Ireland

Simple possession of a controlled drug is a criminal offence in Ireland: section 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 states that a person shall not have a controlled drug in his possession, and contravening that is an offence unless the Minister has disapplied it for that drug by order. For drugs other than cannabis there is no personal-use discount — the same penalty band applies whether or not it is a first offence, and a conviction on indictment can carry up to seven years in prison. Cannabis and cannabis resin are the exception: where the court is satisfied that the possession was for personal use, a graduated scale of fines applies to a first and second offence, with imprisonment available only from the third. Possession for the purpose of sale or supply is a separate and heavier offence that this entry does not cover.

Possession of a controlled drug other than cannabis or cannabis resin (Misuse of Drugs Act 1977, s. 27(1)(b)): on summary conviction, a class C fine — the revised text annotates the statutory 1,000 pounds as 1,269.74 euro under the Fines Act 2010 — and/or up to 12 months imprisonment; on conviction on indictment, a fine of whatever amount the court considers appropriate and/or up to 7 years imprisonment. Cannabis or cannabis resin held for personal use (s. 27(1)(a)): first offence, a class D fine annotated as 380.92 euro summarily or a class C fine annotated as 634.86 euro on indictment; second offence, 507.90 euro summarily or 1,269.74 euro on indictment; third or subsequent offence, a class C fine annotated as 1,269.74 euro and/or up to 12 months summarily, or a fine the court considers appropriate and/or up to 3 years on indictment. The statutory text is still printed in pounds; every euro figure here is the Revised Act own annotation, not our conversion. The Revised Act is updated to 29 July 2026, and the amendments flagged as not yet in force affect sections 13 and 14, not these penalties.

Verified Oct 13, 2026

Cannabis is illegal to possess in Ireland -- there is no legal amount and no decriminalisation. A first or second conviction for personal-use cannabis is a fine only, but a third or subsequent offence can carry up to 12 months in prison. Since 1 September 2026 An Garda Siochana can also refer an eligible first-time personal-possession case to the HSE for a health assessment instead of prosecuting, but that is a discretionary referral rather than a right and it does not make cannabis legal. A foreign medical-cannabis prescription is not recognised: the Department of Health states that prescribed cannabis-based products are not permitted to be brought into Ireland. There is also an occupier offence with a presumption attached: if you are the occupier of, in control of, or concerned in the management of any land, vehicle or vessel and cannabis is smoked, prepared, cultivated or simply possessed on it, that is an offence carrying up to 14 years on indictment, and once the activity and your control are proved the court presumes you knew about it until you satisfy it otherwise. A rental car, holiday let or boat you are responsible for is therefore your legal risk even when the cannabis belongs to someone else. Ireland also puts the burden of proof on you in two ways that matter at an airport or a traffic stop. Once it is proved that you had a controlled drug, section 29 makes it a defence only if you yourself prove that you did not know and had no reasonable grounds for suspecting that you were in possession of it, so "it isn't mine" is something you have to establish rather than something the State has to disprove. And under section 22 the onus of proving that you hold any licence, permit or authorisation is on the person relying on it, which is the hurdle a visitor carrying a foreign prescription has to clear.

Personal-use cannabis possession: first offence a fine only, second offence a fine only, and third or subsequent offence a fine plus up to 12 months' imprisonment on summary conviction or up to 3 years on indictment (Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 s. 27(1)(a)). Under the Fines Act 2010 the maxima are a class D fine of up to 1,000 euro and a class C fine of up to 2,500 euro. Possession for supply: up to life imprisonment on indictment, with a presumptive minimum of 10 years where the drugs are worth 13,000 euro or more. Cultivation: up to 14 years on indictment. Permitting cannabis to be cultivated, prepared, smoked or possessed on land, a vehicle or a vessel you occupy, control or are concerned in managing (s. 19): on summary conviction a fine not exceeding 1,000 pounds, which under the Fines Act 2010 reads as a class C fine of up to 2,500 euro, or up to 12 months' imprisonment, or both; on conviction on indictment a fine of such amount as the court considers appropriate or up to 14 years' imprisonment, or both (s. 27(2)). There is also no quantity below which a supply charge is ruled out: under section 15(2), once possession is proved and the court, having regard to the quantity or to any other matter it considers relevant, is satisfied that it is reasonable to assume the drug was not intended for your immediate personal use, you are presumed to have held it for supply until the court is satisfied to the contrary.

