Amsterdam Coffeeshops in 2026: Rules for Visitors

Amsterdam's coffeeshops still sell cannabis to visitors in 2026, but the Netherlands never legalized it. Dutch law prohibits possessing, selling and producing drugs; what the country has is a tolerance policy under which the authorities do not prosecute coffeeshops that follow a short list of conditions. Those conditions are the rules you meet at the door.

Minimum age

18+, original passport or national ID card

Purchase limit

5 g per person per transaction

Possession not prosecuted

Up to 5 g (or 5 plants)

Alcohol in shops

None sold or consumed

Street smoking

Banned in the Wallen and around Dam Square since 25 May 2023; €100 fine after a warning

Residents-only rule

National policy since 1 Jan 2013; not applied in Amsterdam

This guide covers the age and ID check, the 5-gram limit, why there is no beer on the menu, where you cannot smoke in the city center, why the rules are stricter in Maastricht, and what the national "weed experiment" means for the shops you visit. It reflects official sources checked in September 2026.

Tolerated, not legal: the national criteria every coffeeshop follows

Coffeeshops that stay within a short list of national criteria are not prosecuted, and neither are individuals carrying a small amount. According to the Dutch government, a coffeeshop is an establishment where cannabis is sold but no alcohol is sold or consumed. Municipalities decide whether to allow coffeeshops at all and, if so, how many.

One gap in the system has never been closed: shops may sell cannabis, but growing it and supplying it to them is still illegal outside a government trial. That is the reason the regulated-supply experiment described below exists.

At the door: 18+ and an original passport or ID card

You must be 18 or older. Coffeeshops are not allowed to sell to minors, so expect staff to check identification before you buy. Bring an original, valid passport or national identity card rather than a copy, since the check exists to prove your age.

How much can you buy and carry? 5 grams per transaction

A coffeeshop may sell you no more than 5 grams of cannabis in one transaction. That covers flower and hashish alike, since the government's possession threshold refers to cannabis, "marijuana or hash".

Growing up to five plants for personal use is also not prosecuted, which matters to residents rather than visitors. None of this makes cannabis legal: the policy suspends prosecution for small amounts, and anything beyond it is treated as the crime it technically is.

Inside the shop: no alcohol, no hard drugs, house rules apply

The government defines a coffeeshop as a place where cannabis is sold and no alcoholic drinks are sold or consumed, so you will not be served beer or wine with your purchase and should not bring your own.

• Hard drugs are never tolerated.
• Shops can add house rules of their own, so read any that are posted.
• Consuming inside a coffeeshop, or on its terrace where the shop allows it, remains the standard option for visitors staying in hotels.

Where can't you smoke? The Wallen and Dam Square ban

Street smoking is banned in Amsterdam's red-light district and around Dam Square. There is no national ban on using cannabis in public, but cities can impose one, and Amsterdam has. Since 25 May 2023 smoking cannabis on the street has been banned in the Wallen, the red-light district, and around Dam Square, VRT NWS reported when it took effect.

The zone list above comes from a June 2026 update by The Border, an Amsterdam coffeeshop, which names Damrak and Nieuwmarkt among the zones where the €100 fine applies.

Outside Amsterdam: why Maastricht serves residents only

Other Dutch cities can refuse tourists entirely. Since 1 January 2013 national policy has included a residents criterion: only people who live in the Netherlands may visit coffeeshops and buy cannabis there. Shops check this by asking for a valid identity document or residence permit together with an extract from the municipal population register. Whether the rule is actively enforced, the government says, differs from one municipality to the next.

Because the national policy leaves the decision to each city, check the current local rule before any trip to another Dutch town.

The wietexperiment: regulated supply in 10 municipalities, not Amsterdam

The Experiment gesloten coffeeshopketen, usually called the wietexperiment, tests whether cannabis can be grown, supplied and sold legally in a closed, regulated chain. Designated growers began supplying participating shops in a transition phase from 17 June 2024. On 7 April 2025 the experiment phase began, in which coffeeshops in the participating municipalities sell only regulated cannabis.

The participating municipalities are Almere, Arnhem, Breda, Groningen, Heerlen, Maastricht, Nijmegen, Tilburg, Voorne aan Zee and Zaanstad. According to the government, no more than 10 designated growers produce the cannabis, and the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) supervises product quality and packaging.

The experiment phase runs for four years with a possible extension of a year and a half. Afterward, a phase-down returns things to the previous situation unless the cabinet decides otherwise.

Timeline: how the rules got here

1. 2013-01-01

   The residents criterion becomes national policy, with enforcement left to each municipality.

2. 2023-05-25

   Amsterdam bans smoking cannabis on the street in the Wallen and around Dam Square.

3. 2023-12

   Breda and Tilburg start the first, small-scale phase of the regulated-supply experiment.

4. 2024-06-17

   The transition phase begins, and designated growers start supplying shops in participating municipalities.

5. 2025-04-07

   The experiment phase starts; coffeeshops in the 10 municipalities may sell only regulated cannabis.

6. 2026

   Amsterdam's council again declines to apply the residents criterion, according to a local coffeeshop's June update.

Visitor checklist: seven things to get right before you buy

• ID — an original passport or national ID card, and you must be 18 or older.
• 5 grams — the most you can buy in one transaction; don't stock up across several shops.
• No alcohol — coffeeshops neither sell nor allow it.
• No street smoking in the Wallen — or around Dam Square; a €100 fine follows a warning.
• Buy only in coffeeshops — the tolerance policy covers coffeeshop sales, not street dealers.
• Check other cities first — Maastricht serves residents only.
• Leave it in the Netherlands — the tolerance policy covers small amounts inside the country only; it does not extend to carrying cannabis across a border.

For coffeeshops listed by Verdex across the country, see our Netherlands hub. Sellers that authorities have acted against appear on the Red List.