Presale type

Ticket Resale Rules in 2027: What Each Country Allows

How resale rules work: the main models

Despite the variety, most national and regional resale rules fall into a few recognisable models. The first is no specific price limit, where resale is legal at any price but subject to general consumer law, such as rules on misleading information. The second is a face-value cap, where a ticket may only be resold at the price originally paid, sometimes including fees. The third is a percentage cap, allowing a limited mark-up, typically ten per cent above the original price. The fourth targets who is selling rather than the price, for example by prohibiting habitual or professional reselling without the organiser's permission while leaving occasional resale by individuals alone. Alongside these sit rules on automated buying, which ban the use of software to get around purchase limits, and disclosure requirements that force resale listings to show the original price, the seat and any restrictions. Many countries combine several of these, and some apply them only to certain events or venues.

A second layer comes from the ticket itself. Even where national law allows resale, the terms and conditions of the original sale may restrict transfers, require the ticket holder's name to match the buyer's identity, or permit resale only through a specific exchange. Courts in several countries have upheld such conditions, and organisers can cancel tickets that breach them. Named or personalised tickets are increasingly common for high-demand tours, which means the practical question is often less about the legal price limit and more about whether a ticket can be transferred to a new holder at all. In many markets, the official seller provides a face-value exchange that handles the name change automatically, and some independent fan-to-fan platforms cap prices close to face value by policy. When reading the country notes below, keep both layers in mind: the national law sets the outer limits, and the ticket terms decide what is possible for a given show.

UK and Ireland resale rules

In the United Kingdom, resale above face value is not generally prohibited by law at the time of writing, with the notable exception of football, where reselling tickets to designated matches without the club's authorisation has long been an offence. Consumer law does require resale listings to disclose key information, including the original face value, the seat or standing area and any restrictions on use, and using automated software to buy more tickets than an event's limit allows has been an offence since 2018. That position is expected to change. The government has committed to capping resale at the original price plus unavoidable fees, with resale platform fees also capped and platforms made responsible for enforcement, and a draft Ticket Tout Ban Bill was included in the King's Speech in May 2026 for pre-legislative scrutiny. At the time of writing it is not yet law, and reports suggest it may take until a later parliamentary session to be enacted. Check the current status before relying on it.

Ireland's resale rules under the 2021 Act

Ireland moved earlier than the UK. The Sale of Tickets Act 2021, in force since July 2021, prohibits reselling tickets above their original price for designated events and events in designated venues, which in practice covers most large concerts and sporting events. Venue operators and event organisers apply for designation, and the system is aimed at the high-demand events where the problem is most visible. There are exemptions, for example for certain amateur sports clubs and registered charities, and penalties for breaches can be substantial. The law does not ban resale altogether: fans can pass on a ticket at or below its original price, and the official sellers operating in Ireland generally offer a fan-to-fan exchange for that purpose. Enforcement has been debated in the Oireachtas, with some politicians arguing in 2026 that inflated resale listings remain widely visible. That debate concerns how well the law is applied, not its basic content, which remains a face-value cap for designated events and venues.

US resale rules: the BOTS Act and the states

In the United States, the main federal law is the Better Online Ticket Sales Act of 2016, usually called the BOTS Act. It prohibits circumventing the security measures, access controls or purchase limits that ticket sellers use, and it prohibits selling tickets obtained that way. It does not cap resale prices. Enforcement sits with the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general. In September 2025, the FTC and seven states sued Live Nation and Ticketmaster, alleging among other things that the companies failed to prevent BOTS Act violations by brokers and concealed the full price of tickets; the companies contested the case, and at the time of writing it continues in court. Separately, the FTC's fee rule, in force since May 2025, requires sellers of live-event tickets, including resale platforms, to show the total price with mandatory fees from the start. Beyond that, resale in the US is largely a matter of state law, which varies enormously.

State resale rules across the US

State resale rules range from almost nothing to detailed regulation. Some states require ticket resellers to be licensed or registered; New York and Massachusetts are long-standing examples of states that regulate the resale business itself. Several states, including New York, Colorado, Utah and Virginia, have passed laws protecting a ticket buyer's ability to transfer or resell tickets, limiting how far primary sellers can restrict transfers. A smaller group has nominal price limits that, in practice, contain wide exceptions for online or registered resellers. In 2026, a new wave of proposals focused on speculative listings, where a seller offers a ticket they do not yet hold, and on deceptive websites that imitate official sellers; North Carolina and the District of Columbia were reported to have passed measures, the latter with a mark-up cap expected to take effect in 2027. Because these laws differ so much, the safest approach is to check the rules of the state where the event is held, and the terms of the specific ticket.

