Minors and alcohol at events in Germany: JuSchG 2026

At a public Tanzveranstaltung in Germany, a 16-year-old attendee has to be out by midnight, and a 15-year-old cannot get in unaccompanied at all. That's what § 5(1) of the Jugendschutzgesetz says — it's federal law, and it doesn't depend on the closing time your local council gave you. If you sell tickets without an age bracket, you're selling a product that part of your audience can't fully use.

What law sets the minimum age at an event in Germany?

The Jugendschutzgesetz (JuSchG), the federal law on the protection of young people. Its obligations don't fall on the venue or the ticketing platform: § 28(1) refers to whoever acts «als Veranstalter oder Gewerbetreibender», as organiser or trader. That's you.

§ 1(1) defines the two categories that then govern every curfew: a *Kind* is anyone who hasn't yet turned 14, and a *Jugendlicher* is anyone aged 14 but under 18. Almost every door-policy mistake comes from conflating them, because the real thresholds in the JuSchG are three, not two: 14, 16, and 18.

The fact that it's federal law is good operational news: the text of these curfews is identical across all sixteen Länder, so you don't have to rewrite your door policy when you move from Bavaria to Berlin. What does change by Land is hospitality law: Article 74(1)(11) of the Basic Law grants the Federation «das Recht der Wirtschaft» (economic law), but expressly excludes «das Recht der Gaststätten» (the law on hospitality establishments), so bar licensing and fees are a matter for the Land. And the competent authority changes too: § 4(4) and § 5(3) allow «die zuständige Behörde» to authorise exceptions, and that authority differs by district.

There's one obligation almost nobody meets, and an inspector spots it in ten seconds. § 3(1) requires organisers and traders to publish the rules under § 4 to § 13 that apply to their premises and events «durch deutlich sichtbaren und gut lesbaren Aushang»: a visible, legible notice. At a festival, that means a notice at every entrance and every bar, not a line buried in the terms of sale.

Until what time can a minor stay at your event?

It depends on whether the venue is a Gaststätte, a public Tanzveranstaltung, or a Nachtclub, and on who is accompanying the minor. Here is the full grid from § 4 and § 5:

The literal wording matters. The second sentence of § 4(1) reads: «Jugendlichen ab 16 Jahren darf der Aufenthalt in Gaststätten ohne Begleitung einer personensorgeberechtigten oder erziehungsbeauftragten Person in der Zeit von 24 Uhr und 5 Uhr morgens nicht gestattet werden» (young people aged 16 and over may not be permitted to remain in a Gaststätte between midnight and 5am without being accompanied by a person holding parental custody or an erziehungsbeauftragte person). It isn't a curfew aimed at the minor — it's a prohibition aimed at whoever «permits» them to be there.

§ 4(3) is the strictest provision, and the one most often ignored: «Der Aufenthalt in Gaststätten, die als Nachtbar oder Nachtclub geführt werden, und in vergleichbaren Vergnügungsbetrieben darf Kindern und Jugendlichen nicht gestattet werden» (children and young people may not be permitted to remain in establishments run as a Nachtbar or Nachtclub, or in comparable Vergnügungsbetriebe). There's no exception for being accompanied or for time of day. If your venue is operated as a nightclub, no one under 18 gets in, even with their mother.

Two escape routes exist, and it's worth knowing them. § 4(2) disapplies subsection 1 when minors are taking part «an einer Veranstaltung eines anerkannten Trägers der Jugendhilfe» (in an event run by a recognised Träger der Jugendhilfe) or «sich auf Reisen befinden» (are travelling). And § 4(4) and § 5(3) allow you to request an exception from the competent authority, which is the normal route for an *all-ages* concert that finishes after midnight.

The JuSchG doesn't define what counts as an «öffentliche Tanzveranstaltung» (public dance event). That's our own reading of the text, not a conclusion drawn from the law itself: with a seated concert and a DJ festival on the same bill, the classification is decided by the district authority, so it's worth asking in writing before you open sales — the same way you'd ask about capacity under the Land's Versammlungsstättenverordnung.

What alcohol can you serve, and to whom?

