Strange laws to follow in other countries
One of the great pleasures of traveling abroad is the opportunity to spend money on all sorts of pleasant nonsense. But it’s one thing to splurge yourself, and quite another to pay it to the local police for breaking the law. We offer the most bizarre and ridiculous laws of different countries that are worth familiarizing yourself with.
Ridiculous laws abound in every country. Some of them arise in special historical circumstances or because of legal precedents. Time passes, the situation changes – but what is written in the penal code, you can’t knock out with an axe. Lawmakers are usually too lazy to change anything! One thing that saves the day is that as a rule, the most stupid and absurd ones are not enforced.
On the other hand, there are also various fake laws, about which people often write on the Internet, but in reality they do not exist. For example, the ban on kissing at railway stations is attributed to England and France – supposedly in this way the authorities guarantee that passengers will take a seat on time and the train will move according to schedule.
Australia
One of the funniest bans in Australia says that you have no right to appear in the street in pink shorts on Sundays. In second place, the ban on screwing in a light bulb yourself is always recalled – supposedly only a qualified electrician has this privilege. In fact, no Australian police officer will not fine you for all these “transgressions”.
But you can actually pay money if you store, buy or sell more than 50 kilos of potatoes in Western Australia. This law has been enforced since the food wars with the British metropolis. In the same region, you’ll pay a $1,000 fine if you try to crumple a can of beer between your bare breasts. And in South Australia, you’ll be charged $10,000 for disrupting a wedding ceremony.
England
Britain is also full of weird laws that, thankfully, no one enforces. On paper you’re not allowed to clean carpets in the street between 8am and 10pm, drive cattle around town during daytime without proper permission, or turn a stamp depicting the king or queen upside down. The only place where it’s really dangerous to make jokes with banknotes is in Asia: in Thailand you’ll get a fine if you step on a banknote with the image of a monarch, and in India it’s forbidden to take rupees out of the country.
But if you feed seagulls in the Suffolk coastal county, you should probably take about €3.000 out of your pocket – local authorities don’t like these birds so much. And tourists in London should remember the fine for cycling on the sidewalk will cost you £100 and if you park your car and leave it running for over three minutes you’ll pay £120.
The stupidest law in Britain according to the locals is the law against dying inside the Houses of Parliament. The law was passed in 1313 and the explanation is simple: if you die in Parliament, the state must bury you at its own expense. So if you’re going on a tour of Parliament – hang on!
Belgium
If you are in Belgium in the cold season – remember the ridiculous law that prohibits residents to throw snowballs at each other. Five years ago Belgium decided by law that a snowball and a stone are the same thing. And if you value your €100, find something more fun to do – better roll down a snow slide or make a snowman. Not everywhere will you be able to do it with impunity!
Canada
Yes, it is prohibited to make snowmen over 75 centimeters in the Canadian town of Souris. In the town of Petrolia in Ontario it is forbidden to whistle, shout, or make any loud noises 24 hours a day at any time of the year, even if you have won the jackpot at an online casino. The local community is extremely negative to noisy tourists, which warns in advance on its official website. But that’s nothing compared to the absurd ban on publishing, distributing and storing crime-related comics! I wonder how that line even made its way into Canadian law. Fortunately, no one has issued any real fines for reading comic books yet.
Egypt
If you’re thinking of admiring birds through binoculars near the airport, you’d better not. You could end up under arrest and even go to jail for trying to spy on government aviation.
Italy
Another country is the leader in ridiculous bans. One of the most famous of them is the ban on feeding pigeons in St. Mark’s Square. The reason is simple: the birds deface monuments and spread disease. The penalty is about $600. In Venice and Florence is also better not to pamper the pigeons with bread, as local authorities take care of the historical facades.
Interestingly, in other Italian cities lawmaking is also in full swing. In Eraklia it is forbidden to build sand castles – allegedly it disturbs those walking along the promenade. On Venetian beaches it is forbidden to collect seashells (fines from €25 to €250). In Capri you are not allowed to wear wooden shoes, because they make a loud noise. And in Eboli you have to pay €500 if you get caught kissing in the car.
(However, this is nothing compared to kissing in Dubai and Indonesia: there you can pay not only a fine, but also your own freedom.)
Germany
This country has a strange law according to which you are not allowed to brake on the autobahn. Even if you have a flat tire or run out of fuel. You might manage to somehow persuade the cops to take your side but you’ll probably have to say goodbye to a hundred euros.
Switzerland
Most different publications write that in this country it is forbidden to flush the toilet after 10 pm – allegedly to respect the rules of silence. In fact, no one will fine you for it. But you can easily shell out $109 for a walk in the Alps naked! This law has been in place since 2010.
Singapore
You can pay as much as $500 if you don’t flush a public toilet. You can’t bring chewing gum into Singapore, let alone chew it, which will cost you $400. Oh, and speaking of birds, the local government took a toll on them too. You will have to pay up to $1000 if you want to feed the birds.
THE USA
And the list of countries with stupid and absurd laws is closed, of course, by the United States. Some states have dozens of ridiculous legislative initiatives. Sometimes they only make the locals smile. And sometimes they threaten with real fines. For example, in Illinois, you can be charged $1,000 if you hit rats with a baseball bat. In Minnesota, up to $2,000 if you drive through town with dirty tires. Colorado state authorities will fine you $500 for killing a dog (though if you steal it from a neighbor, you could go to jail for 10 years).