Canadian resale rules: Ontario and Québec

Canada has no single national resale law; provinces set their own resale rules, and the two largest markets have taken different paths. Ontario's Ticket Sales Act has banned the use of bots to buy tickets for years, and a price cap planned in 2017 was dropped in 2019 before it took effect. In 2026 the province reversed course: legislation passed that spring caps resale at the original total price paid, including taxes and mandatory fees, and it applied from late April 2026. The cap applies to people reselling tickets, not to primary sellers such as venues or promoters, and the major platforms adjusted their Ontario listings accordingly. Québec has had restrictions for longer: its consumer protection framework prohibits reselling a ticket at a price higher than the one set by the producer without the producer's consent, a rule in place since the early 2010s. Other provinces have fewer specific rules. If you buy in one province and the event is in another, the event's location is usually what matters.

Resale rules in Australia and New Zealand

Australian resale rules are set by the states and territories, and they share a common reference point: a ten per cent cap above the original price, applied in different ways. New South Wales prohibits advertising tickets for resale at more than ten per cent above the original supply cost, which includes booking and delivery fees, and requires listings to show the original price and seat details. South Australia has a similar ten per cent limit for events covered by its rules. Victoria applies a ten per cent cap to events declared as major events under its Major Events Act, which organisers must apply for, so coverage depends on the event. Queensland applies a ten per cent cap to its major sports facilities and to declared major events. Western Australia has its own anti-scalping legislation, while Tasmania and the Northern Territory have fewer specific rules. Because coverage varies, check whether the event you are interested in falls under the relevant state's scheme before assuming a cap applies.

New Zealand resale rules and major events

New Zealand has a narrower approach. According to the Commerce Commission, there is no general law preventing event tickets being resold above the original price. The main exception is events covered by the Major Events Management Act 2007, for which tickets may not be resold above the original sale price, including booking and delivery fees. That designation is used for a limited number of large events and has historically focused on sport rather than concerts. Beyond that, the Fair Trading Act applies to traders, including resale businesses, and prohibits misleading conduct, for example about the price, the seat or the validity of a ticket. The government has consulted on resale in the past, and ministers have periodically signalled interest in further limits, but at the time of writing we are not aware of a general resale cap having been enacted. Check the Commerce Commission's current guidance if you are reselling or buying a ticket for a New Zealand concert.

European resale rules: France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany

Western Europe illustrates almost every model described above. France and Belgium regulate resale by law, with an emphasis on who is selling and how often. The Netherlands has no general statutory price cap and relies on ticket terms and market practice. Germany also has no dedicated resale statute, but its courts have shaped the market by enforcing organisers' conditions, especially for personalised tickets. Across the European Union, general consumer law applies to all of these markets, including rules on misleading information and price transparency, and the Digital Services Act imposes obligations on online platforms that host third-party listings. The European Commission has also indicated that ticketing practices are part of its wider review of digital fairness rules, although at the time of writing no EU-wide resale cap exists. The country notes below summarise each national position. As always, the ticket's own terms can impose conditions that go further than the national baseline, and those terms are what an organiser will enforce at the door.

French resale rules

France has regulated ticket resale since a 2012 law that added an offence to the Penal Code. It prohibits selling or offering for sale tickets to a sporting, cultural or commercial event or a live performance on a habitual basis without the permission of the producer, organiser or rights holder, with fines of up to €15,000, doubled for repeat offences. France's Constitutional Council upheld the provision in 2018. Occasional resale by an individual who cannot attend is not covered by this offence, although the ticket's terms may still restrict transfers, and some subsidised performances are subject to older rules limiting resale to the purchase price. In practice, many French organisers authorise resale through specific exchanges, often at face value, and those channels are how most fans pass on a ticket. A parliamentary proposal to create a formal framework for approved resale platforms has been discussed in the Senate; at the time of writing we have not seen it adopted.

Belgian resale rules

Belgium's Act of 30 July 2013 is one of the stricter frameworks in Europe. It prohibits occasional resale of tickets for cultural, sporting and commercial events and live performances at a price higher than the original price, and it prohibits habitual resale unless authorised by the organiser, including preparatory steps such as advertising those sales. Penalties are administrative and criminal, and a separate law has long covered football. The rules mean that a fan in Belgium can pass on a ticket at or below its original price, while professional reselling at a profit is effectively prohibited without the organiser's agreement. The law has been challenged: a resale platform and consumers asked a Brussels court in 2024 to refer questions about its compatibility with EU law to the Court of Justice. At the time of writing we are not aware of a final outcome, so the 2013 Act remains the reference point for Belgian events. Official face-value exchanges are common for major Belgian festivals and concerts.