Verified Sep 14, 2026

Bringing cannabis into Ireland is illegal, and importing is punished far more heavily than simple possession. Regulation 5 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2017 prohibits importing a controlled drug, and cannabis is a controlled drug; the only lawful route is a licence granted by the Minister, which a traveller will not have — a prescription written in another country is not one. There is no personal-use allowance at the border. On conviction on indictment an importation offence can carry up to 14 years in prison, and if the cannabis was brought in to supply other people the supply offences apply instead and reach life imprisonment.

Importing a controlled drug in breach of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2017 is an offence under section 21(2) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977. Section 27(6)(a) sets the penalty: on summary conviction, a fine (the old IR£1,000 maximum now reads as a class C fine of up to EUR 2,500) or up to 12 months in prison, or both; on conviction on indictment, a fine of whatever amount the court considers appropriate or up to 14 years in prison, or both. Where cannabis is imported in order to supply it to others, the separate supply offences in sections 15, 15A and 15B apply and can carry life imprisonment, and for a section 15A or 15B offence the court must specify a minimum term of at least 10 years unless it finds exceptional and specific circumstances.

Verified Oct 11, 2026

Carry prescription medication in its original packaging with your doctor's prescription, bring only personal-use quantities, and check with the Government of Ireland that your medication is legal there.

Verified Jul 17, 2026

It is illegal to bring guns, ammunition, and even spent shells or casings into Ireland; strictly enforced at entry.

Fines, arrest, or detention for long periods of time.

Verified Jul 17, 2026

Entering or leaving the EU via an Irish airport or port with EUR 10,000 or more in cash or equivalent — including cheques, travellers' cheques, money orders, and high-purity gold — must be declared to Customs.

Failure to declare, or an incorrect or incomplete declaration, is an offence; Customs may also seize amounts of EUR 1,000+ suspected of links to crime.

Verified Jul 17, 2026

At an Irish port or airport the green channel is a legal declaration, not a shortcut. Under the Customs Act 2015, electing the red channel is how you declare that you are carrying goods that are or may be dutiable, or are or may be prohibited or restricted — and walking out without declaring anything is deemed by the Act to be a declaration that you have none. The prohibited-and-restricted list draws on both Irish and EU law, but the duty to declare, the channel rule and the EUR 5,000 penalty are Irish. An officer can also require you to produce and unpack your baggage, and you must stay present while it is examined.

Failing to declare dutiable, prohibited or restricted goods, to answer a customs officer's questions, to produce and unpack baggage on request, or to remain present during the examination (Customs Act 2015, s.12(1)): an offence punishable on summary conviction by a fine of EUR 5,000. Goods involved in an improper-importation offence are liable to forfeiture, and so is the conveyance they were found in or attached to (s.17). Where treble the estimated value of the goods exceeds EUR 1,900, an improper-importation offence under s.14 is tried on indictment rather than summarily (s.16).

Verified Oct 5, 2026

Ireland gives you 1 liter of spirits OR 2 liters of drinks at 22% or under, and you may split that fractionally - 0.5 L of spirits plus 1 L of port is fine. On top of that you get 4 liters of still wine and 16 liters of beer. If you are under 17 you get ZERO alcohol allowance, and you cannot pool your allowance with anyone else travelling with you.

Once you pass the Customs warning notice you have legally made a declaration, and failing to present dutiable goods is an offence. Anyone who fails to declare is liable to a penalty, and anything concealed or undeclared is liable to forfeiture under sections 14, 15 and 17 of the Customs Act 2015 - seizure can end in the goods being condemned as State property.

Verified Aug 30, 2026

You can buy vapes and e-liquid in Ireland at 18 or over, but they are expensive: an E-liquid Products Tax of 50 cent per millilitre has applied since 1 November 2025, on top of 23% VAT, which roughly doubled the price of a 10 ml refill. Disposables are still on sale for now - a ban passed both Houses of the Oireachtas on 7 July 2026 but has not yet been commenced, and retailers get six months to clear stock once it is. Arriving from outside the EU you have a EUR 430 general goods allowance and Ireland publishes no separate e-liquid limit, so your liquid counts against that; importing oral smokeless tobacco such as snus is generally prohibited. Ireland 2004 indoor smoking ban is worded around tobacco rather than vaping, and no official page confirms vaping indoors is either banned or allowed - ask before you vape inside.

It is an offence to sell a nicotine inhaling product to a person under 18, carrying a fine of up to EUR 4,000 and/or up to six months imprisonment. This penalty falls on the SELLER, not on a traveller or purchaser. No traveller-facing monetary penalty for vaping in a prohibited place is documented in the sources read this run.

