Ireland | 0.5 | 0.2 |
| Italy | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Latvia | 0.5 | 0.2 |
| Lithuania | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| Luxembourg | 0.5 | 0.2 |
| Malta | 0.5 | 0.2 |
| Netherlands | 0.5 | 0.2 |
| Norway | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Poland | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Portugal | 0.5 | 0.2 |
| Romania | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Scotland | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Slovakia | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Slovenia | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Spain | 0.5 | 0.3 (0.0 under 18) |
| Sweden | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Switzerland | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| United Kingdom (England, Wales, N. Ireland) | 0.8 | 0.8 |
Sweden is strict — but not the strictest
Sweden’s 0.2 ‰ limit is often described as the strictest in the world. Not quite. Four countries in the table — Czechia, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania — allow nothing at all, for any driver. Sweden shares second place with Norway, Poland and Estonia.
At the other end, England, Wales and Northern Ireland sit at 0.8 ‰. Scotland broke away from that figure in 2014 and went to 0.5, which makes the UK the only country in the table where the limit changes inside its own borders. Drive from Newcastle to Edinburgh and it halves.
Most of Europe is at 0.5. That figure is effectively the continental standard: the European Commission recommended it in 2001, and most member states settled there.
Novice drivers almost always get a lower limit
The pattern in the table is consistent: where a country distinguishes between drivers, it is nearly always the newest ones who get the stricter rule. Germany and Italy require 0.0 during the probationary period, Austria and Switzerland 0.1, and a long list of countries 0.2.
Denmark changed its rules as recently as 1 July 2025: anyone holding a category B licence for less than three years now has a 0.2 ‰ limit rather than 0.5. The rule follows the age of the licence, not the driver — someone passing their test at fifty is covered too.
Worth knowing if you drive in Germany: the 0.0 limit there applies both during the two-year probationary period and to every driver under 21, however long they have held a licence.
Professional drivers work to different numbers
Many countries set a lower limit for bus and lorry drivers than for private motorists, and some require zero while on duty. Those rules vary too much between countries and vehicle classes to reduce to a table — if you are driving for work, it is worth checking what applies in that specific country for your specific vehicle.
A limit is not an allowance
It is easy to read a table like this as a schedule of how much you may drink in each country. It is not.
A higher limit does not mean alcohol affects driving less in that country. Reaction time and judgement degrade measurably well below 0.5 ‰ — which is precisely why Sweden and Norway chose 0.2. The differences in the table reflect political decisions, not biology.
The same thing we say on the BAC calculator and in the guide to driving the day after applies here: no figure in an app or on a web page can tell you whether you are fit to drive. If you have been drinking, leave the car.
These numbers change
Drink-driving limits are politics, and politics moves. Denmark tightened its rule in 2025, Scotland lowered its limit in 2014, and other countries are debating changes. This table is built on the ETSC’s Europe-wide comparison, supplemented with national sources for Sweden, the UK, Denmark and Germany, checked in September 2026.
If you are driving somewhere the margin matters, check with that country’s own transport authority before you go. And remember the limit is only one of the rules: levels are checked by breath test, penalties differ sharply, and several countries can seize the vehicle on the spot.
Frequently asked questions
Which European country has the strictest drink-driving limit?
What is the drink-driving limit in Sweden?
Does my own country’s limit apply when I drive abroad?
Do novice drivers have a lower limit?
What is the limit in the United Kingdom?
Keep track of your level wherever you drive
Mypromille follows your estimated blood alcohol level in real time while you drink, and can show a real measurement if you have a breathalyzer. Whatever limit applies where you are, it is easier to respect if you know roughly where you stand.
The app is available for iPhone, Android and straight in the browser.
Sources: ETSC — Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) Drink Driving Limits across Europe for the Europe-wide comparison; the Swedish Police and Trafikverket for Sweden; GOV.UK for the UK and Scotland; Rådet for Sikker Trafik for the Danish 2025 rule; the Bavarian Police for the German 0.0 limit. Checked September 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.