These information pages can help you get started in learning about some of the laws and registration requirements that may apply to your 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 official sources or seek legal advice.

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

I plan to serve or provide alcohol as part of my experience - do I need any licences for that?

The sale, purchase and consumption of alcohol is strictly regulated in Russia. Experiences that involve alcohol should always be provided in accordance with applicable laws and regulations including in particular Federal Law No. 171-FZ dated 22 November 1995 On State Regulation of Production and Realization of Alcohol-Containing Products and Limitation of Alcohol Consumption.

A key distinction is made in the law between "light" alcoholic drinks such as beer or cider and stronger drinks. For stronger drinks, you always need a specific license if you want to provide these to your guests. Please note that such license is exclusively granted to legal entities and not to single entrepreneurs not operating under a registered legal entity.

“Lighter” alcoholic drinks such as beer (and beer-made drinks, cider, perry and mead) are in principle exempted from the licensing requirements (however, there is still a number of reporting requirements which are imposed on individual entrepreneurs or legal entities engaged in the sale of these drinks, for further information please see here). This means that, at the moment that we are writing this page, these drinks may be sold without a license and by an individual entrepreneur. However, please note that the Ministry of Finance is currently working on the amendments that would prohibit individual entrepreneurs to sell any alcoholic drinks. Please double-check the rules to make sure you have the latest version.

Although the laws do not directly address the provision of alcohol served at home, it is recommended to seek legal advice in case your Experience includes the provision of alcohol to safeguard you follow the applicable regulations.

Please note, if your Experience includes the consumption of alcohol in a licensed bar or licensed restaurants, for instance in case your Experience is about best themed bars in a certain Moscow district, no additional license is required.

If you need a license, you have to fulfil a number of legal and technical requirements (including, but not limited to requirements that relate to premises, storage or qualification of personnel) set forth by the applicable legislation. For more information please refer to the official website of the licensing authority, the Federal Service on Regulation of Alcohol market.

Please note that fines or criminal penalties can apply for breaking the applicable rules on serving alcohol.

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

Yes:

• You should make sure that all attendees meet the minimum drinking age (18 years and over).
• Consumption of alcohol is not permitted in public places outside licensed premises, public transportation, airports, railway stations, yards, playgrounds, adjacent territories, parks, beaches, sports facilities. Additional prohibitions may be imposed by regional laws. For instance, local rules effective in Moscow regulate the sale of alcohol in more detail. For example, local Moscow regulations set forth detailed rules on the distance that should be kept between the place of sale of alcohol and entrance to public places, including to public transportation, outside the licensed premises, etc.
• If alcohol can be served as part of an Experience, then it must always be sourced from a licensed provider or manufacturer. Home-brewed alcohol should never be provided (except with the proper licences and in compliance with all applicable health and safety requirements).
• If your experience involves the provision of alcohol, please note that under Russian laws the advertisement of alcohol is restricted. For instance, it is prohibited to advertise alcohol in the internet. This means that description and promotion of the Experience should not be presented in a way that will look like an advertisement of alcohol or alcohol manufacturer. For instance, you should not provide images of alcohol or mention of any specific alcohol brands, etc. We recommend to consult a local lawyer in case your experience involves alcohol.

Is there anything else I should think about?

If your Experience will also involve serving or providing food, we recommend that you take a look at our information about Experiences Involving Food. If your Experience will involve combining alcohol with another activity (for example, transportation or tour guiding), please take a look at our other information sections to work out if any other rules might apply to your activity.

We recommend you also read our other information pages on the requirements that apply to businesses. If you’re in any doubt, we recommend you get in touch with your accountant or legal advisor to find out whether you’re operating as a business.