§ 9 splits the bar into two ages. Point 1 of subsection 1 prohibits supplying or allowing the consumption of «Bier, Wein, weinähnliche Getränke oder Schaumwein oder Mischungen von Bier, Wein, weinähnlichen Getränken oder Schaumwein mit nichtalkoholischen Getränken» (beer, wine, wine-like drinks or sparkling wine, or mixtures of beer, wine, wine-like drinks or sparkling wine with non-alcoholic drinks) to under-16s. Point 2 prohibits «andere alkoholische Getränke oder Lebensmittel, die andere alkoholische Getränke in nicht nur geringfügiger Menge enthalten» (other alcoholic drinks, or foods containing other alcoholic drinks in a non-negligible quantity) to everyone under 18.

Translated into bar-menu terms: beer, wine, sparkling wine, and mixtures such as radler or tinto de verano that combine beer or wine with a soft drink, from age 16. Gin, vodka, mixed spirits, and cake laced with liqueur, from age 18. A cocktail with sparkling wine but no spirit falls under point 1; the same cocktail with a dash of rum falls under point 2.

The exception in subsection 2 is the most common trap: «Absatz 1 Nummer 1 gilt nicht, wenn Jugendliche von einer personensorgeberechtigten Person begleitet werden» (subsection 1, point 1 does not apply when young people are accompanied by a person holding parental custody). Two consequences the text doesn't flag, and worth reading carefully. First: only the person holding parental custody qualifies, not the erziehungsbeauftragte person named on the Muttizettel. Second: the exception refers to *Jugendliche*, meaning someone already aged 14 or over; a 13-year-old accompanied by their father still can't be served a beer.

Subsection 3 affects anyone setting up self-service. It prohibits offering alcohol via machines in public spaces, unless the machine is located «an einem für Kinder und Jugendliche unzugänglichen Ort» (somewhere inaccessible to children and young people) or «in einem gewerblich genutzten Raum aufgestellt und durch technische Vorrichtungen oder durch ständige Aufsicht sichergestellt ist, dass Kinder und Jugendliche alkoholische Getränke nicht entnehmen können» (installed in a commercially used space, with technical devices or permanent supervision ensuring that children and young people cannot dispense alcoholic drinks). A wall of beer taps that unlocks with a cashless wristband falls squarely into that category: you need technical age control built into the device, or permanent supervision.

Two more layers almost always get left out of the bar brief. § 10 bans supplying tobacco and other nicotine products to under-18s, and subsection 4 extends the ban to electronic cigarettes and shishas «in denen Flüssigkeit durch ein elektronisches Heizelement verdampft» (in which liquid is vaporised by an electronic heating element), even without nicotine. And § 5(1) of the Konsumcannabisgesetz prohibits consuming cannabis «in unmittelbarer Gegenwart» (in the immediate presence) of anyone under 18: at a venue with a mixed-age crowd, that's a house rule you need to spell out in your access conditions.

The drinking landscape has shifted, and it's worth not overstating that in either direction. According to the press release from the Bundesinstitut für Öffentliche Gesundheit of 3 September 2026, based on a survey of 7,001 people aged 12 to 25 carried out between April and July 2025, «bei den 12- bis 17-Jährigen sanken die Werte der 30-Tage-Prävalenz von 58,4 Prozent in 2004 auf 32,9 Prozent in 2025» (among 12- to 17-year-olds, the 30-day prevalence rate fell from 58.4% in 2004 to 32.9% in 2025). That's a drop of 25.5 points, a 44% decrease over twenty-one years (our own calculation based on those two figures). The same report puts episodic heavy drinking at 14.8% of boys and 14.7% of girls aged 12 to 17 in the preceding thirty days: nearly one in seven. They drink less than twenty years ago, and those who do drink, drink just as hard.

What is the Muttizettel, and what weight does it carry at your door?

It's the written authorisation that turns an adult into an *erziehungsbeauftragte Person*. The role is defined in § 1(1)(4) of the JuSchG: anyone over 18 who, by agreement with the holder of parental custody, takes on educational responsibilities, whether lastingly or temporarily. The popular name, Muttizettel, doesn't appear in any law.

