Alcohol compliance

The legal requirements for alcohol sales and delivery vary across regions. Retailers and Instacart must ensure that they are in compliance with these laws. Instacart has an internal compliance service that is used by all Instacart solutions, including Instacart Connect. When a cart or order contains alcohol, the request goes to the compliance service flow, which identifies the region and runs the compliance check.

Details used for the compliance check

The following details are used in an alcohol compliance check:

• Store address
• Customer address
• Customer address type (business or residential)
• Customer date of birth
• Delivery time and day
• Alcohol type (wine, beer, or spirits)
• Alcohol quantity
• Alcohol content (ABV)

Responsibility for running the checks depends on whether Instacart has the list of items:

• For delivery and pickup orders, Instacart is sent the list of items and runs the compliance check on all details.
• For last mile delivery orders, Instacart is informed that the order contains alcohol, but doesn't have the list of items or the customer's date of birth. The retailer is responsible for ensuring that the order is compliant in terms of alcohol type, alcohol quantity, and the customer's age. Instacart is responsible for ensuring that the addresses and the delivery time and day are compliant.

Instacart Connect requests and compliance

The following types of requests trigger the alcohol compliance check:

Request	Delivery	Pickup	Last mile delivery
List time slots for delivery	✅	✅	❌
Reserve a time slot	✅	✅	❌
Create an order	✅	✅	✅
Update an order	✅	✅	✅

For delivery and pickup, if a time slot is not available for alcohol delivery, the time slot is marked as available=false and includes the reason; these time slots cannot be reserved or booked while the cart contains alcohol.

Instacart policy for alcohol delivery

Instacart requires that shoppers and customers adhere to the following rules for orders containing alcohol:

• In the United States and Canada, alcohol cannot be left unattended. If you're in a country other than the U.S. or Canada, please contact your Connect Account Manager and their legal partner to discuss local rules. Instacart does not currently deliver alcohol outside of the United States or Canada.
• The person receiving the order must be at or above the legal purchase age in their region and present valid ID. The person receiving the order does not need to be the person who placed it. An underage person cannot accept the order on behalf of the customer. Shoppers are instructed to deliver alcohol only after confirming that the recipient matches the photo on their ID.
• The person receiving the order must show a valid (unexpired), government-issued photo ID that shows their date of birth and matches the person at the door. Screenshots, photos, photocopies, digital copies, non-government IDs, and minor's IDs are not accepted. Instacart's accepted IDs are: state ID or driver's license, U.S. or foreign passport, U.S. military ID, and permanent resident card (acceptance may vary by state). Shoppers verify the ID by scanning it or entering the details manually. In some states, a signature is also required at delivery. Under no circumstances is alcohol handed over unless, and until, the recipient's age has been verified.
• Customers of purchasing age cannot purchase alcohol on behalf of an underage person, and shoppers must refuse delivery if they suspect the recipient is accepting on behalf of an underage person.
• Alcohol will not be delivered to anyone who appears intoxicated. Shoppers assess this from visible signs and may refuse delivery at their discretion.
• If delivery can't be completed (no valid ID, underage or intoxicated recipient, no one available to receive it, or a suspected proxy purchase for a minor), the alcohol is not left at the address and is returned to the store where it was purchased.

Customer checkout best practices

Consider telling your customers about the Instacart policy for alcohol delivery. While Instacart does not require you to add this information, the customer experience is better if the customer knows what to expect.

Suggested Language "Hi Andrea, it looks like you have alcohol in your cart. Please have your ID ready for age verification when your shopper arrives. Someone of legal purchasing age must be present to receive the order, or it will be returned to the store. Please note that your shopper is unable to leave alcohol unattended or to deliver alcohol to an individual who is underage or appears intoxicated."

Ensure your site can handle the following scenarios for alcohol compliance in the customer's region:

• Some time slots are not available due to regional laws governing alcohol delivery days and times.
• The type or quantity of alcohol exceeds regional laws.
• The customer is underage.
• After a time slot is reserved, alcohol is added to the cart and the time slot is no longer compliant.
• After an order is created, alcohol is added to the order and the time slot or order is no longer compliant.
• The recipient fails ID or age verification at the door, and the order is returned to the store.
• The customer is unavailable to receive the alcohol order, and the order is returned to the store.
• The delivery address is a restricted location, such as a college campus or student housing.