Dutch resale rules

The Netherlands has no general statutory resale price cap. A bill to cap commercial resale at twenty per cent above face value was debated in the Dutch parliament in the 2010s but, as far as we can establish, did not become a general law. Resale is therefore governed by general consumer and contract law and by the conditions attached to each ticket. Many Dutch events restrict transfers or require resale through a specific channel, and the Dutch market is notable for the role of fan-to-fan exchanges: the widely used Dutch platform TicketSwap applies its own policy limiting resale prices to a modest mark-up over the original price, and official sellers run their own face-value exchanges for many events. Disputes have arisen over events that allowed resale only through the primary seller's exchange, prompting political debate about competition and fees, but at the time of writing that debate has not produced new legislation. For a Dutch event, the ticket's terms are the first thing to check.

German resale rules

Germany has no dedicated statute capping ticket resale prices, so the key German resale rules come from contract law, competition law and the courts. German organisers commonly attach conditions to tickets, such as personalisation with the buyer's name or a ban on commercial resale, and German courts have generally upheld those conditions and the organiser's right to refuse entry when they are breached. Courts have also required resale platforms to give buyers clear information, including whether a ticket is personalised and therefore at risk of being refused at the door. Some rulings have treated resale at well above the original price in breach of a ticket's conditions as anti-competitive. Several high-profile tours in Germany have used personalised tickets alongside an official exchange, and the main ticketing companies operate fan-to-fan resale services at or near face value. For a German show, check whether the ticket is personalised and which resale route the organiser has named before buying or selling.

Resale rules in Italy and Spain

Italy has some of the most restrictive resale rules in Europe. A law adopted in 2016 and strengthened afterwards prohibits the sale of tickets for profit through secondary channels, and since 2019 tickets for events in venues with a capacity above 5,000 must be nominative, showing the holder's name, with identity checks possible at the entrance. Italian fans who cannot attend generally use the change-of-name procedure provided by the official seller, sometimes for a fee and within a deadline, or an official resale service where the event offers one, typically at face value. The communications regulator AGCOM enforces the rules and has fined resale platforms repeatedly, including fines totalling millions of euros. Promoters have raised practical concerns about entry delays caused by identity checks, but the system remains in place at the time of writing. For any Italian event in a large venue, assume the ticket is named and plan any transfer through the official process rather than an informal handover.

Spanish resale rules: a reform in progress

Spain currently has no specific national law regulating online ticket resale. An old royal decree from 1982 prohibits street resale outside venues, but it predates the internet and does not address online platforms. In practice, resale is shaped by ticket conditions, regional rules for certain events and the official resale services that some primary sellers have offered since 2023. That may change. The Spanish government has approved a preliminary draft of a consumer law that would cap resale at the original price adjusted for inflation and impose obligations on resale platforms. At the time of writing, that draft has not completed its passage through parliament, and its final form may differ. Critics have questioned whether an inflation-based cap would be effective and how platform fees would be treated. Until a law is passed, the ticket's own terms remain the main constraint, and many Spanish organisers direct fans to an official face-value exchange when they cannot attend.

Asian and Latin American resale rules

Japan introduced a specific law in June 2019, ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, banning the for-profit resale of certain tickets without the organiser's consent and the purchase of tickets for that purpose. It applies to tickets that specify a date and seat or require the purchaser's identity and state that resale is prohibited, which covers most major concerts and sporting events. Penalties include up to a year in prison, fines of up to one million yen, or both. Before 2019, street touting was already prohibited by local ordinances, but online resale was largely unregulated. Japanese organisers and ticketing companies commonly provide official resale or trade services at face value, through which fans can pass on tickets they cannot use, and many Japanese concerts require identification at the door. For an international fan, the practical effect is that a Japanese concert ticket should be treated as personal: if you cannot attend, the official resale route is the expected way to pass it on.

South Korean resale rules after August 2026

South Korea has tightened its resale rules in two steps. Amendments that took effect in 2024 made it an offence to resell tickets bought using macro programs, the automated software used to grab tickets at the moment a sale opens, but they did not cover resale where no macro was proven. Further amendments, passed in early 2026 with implementing decrees in force from 28 August 2026, extended the ban to illicit resale regardless of how the ticket was bought. Penalties include criminal sanctions of up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won, confiscation of gains and a separate administrative penalty that can reach two to fifty times the total sale amount, along with rewards for whistleblowers. The rules apply to performances and also to sports and major esports events. Korean ticketing platforms commonly offer their own cancellation and resale processes, and identity checks are standard at large K-pop concerts.

Brazilian and Mexican resale rules

In Brazil, the General Sports Law of 2023 makes selling sports tickets above the printed price a crime. For concerts and other cultural events, the position is less clear-cut: a bill known informally as the "Lei Taylor Swift", approved by the Chamber of Deputies in 2024, would create specific offences for resale and fake tickets, but at the time of writing we have not been able to confirm its final passage. In Mexico, resale has historically been regulated locally; in Mexico City, for example, reselling tickets is treated as an administrative offence under the city's civic culture law. The federal consumer agency Profeco became considerably more active in 2026, opening proceedings involving primary and resale platforms, publishing guidelines on ticket sale information and filing complaints relating to resale for major events, and a bill to amend the federal consumer protection law was introduced in February 2026. Mexican resale rules are therefore evolving quickly.