What does appear is your right to demand it. § 2(1) requires such people to prove their status «auf Verlangen» (on request), and adds that organisers and traders must check that proof in doubtful cases. Subsection 2 does the same for age: anyone subject to an age limit must demonstrate it «in geeigneter Weise» (in a suitable manner) when asked, and you must ask if you have any doubt.

Districts publish their own templates. The Landratsamt in Dachau, for example, requires that the person in charge be an adult, be in a fit state to accompany and support the minor in any situation, not be under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, and guarantee the minor's safe return home.

And one line on that same official page settles half the arguments that happen at the door: the authorisation doesn't bind the venue operator. The Hausrecht — your right as proprietor to set house rules — remains yours. You can require the accompanying adult to enter with the minor, limit how many minors a single adult can be responsible for, or refuse Muttizettel altogether on a given date, provided you announce it before you start selling. What you can't do is use the Muttizettel to get around § 4(3) or § 9.

How is age checked, and who is liable if it fails?

§ 28(1) opens like this: «Ordnungswidrig handelt, wer als Veranstalter oder Gewerbetreibender vorsätzlich oder fahrlässig» (it is an administrative offence for anyone acting as organiser or trader, whether intentionally or negligently). Negligence is enough. You don't need to have deliberately let the 15-year-old in — failing to put reasonable controls in place is sufficient.

If you outsource the door, the qualifications of whoever staffs it are regulated. § 34a(1) of the Gewerbeordnung requires authorisation for anyone «gewerbsmäßig Leben oder Eigentum fremder Personen bewachen will» (who wishes, on a commercial basis, to guard the life or property of other people), and subsection 1a additionally requires passing the Sachkundeprüfung (competence exam) before the Chamber of Industry and Commerce for three tasks relevant to events: «Kontrollgänge im öffentlichen Verkehrsraum oder in Hausrechtsbereichen mit tatsächlich öffentlichem Verkehr» (patrols in public traffic areas or in areas under house rules with genuinely public traffic), «Bewachungen im Einlassbereich von gastgewerblichen Diskotheken» (guarding the entrance area of commercial nightclubs) and «Bewachungen von zugangsgeschützten Großveranstaltungen in leitender Funktion» (guarding access-controlled large-scale events in a supervisory role). Access control at a nightclub can't be handled by staff who have only been «unterrichtet» (briefed) — the Sachkunde exam is required.

In practice, age control plays out at three points: the ID checked at the entrance, a visible signal inside — wristband colour is what everyone uses — and the departure time of under-18s, which is the part that most often slips through. If your access control doesn't log departures, by 12:30am nobody knows how many 16-year-olds are still inside. It's the same problem that a well-designed festival access-control setup solves, applied here to a legal obligation.

How much does breaching Jugendschutz rules cost in Germany?

§ 28 turns every prohibition into a named, numbered administrative offence:

The ceiling comes from subsection 5: «Die Ordnungswidrigkeit kann in den Fällen des Absatzes 3 Nummer 4 mit einer Geldbuße bis zu fünf Millionen Euro und in den übrigen Fällen mit einer Geldbuße bis zu fünfzigtausend Euro geahndet werden» (the offence may be punished, in the cases under subsection 3 no. 4, with a fine of up to five million euros, and in all other cases with a fine of up to fifty thousand euros). The five million applies to subsection 3 no. 4, which concerns making a film or game available in breach of § 14a — not the door of an event. For the organiser, the ceiling is €50,000 per offence.

To put the figure in context: the maximum fee for a bar Gestattung in Bavaria is €2,000, according to the BayernPortal. The maximum § 28 fine is twenty-five times that fee (our own calculation based on both figures). And there's a consequence worse than the fine: the Gestattung is granted «auf Widerruf» (subject to revocation), and § 12(3) of the GastG allows conditions to be imposed «jederzeit» (at any time). A Jugendschutz case file is exactly the kind of record you don't want open when you apply for the bar permit for your next edition.

What permit do you need to serve alcohol at a one-off event?

