The rules of conduct to be followed in Moscow

Rules for smoking and drinking alcohol in Moscow. Punishment for possession, distribution and use of drugs and for prostitution. Permitted time to make noise in Moscow

1.Rules for buying cigarettes in Moscow

In Moscow, cigarettes, nicotine-containing products (for example, tobacco sticks for electronic heating systems, vaping liquids and cartridges) and hookahs are sold only in stores and kiosks that have sales areas. Demonstration of the packaging of such products is prohibited, so a list of products sold with an indication of their cost is usually placed in the checkout area. You can look through it and then address the seller.


The price of cigarettes is always indicated on the pack.


Tobacco products, nicotine-containing products, devices for its consumption (e-cigarettes, vapes, tobacco heating systems) and hookahs are prohibited to be sold to persons under the age of 18, so before selling you any of the above said, the seller may ask you to confirm your age with ID. 

2.Rules for smoking tobacco in Moscow

Smoking tobacco, the consumption of nicotine-containing products and the use of hookahs in Moscow is allowed, but in some public places it is prohibited. These places include: 

  • museums, theaters, cinemas, exhibition and concert halls, sports complexes and other cultural and sports institutions and their territories; 
  • hospitals, polyclinics, rehabilitation and health resort centers and other medical institutions and their territories;
  • kindergartens, schools, universities, colleges and other educational institutions and their territories;
  • all types of public transport; metro, train stations, airports, river ports, platforms, stops and outdoor places at a distance of less than 15 meters from them; 
  • cafes, bars, restaurants and other food and drink venues;
  • shops; markets; fairs; premises where household services are provided; 
  • hotels;
  • children’s play areas;
  • beaches;
  • premises of state and municipal authorities;
  • social services premises;
  • workspaces;
  • gas stations;
  • elevators and entrances of residential buildings (if the residents have not given their consent to smoking), premises that are the common property of the owners of rooms in shared flats;
  • any other places where there is a No Smoking sign.


Fines for smoking in playgrounds range are from 2,000 to 3,000 rubles, for smoking in other public places — from 500 to 1,500 rubles.


If you buy or give cigarettes, nicotine-containing products, and a device for its use or a hookah to a minor, as well as if you offer him to use them, it can face you a fine of up to 3,000 rubles.

3.Rules for buying alcohol in Moscow

In Moscow, the sale of alcohol is prohibited from 23:00 to 08:00. In addition, the capital does not sell alcohol to persons under the age of 18, so be prepared for the fact that at the checkout you may be asked to confirm your age with an identity document.

4.Rules of alcohol consumption in Moscow

In Moscow, it is forbidden to drink any alcoholic beverages in public places: in parks, squares, pedestrian zones, in urban and suburban transport, at bus stops, train stations, airports, in courtyards, in entrances, on stairs and stairwells, in elevators of residential buildings, on the children’ s play areas and so on. Also, it is prohibited to drink alcohol in educational, medical and other social institutions and near them.


If you violate this rule, you may face a fine of 500 to 1,500 rubles.


For appearing in public places under the influence of alcohol ‘insulting human dignity and public morality’, you may face a fine of 500 to 1,500 rubles or simple detention for up to 15 days.


For drinking alcoholic beverages in public places by minors or their being in a state of intoxication, parents or other legal representatives are fined in the amount of 1,500 to 2,000 rubles.

5.Prohibition of drugs possession, distribution and use in Moscow

According to Russian laws, the use, storage, transportation, manufacture and sale of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances is prohibited. This entails civil and criminal liability.


In particular, if law enforcement officers detain you in a state of drug intoxication, you face a fine of 4,000 to 5,000 rubles or simple detention for up to 15 days. In any case, you will be expelled from the Russian Federation.


The acquisition, storage, transportation, manufacture or processing of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances without the purpose of sale may face imprisonment for up to 15 years with a fine of up to 500,000 rubles.


The sale of drugs and psychotropic substances in Russia is punishable by up to life imprisonment. 

6.Prostitution prohibition in Moscow

Prostitution is prohibited in Moscow. Prostitution in Moscow is punishable by a fine of 1,500 to 2,000 rubles. For receiving benefits from prostitution by another person, you can be punished with a fine of 2,000 to 2,500 rubles or simple detention for up to 15 days.


However, pimping (the organization and maintenance of brothels, the systematic provision of premises for prostitution, involvement in prostitution and obtaining material benefits) is much more severely punished, including imprisonment for up to 10 years.

7.Permitted time to make noise in Moscow

In Moscow, it is forbidden to make noise from 23:00 to 07:00. For non-observance silence at night — loud music, shouting, using noisy equipment, and the like — you may face a warning or a fine in the amount of 1,000 to 2,000 rubles.

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