Is Alcohol legal in Aceh (Indonesia)?
- Legal status
- Prohibited (diverges from national Indonesia) — under the Qanun Jinayat (Qanun Aceh No. 6 of 2014), alcohol (khamr/ethanol) is a criminalised offence in Sharia law, unlike the rest of Indonesia where it is licensed and regulated.
- Consequences if caught
- Consuming, producing or selling alcohol is punished by public CANING (a hudud corporal penalty), alongside fines and imprisonment; a Christian woman was caned 28 times in 2016 for selling alcohol — the punishment is corporal, not capital.
- If prescribed or medical
- n/a — a beverage, not a medicine.
- Documentation
- No legal retail sale; possession or drinking of alcohol exposes residents and visitors alike to Sharia prosecution and caning. Aceh is the one province where the Qanun overrides national alcohol regulation.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Aceh (Indonesia)’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
Before you travel
Verify current rules with the destination country’s official drug authority and your own country’s embassy before traveling. Find the destination’s U.S. embassy & official country guidance →
Non-U.S. travelers: check your own government’s travel advisory and embassy.
If you’re detained or arrested abroad
Contact your own country’s embassy or consulate in the destination immediately — not the destination’s authorities. U.S. citizens: contact the nearest U.S. embassy/consulate and the U.S. State Department at +1-202-501-4444 (from abroad). If a U.S. citizen is arrested or detained abroad →