Verified Aug 31, 2026

Flying into Ireland from outside the EU, you can bring 200 cigarettes duty- and tax-free - or 100 cigarillos, 50 cigars, or 250 g of smoking tobacco. You can split the allowance fractionally (Revenue's own example: 100 cigarettes plus 50 cigarillos). Oral smokeless tobacco such as snus is generally prohibited regardless of quantity, and the 40-cigarette figure on the same Revenue page is the transport-crew allowance, not a general one.

No fine is stated. Revenue states: "Customs Duty, Excise Duty and Value-Added Tax (VAT), where applicable, are charged on goods in excess of the duty-free allowances." That is a TAX consequence, not a penalty. Separately, oral smokeless tobacco is a prohibition rather than a taxable excess, so paying is not an option for it.

Verified Aug 29, 2026

Cars drive on the left in Ireland — tourists driving on the wrong side cause serious accidents every year; a US license is valid for visits up to 1 year, and penalties for driving under the influence can be severe.

DUI penalties can be severe; some rental companies may also require an International Driving Permit.

Verified Jul 17, 2026

No Irish statute we have verified requires a permit for ordinary photography in public; the real criminal exposure is military and state-security subjects. Under the Official Secrets Act 1963 a sketch expressly includes a photograph or any other way of representing a place or thing, and section 9 makes it an offence to obtain, record, communicate, publish or hold — in any manner prejudicial to the safety or preservation of the State — information about the Defence Forces, their operations or dispositions, defence fortifications, or munitions of war. It is a defence that a Minister authorised the act, or that you did it in the course of your duties as the holder of a public office. Two limits on this entry: it covers that Act only, and it does not cover flying a drone, which is governed by separate aviation rules.

Official Secrets Act 1963, section 13: on summary conviction the Act prints a fine of one hundred pounds, or imprisonment for up to six months, or both — the revised text we read carries no euro restatement of that figure, so we do not publish one. On conviction on indictment for a section 9 offence, or for a Part II offence committed in a manner prejudicial to the safety or preservation of the State: imprisonment for up to two years, or penal servitude for up to seven years.

Verified Oct 13, 2026

In Ireland, simply HAVING unlicensed radio equipment is the offence - you do not have to switch it on. The Wireless Telegraphy Act 1926 makes it a crime to "keep or have in your possession" any wireless telegraphy apparatus without a licence, and the fine reaches EUR 5,000 in the District Court or EUR 250,000 on indictment, plus forfeiture of the gear. US FRS/GMRS walkie-talkies (462/467 MHz) are NOT on Ireland's permitted list; European PMR446 handsets (446.0-446.2 MHz) are. Ordinary phones, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are fine.

Wireless Telegraphy Act 1926 s.3(3), as substituted by the Broadcasting Act 2009 (18/2009) s.181(2): on summary conviction a fine not exceeding EUR 5,000 (a class A fine under the Fines Act 2010), or on conviction on indictment a fine not exceeding EUR 250,000. s.3(3A) adds that on conviction ON INDICTMENT the person's interest in the apparatus "shall stand forfeited as a statutory consequence of conviction", and s.3(3B) lets the Minister direct that it be destroyed or sold. Television sets are expressly carved out of s.3(3) because they fall under the separate TV licence regime.

Verified Sep 11, 2026

There are no legal restrictions on same-sex sexual relations, services related to sexual orientation, or LGB events in Ireland.

Verified Jul 17, 2026

Ireland polices street behaviour through the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994, and being drunk in public is itself an offence. Section 4 makes it an offence to be present in any public place while intoxicated to such an extent as would give rise to a reasonable apprehension that you might endanger yourself or someone near you, and a Garda may seize your bottle or can without a warrant. Offensive conduct in a public place is an offence between midnight and 7 a.m., and at any other hour once a Garda has asked you to stop (section 5). Threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour meant to provoke a breach of the peace, or reckless as to whether one results, is an offence (section 6), and failing without lawful authority or reasonable excuse to comply with a Garda direction is a separate offence that can carry prison (section 8). Public place is defined broadly, and since 2021 it includes an outdoor seating area on private land.

Intoxication in a public place: a class E fine, which the Revised Act annotates as not more than 500 euro (section 4). Disorderly conduct in a public place: a class D fine, annotated as not more than 1,000 euro (section 5). Threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour: a class D fine of not more than 1,000 euro, up to 3 months imprisonment, or both (section 6). Failing to comply with a direction of a member of the Garda Siochana: a class D fine of not more than 1,000 euro, up to 6 months imprisonment, or both (section 8). The fine classes come from the Fines Act 2010; these penalties were last substituted by the Intoxicating Liquor Act 2008, and the Legislation Directory records no amending Act touching sections 4 to 8 after 2024. A conviction under sections 4 to 9 can also attract an exclusion order under the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 2003.

Verified Oct 13, 2026