In Kyrgyzstan, the sale of alcohol may be banned at night.

Наталья Маркова • 21.01.2026, 15:36 • Society

In Kyrgyzstan, the sale of alcohol may be banned at night

Starting January 21, 2026, a draft law will be presented to the public concerning amendments to the existing Law "On the State Monopoly on the Production, Import, Storage, and Sale of Ethyl Alcohol and State Regulation of Alcohol Production." The initiator of this draft law is the deputy of the Jogorku Kenesh, Marlen Mamataliyev.

The justification for the proposed changes emphasizes that they aim to:

reduce the consumption of alcoholic beverages;
protect the health of citizens;
increase the level of safety in society.

The author of the document points out that alcohol abuse poses a serious social and medical problem, negatively affecting public health, crime rates, and social stability.

The draft includes the following key provisions:

limiting the hours of alcohol sales at night;
allowing the sale of alcohol exclusively in specialized establishments — restaurants, bars, and stores with the appropriate licenses;
banning the sale of alcohol in other retail outlets at night.

According to the initiator, such measures should help reduce the number of crimes, as well as cases of domestic and street violence related to alcohol consumption, and traffic accidents.

According to statistics:

approximately 75% of cases of domestic violence in Kyrgyzstan occur under the influence of alcohol;
in 2019, the Ministry of Internal Affairs recorded 8,159 reports of domestic violence, with 70% of these cases occurring in families where alcohol is abused;
since the beginning of 2024, 3,754 drivers have been identified as being under the influence of alcohol, of which 65 were responsible for traffic accidents resulting in 117 injuries and two fatalities.

The draft law also proposes amendments to Article 14 of the law regulating alcoholic products, which includes:

expanding the list of places where the retail sale of alcohol is prohibited.

The ban will apply to central squares of settlements, as well as to the areas of parks, squares, recreation zones, and entertainment complexes within a radius of 100 meters from their boundaries.

Nighttime alcohol sales will be prohibited from 11:00 PM to 8:00 AM the following day.

However, exceptions are provided, including:

the sale of alcoholic products by organizations and individual entrepreneurs — agricultural producers within the framework of public catering;
the sale of beer and other light alcoholic beverages by individual entrepreneurs in catering establishments;
the sale of alcohol in duty-free shops for citizens traveling outside the Customs Union.

The authors of the draft law emphasize that their proposals are aimed at reducing alcohol consumption, preventing crime, and enhancing safety, and are also in line with international standards for regulating the alcohol market.

The justification for the draft law also mentions the experience of other countries:

in Russia and Kazakhstan, there is a ban on the sale of alcohol at night;
in some regions where similar restrictions have been introduced, there has been a significant decrease in the number of traffic accidents and offenses;
in Finland and Sweden, the sale of strong alcohol is conducted through state stores and is strictly controlled in terms of time.

The authors of the draft law are confident that the implementation of similar restrictions in Kyrgyzstan will align with international practices and will be an effective measure to reduce social risks associated with alcohol consumption.

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