Drink-driving in Europe: the limit that actually applies to a heavy goods vehicle
There is no European limit. Each country sets its own, and several lower it as soon as you are driving a truck. This page tells you which one applies to you, country by country, with the text that establishes it.
“Professional limit” means nothing
The phrase is everywhere and it misleads, because it covers three different things depending on the country. Some lower the limit for all heavy vehicles. Others lower it only for passenger transport — coaches, not trucks. Others have no need to lower anything because their general limit is already very low.
France is the costliest example to get wrong: its 0.2 g/L limit targets “the driver of a public transport vehicle”. A French goods driver is on the general limit, 0.5 g/L. Many sites claim the opposite.
The applicable limit, country by country
| Country | General limit | Goods over 3.5 t | Drugs | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | 0,5 / 0,25 | 0,5 / 0,25 | zero tolerance | Légifrance · Regulatory text |
| Germany | 0,5 / 0,25 | 0,5 / 0,25 | THC 3,5 ng/ml (in serum) — other listed substances: mere detection | Bundesamt für Justiz · Regulatory text |
| Spain | 0,5 / 0,25 | 0,3 / 0,15 | zero tolerance | BOE · Regulatory text |
| Italy | 0,5 / 0,25 | 0,0 / 0,0 | zero tolerance | Normattiva · Regulatory text |
| Belgium | 0,5 / 0,22 | 0,2 / 0,09 | per-substance limits, not yet documented | SPF Mobilité et Transports · Competent authority * |
| Switzerland | 0,5 / 0,25 | 0,1 / 0,05 | zero tolerance | Fedlex · Regulatory text * |
| Austria | 0,5 / 0,25 | 0,1 / 0,05 | zero tolerance | oesterreich.gv.at · Competent authority * |
| Poland | 0,2 / 0,1 | 0,2 / 0,1 | zero tolerance | Policja · Competent authority * |
| Hungary | 0,0 / 0,0 | 0,0 / 0,0 | zero tolerance | Rendőrség (police hongroise) · Competent authority * |
| Czech Republic | 0,0 / 0,0 | 0,0 / 0,0 | zero tolerance | Policie České republiky · Competent authority * |
| Netherlands | 0,5 / 0,22 | 0,5 / 0,22 | per-substance limits, not yet documented | Politie · Competent authority * |
| Luxembourg | 0,5 / 0,25 | 0,2 / 0,1 | zero tolerance | Police Grand-Ducale · Competent authority * |
| Portugal | 0,5 / 0,25 | 0,2 / 0,1 | zero tolerance | ANSR · Competent authority * |
| Slovenia | 0,5 / 0,24 | 0,0 / 0,0 | zero tolerance | PISRS · Regulatory text * |
| Croatia | 0,5 / 0,25 | 0,0 / 0,0 | zero tolerance | MUP (ministère de l'Intérieur croate) · Regulatory text * |
| Denmark | 0,5 / 0,25 | 0,5 / 0,25 | zero tolerance | Retsinformation · Regulatory text * |
| United Kingdom | 0,8 / 0,35 | 0,8 / 0,35 Écosse : 0,5 / 0,22 |
per-substance limits, not yet documented | GOV.UK · Competent authority * |
| Greece | 0,5 / 0,25 | 0,5 / 0,25 | prohibited while under the influence, no set limit | Εφημερίδα της Κυβερνήσεως · Regulatory text |
| Bulgaria | 0,5 / 0,25 | 0,5 / 0,25 | zero tolerance | Изпълнителна агенция „Автомобилна администрация“ · Regulatory text |
| Estonia | 0,2 / 0,1 | 0,2 / 0,1 | zero tolerance | Riigi Teataja · Regulatory text |
| Latvia | 0,5 / 0,25 | 0,5 / 0,25 | prohibited while under the influence, no set limit | Latvijas Vēstnesis (likumi.lv) · Regulatory text |
| Slovakia | 0,0 / 0,0 | 0,0 / 0,0 | zero tolerance | Slov-Lex · Regulatory text * |
| Serbia | 0,3 / 0,15 | 0,0 / 0,0 | zero tolerance | Pravno-informacioni sistem RS · Regulatory text * |
| Turkey | 0,5 / 0,25 | 0,2 / 0,1 | zero tolerance | T.C. Cumhurbaşkanlığı — Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi · Regulatory text |
| Liechtenstein | 0,8 / 0,4 | 0,1 / 0,05 | THC 1,5 µg/L ; free morphine 15 µg/L ; cocaine 15 µg/L ; amphetamine 15 µg/L ; methamphetamine 15 µg/L ; MDEA 15 µg/L ; MDMA 15 µg/L (in blood) — unless a medical prescription is proven | Lilex — Gesetzesdatenbank des Fürstentums Liechtenstein · Regulatory text |
| Belarus | 0,3 / 0,15 | 0,3 / 0,15 | prohibited while under the influence, no set limit | Эталон (НЦПИ) · Regulatory text * |
g/L of blood / mg/L of breath. * For these countries the figure comes from the competent authority's official portal, not yet from the regulation itself. It is flagged as such in the table.
Countries not yet documented
These countries are not in the table yet. Rather than carry over a figure from a second-hand site, the cell stays empty until the national text has been read.
Romania
Drugs: almost everywhere, mere detection is enough
For alcohol the law sets a threshold. For drugs most European countries set none: the offence exists as soon as a substance is detected, with no need to show impaired driving. A positive roadside saliva test is enough to start the procedure.
Germany has been an exception since 2024, with a numeric threshold for THC; the other substances on its list remain on plain detection. Watch out for medicines too: several common treatments contain substances from those lists, and a prescription does not protect you in every country.
What happens at a roadside check
Screening is by breathalyser or saliva test. What the roadside device measures is your breath, hence the two figures in the table. Refusing the test is punished in every country, generally at least as heavily as the positive result it would have given.
What this page is not
It gathers published thresholds; it does not replace national law or the judgement of the authority carrying out the check. Scales change, penalties differ from one State to another, and the same reading may be classified differently depending on the circumstances. Before a sensitive trip, check the source cited.
Sources
Every figure in the table links to the text or the authority that establishes it. None comes from a second-hand site.
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