Requirements
Alcohol and driving under 21: the ban also applies with an older licence
Under 21, the article 186-bis restriction applies even if you obtained your licence many years ago.
Article 186-bis includes every driver under 21 regardless of licence seniority; the separate three-year criterion applies to category B.
Age operates as an independent condition
Having an “experienced” licence does not create an exception to the rule for young drivers. Article 186-bis prohibits driving after consuming alcohol and while under its influence for every driver under 21. It then identifies a separate group: drivers in the first three years after obtaining category B. These are independent conditions, and either one is sufficient for the specific rule to apply.
For example, a 20-year-old who has held B for three or four years is still covered because of age. A 22-year-old who obtained B two years ago is covered by the three-year period. Once a person is 21 or older and has passed the first three years after obtaining B, those two conditions no longer apply on the basis of age or B seniority, though other professional or vehicle groups in the same article may still matter.
The limit is not based on a number of drinks
The law does not give a number of drinks or a waiting period that makes driving safe. Article 186-bis prohibits driving after drinking in the listed cases, and its threshold treats any value above zero as relevant. The practical answer does not change because the licence was obtained early through a special pathway or because the journey is short: the driver's condition and applicable rules matter.
If you are under 21, arrange a way home that does not involve driving after drinking, even if you have held your licence for years. If you are just over 21 but obtained B less than three years ago, check that time criterion too. Quiz Patente Ufficiale lets you review Highway Code rules through chapters, quizzes, explanations and study statistics; it cannot measure alcohol or authorise driving after drinking.
Quiz Patente Ufficiale helps study alcohol and driving rules through chapters, quizzes, explanations and error review.
Frequently asked questions
At 20, does the limit apply if I have held my licence for three years?
Yes. The under-21 condition is independent of how long you have held the licence.
Does the three-year period concern every licence category?
The article refers to the first three years after obtaining category B; the age condition applies to all drivers under 21.