Before you go

Local Rules for Travellers

What is allowed, and what do you need to know before you travel? Every country has a few rules that catch visitors out: medicines that are legal at home but banned on arrival, vapes that are confiscated at the border, drones that must be registered, fines for drinking in the street or walking around in swimwear. We collected the ones that matter most for 20 popular countries, checked each against an official source, and labelled what is law and what is local custom.

20 countries · 231 rules · every rule linked to its source

🇦🇺Australia9 verified rules🇦🇹Austria12 verified rules🇭🇷Croatia10 verified rules🇫🇷France11 verified rules🇩🇪Germany9 verified rules🇬🇷Greece12 verified rules🇮🇩Indonesia10 verified rules🇮🇹Italy14 verified rules🇯🇵Japan15 verified rules🇲🇽Mexico11 verified rules🇲🇦Morocco12 verified rules🇳🇱Netherlands10 verified rules🇵🇹Portugal9 verified rules🇸🇬Singapore12 verified rules🇪🇸Spain12 verified rules🇹🇭Thailand14 verified rules🇹🇷Turkey12 verified rules🇦🇪United Arab Emirates16 verified rules🇬🇧United Kingdom10 verified rules🇺🇸United States11 verified rules

Law, venue rule, custom or advice?

Lists of "things not to do" usually mix laws with etiquette. We don't: every rule carries one of four labels.

Law
Set by national, regional or city law. Breaking it can mean a fine or worse.
Venue rule
A rule set by a venue or operator, such as a bath, museum, hotel or transport company.
Local custom
Not a law, but expected behaviour. Ignoring it can cause offence.
Safety advice
Practical advice from an official source to keep you out of trouble.

How we check these rules

  • Official sources only. Each rule is checked against an official page: a government ministry, customs or aviation authority, a city council, a national tourism board, or the official travel advice the UK government publishes for each country. Blogs, forums and "10 things not to do" lists are never used as proof.
  • No source, no rule. If we could not confirm a rule on an official page, it is not on the site, even if it is widely repeated elsewhere.
  • Numbers only from the source. Fines, ages, limits and allowances are given only when the source states them.
  • Dated and linked. Every page shows when it was last checked, and every rule links to its source so you can confirm it yourself.
  • Corrections. Laws change. If you spot something out of date, tell us and we will check it against the source. Read more in our editorial policy.