A Gestattung, not a full hospitality licence. § 12(1) of the Gaststättengesetz is brief: «Aus besonderem Anlaß kann der Betrieb eines erlaubnisbedürftigen Gaststättengewerbes unter erleichterten Voraussetzungen vorübergehend auf Widerruf gestattet werden» (for a special occasion, the operation of a hospitality business requiring a licence may be temporarily authorised, revocably and under simplified conditions).

Because Gaststättenrecht is a matter for the Land, each one sets its own specific procedure. In Bavaria, the BayernPortal states that the Gestattung is processed under § 12 of the GastG and § 2 of the Bayerische Gaststättenverordnung, that reliability must be proven with a Reisegewerbekarte, a Gaststättenerlaubnis, or «ein Führungszeugnis und eine Auskunft aus dem Gewerbezentralregister nach § 150 Abs. 1 Satz 1 oder Abs. 5 GewO, jeweils nicht älter als ein Jahr» (a certificate of good conduct and an extract from the central trade register under § 150(1) sentence 1 or (5) GewO, each no older than one year), and that the application must be submitted «mindestens zwei Wochen vor der geplanten Veranstaltung» (at least two weeks before the planned event) to benefit from free tacit approval. Outside that scenario, the fee ranges from €30 to €2,000, and the conduct certificate and the register extract each cost €13.

Two weeks is the deadline that decides whether the permit comes free or costs you up to €2,000. It's the same kind of administrative timeline worth chaining together with the rest of your German paperwork, from capacity rules through to mandatory e-invoicing.

What if minors perform or work at your event?

Then a different law comes into play, the Jugendarbeitsschutzgesetz, and it comes into play with prior authorisation. § 6 allows the authority to permit children to take part in performances within set limits: in theatrical performances, «Kinder über sechs Jahre bis zu vier Stunden täglich in der Zeit von 10 bis 23 Uhr» (children over six, up to four hours a day between 10am and 11pm); in musical performances, recordings, and filming, children aged 3 to 6 «bis zu zwei Stunden täglich in der Zeit von 8 bis 17 Uhr» (up to two hours a day between 8am and 5pm) and over 6 «bis zu drei Stunden täglich in der Zeit von 8 bis 22 Uhr» (up to three hours a day between 8am and 10pm). The same article excludes these exceptions in cabarets, dance halls, amusement parks, and comparable venues.

Subsection 2 makes the authorisation conditional on written parental consent, a recent medical certificate, safety and supervision measures, «eine ununterbrochene Freizeit von mindestens 14 Stunden» (an uninterrupted rest period of at least 14 hours) after the performance, and no interference with schooling. Subsection 4 requires the authorisation to be in writing and granted before the activity starts: applying for it on the day of the build doesn't work.

For over-14s working at the event, § 14 sets the general rule at 6am to 8pm, extended to 10pm in hospitality and performances for over-16s. Subsection 7 is the one that matters to a promoter: young people may take part «gestaltend» (in a creative/performing capacity) in musical, theatrical, and similar performances until 11pm, with 14 hours' rest afterwards, and may not do so at venues where their presence would breach the Jugendschutzgesetz. In other words: a minor can't perform at a venue they couldn't attend as a member of the audience.

How does this translate into your tickets and access control?

Into five decisions made before you open sales, not at the door.

The first is ticket type. If the event admits minors, you need a dedicated category with the restriction printed on it: «until midnight, § 5 JuSchG» or «accompanied only». Ticket categories aren't just a pricing tool; here, they're your proof that you informed people.

The second is collecting the date of birth at purchase. Without it, you can't cap the number of minors, send them the access conditions, or know how many people the departure curfew affects. The third is the physical signal: a wristband by age bracket, different for under-16s, 16- to 17-year-olds, and adults, because the bar has to decide in two seconds and can't check an ID for every drink order.

The fourth is departure. Log the exit time for tickets flagged as under-18, and assign someone to do the 11:45pm round. The fifth is the § 3 notice: print the applicable rules and display them at every entrance and every bar. If you run a club, this grid also overlaps with the rest of the nightclub ticketing checklist.

