The Gujarat International Finance Tec-City or GIFT City is one of the key economic hubs in the state of Gujarat. And while sale and consumption of alcohol was permitted if visitors had a permit, GIFT City has relaxed its liquor norms in a bid to attract domestic and foreign visitors. What are these norms and how will they be implemented in the GIFT City? Let’s take a look at these norms that will shape how visitors can consume liquor in GIFT City!
The Gujarat government has introduced major changes to liquor rules in the GIFT City. Any person from outside Gujarat or India can now consume liquor at designated hotels or restaurants inside GIFT City, Gandhinagar. The state home department announced the changes through a gazette notification on December 20, 2025.
Gujarat is a dry state. This means that manufacturing, sale, and consumption of liquor is strictly prohibited by law. However, the state had exempted GIFT City starting 2023 by allowing sale and consumption of liquor inside the GIFT City’s central business district.
In earlier exemptions in GIFT City, people outside Gujarat visiting the city were allowed to consume liquor by obtaining ‘temporary permits’. However, that has now changed with the December 2025 notification by the state home department.
Now, visitors from outside Gujarat can purchase and consume liquor by showing their valid photo ID card at the time of purchase or consumption. Liquor consumption has been permitted and expanded in a few designated areas as per the new notification. These include hotel terraces, lawns, and poolside zones.
The move to revise this policy is aimed at strengthening GIFT City’s position as a global financial hub. As the first operational International Financial Services Center (IFSC) in India, GIFT City spans across 880 acres along the Sabarmati River.
The high-tech city has been designed to serve as a global financial and IT hub nestled between Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. The move to revise these liquor rules has been made to support the growing global business ecosystem in GIFT City. The move will also streamline operations for international investors and multinational companies, allowing them to issue group permits for major conventions and business events more easily.
While GIFT City’s liquor policies are seeing a slight change, there will be no change in the liquor ban in Gujarat. The state government has clarified that there will be no change in the state’s existing prohibition laws.
According to the Gujarat Prohibition (Amended) Act, 2017, the selling, buying, transporting and possession of liquor is punishable by imprisonment for a term which may extend to ten years. The imprisonment cannot be less than seven years, and the punishment also carries a fine, as per Gujarat Police's State Monitoring Cell.
The new liquor policy rolled out in GIFT City in Gujarat will be limited to the foreign visitors not from Gujarat visiting the city. The notification states that these amended rules do not apply to residents from Gujarat. With the revised policy taking shape starting December 2025, it will make access to liquor more streamlined for visitors.