And what part does Futura Tickets handle?

Only the data and door side, and it's worth not overstating that: the JuSchG obliges the organiser, not the platform. What a platform contributes is making sure the age bracket travels with the ticket and that the door can read it fast. With Futura Tickets, validating a QR code takes 1 to 2 seconds and an NFC wristband under a second, and the attendee database is 100% the organiser's with Futura Tickets — which matters when the authority asks how many minors you sold to and under what conditions. If you sell tickets in Germany, the detail is on our German ticketing page.

Checklist before opening doors in Germany

Ask the district in writing whether your event counts as a Tanzveranstaltung. The answer decides whether under-16s can enter accompanied or can't enter at all. Keep the email with the event file.

Check whether the venue is operated as a Nachtclub. If it is, § 4(3) closes the door to everyone under 18, with no exception for being accompanied. That changes your sales plan, not just your door plan.

Separate 14, 16, and 18 in your ticket types. These are the JuSchG's three real thresholds. Two brackets aren't enough.

Decide who can be served what before booking the bar. Beer and wine from 16; spirits and liqueurs from 18; nothing to under-14s, even accompanied by their parents.

If there's self-service or wristband-activated taps, document the technical control. § 9(3) requires either physically preventing a minor from dispensing alcohol, or permanent supervision.

Apply for the Gestattung more than two weeks in advance. In Bavaria, that deadline is the difference between free tacit approval and a fee of up to €2,000.

Require your door-security provider to hold the Sachkundeprüfung under § 34a(1a). A basic briefing (Unterrichtung) isn't enough for nightclub access control.

Display the § 3 notice at every entrance and every bar. Visible and legible. It's the cheapest obligation to meet, and the easiest one to be fined for.

If minors are performing, get the written authorisation before the build. § 6 of the JArbSchG requires it in advance, with parental consent and a medical certificate.

Log the departure of under-18s. By midnight you need to be able to say how many are still inside and with what wristband.

Sources

• § 1 Jugendschutzgesetz (JuSchG), definitions — Gesetze im Internet (BMJ)
• § 2 Jugendschutzgesetz, verification and proof obligation — Gesetze im Internet (BMJ)
• § 3 Jugendschutzgesetz, publication of the rules — Gesetze im Internet (BMJ)
• § 4 Jugendschutzgesetz, Gaststätten (hospitality establishments) — Gesetze im Internet (BMJ)
• § 5 Jugendschutzgesetz, Tanzveranstaltungen (dance events) — Gesetze im Internet (BMJ)
• § 9 Jugendschutzgesetz, alcoholic drinks — Gesetze im Internet (BMJ)
• § 10 Jugendschutzgesetz, smoking in public, tobacco products — Gesetze im Internet (BMJ)
• § 28 Jugendschutzgesetz, fine provisions — Gesetze im Internet (BMJ)
• § 6 Jugendarbeitsschutzgesetz (JArbSchG), official exceptions for events — Gesetze im Internet (BMJ)
• § 14 Jugendarbeitsschutzgesetz, night-time rest — Gesetze im Internet (BMJ)
• § 5 Konsumcannabisgesetz (KCanG), consumption ban — Gesetze im Internet (BMJ)
• § 12 Gaststättengesetz (GastG), Gestattung (temporary permit) — Gesetze im Internet (BMJ)
• § 34a Gewerbeordnung (GewO), security trade and Sachkundeprüfung (competence exam) — Gesetze im Internet (BMJ)
• Article 74 of the Grundgesetz, concurrent legislative powers — Gesetze im Internet (BMJ)
• Gaststättenrechtliche Gestattung for temporary alcohol service for a special occasion — BayernPortal, Free State of Bavaria
• «Weniger junge Menschen konsumieren Alkohol, Rauschtrinken bleibt aber weiterhin auf hohem Stand» (Fewer young people consume alcohol, but binge drinking remains at a high level), press release of 3 September 2026 — Bundesinstitut für Öffentliche Gesundheit
• Muttizettel and Erziehungsbeauftragung, official child-protection information — Landratsamt Dachau