Fan-to-fan resale and presale buyers: resale rules in practice

For most fans, resale rules matter in one of two moments: when you cannot use a ticket you bought in a presale, and when you missed the presale and are looking for a ticket. In the first case, the simplest route in almost every market we cover is the official exchange offered by the primary seller, where you can list the ticket at face value, the system transfers it to the new buyer and, where tickets are named, updates the holder. Many sellers, including Ticketmaster, AXS, See Tickets, Eventim and others, run such services for at least some events, and independent fan-to-fan exchanges such as Twickets in the UK or TicketSwap in the Netherlands operate with price limits set by their own policies. In the second case, the resale rules of the country where the event is held decide what prices are legal and what information a listing must show. Our presale glossary defines the key terms used in resale listings.

A few habits help regardless of the country. Read the terms of the ticket before buying, especially for named or personalised tickets, because they determine whether a transfer is possible. Keep your purchase confirmation, since some resale services and venues ask for proof of the original price. If you buy on a secondary market, check that the listing shows the original face value, the seat or area and any restrictions, which many jurisdictions require. Compare the total price, including fees, rather than the headline figure; in the US, the FTC's rule now requires the total to be shown upfront, and the UK, Ireland and the EU have their own price transparency rules. And remember that rules may change between the moment you buy and the date of the concert, as several of the reforms above show. For the sale itself, our presale day checklist and our explainer on dynamic pricing cover the primary side of the market.

Resale rules FAQ

The questions below are the ones readers ask most often when they look at resale rules across different countries. They focus on situations that come up around presales: what to do with a ticket you cannot use, whether cross-border purchases follow different rules, how named tickets affect resale and how to tell whether a law is in force or only proposed. As with everything on this page, the answers are general information rather than legal advice, and they reflect the position at the time of writing. When a reform is mentioned, we indicate whether it is in force, passed but not yet applied, or still under discussion. If you need certainty for a specific event, the ticket's terms and the consumer protection authority of the country where the event takes place are the best sources. For country-specific presale information, the guides listed on our countries page cover each market in more detail.

Which resale rules apply if I buy a ticket for a show abroad?

Generally, the resale rules of the country, state or province where the event takes place are the ones that matter, together with the terms set by the organiser and the primary seller. A fan in London buying a ticket for a show in Toronto is dealing with Ontario's cap; a fan in Paris buying for a show in Milan is dealing with Italian named-ticket rules. Consumer protection in your home country may also apply to the purchase itself, especially when a seller targets consumers in your country, but the practical question at the venue door is whether the ticket complies with local rules and the event's conditions. This is why named tickets can be particularly important for cross-border fans: if the name on the ticket does not match your identity document and the venue checks, local rules and conditions will generally prevail. Before buying for an event abroad, read the ticket's terms and the relevant local guidance.

Do resale rules let me sell a presale ticket I can no longer use?

In almost every market we cover, yes, at least at face value and through the right channel. The main exceptions are tickets whose terms prohibit any transfer, which are rare for concerts but do exist, and markets where a ticket is named and must be changed through an official procedure, as in Italy for large venues. The safest route is usually the official exchange offered by the primary seller, which ensures the new holder receives a valid ticket and, where relevant, updates the name. Some presale tickets carry extra conditions, for example a requirement that the cardholder who bought them attends, so check the terms. Selling above face value is legal in some places, such as most of the UK at the time of writing, but prohibited or capped in others, including Ireland for designated events, Ontario, Belgium and several Australian states. If in doubt, reselling at or below the price you paid avoids most legal issues.

How can I tell whether new resale rules are already in force?

Look for three things: whether the law has passed, whether it has commenced and whether it applies to your event. Several reforms mentioned on this page are at different stages. The UK's resale cap was in draft form for pre-legislative scrutiny at the time of writing. Spain's proposal had been approved by the government as a preliminary draft but not passed by parliament. Ontario's cap and South Korea's broader ban, by contrast, were in force in 2026. Some laws apply only to designated events or venues, as in Ireland, Victoria or New Zealand. The most reliable sources are the government or consumer authority of the country concerned, such as the relevant ministry, the competition and consumer regulator or the official legislation database. News reports are useful for spotting changes but can be imprecise about timing. When we update this page, we describe each reform's status as clearly as possible and avoid treating proposals as settled law.

Are fan-to-fan resale platforms covered by the same resale rules?

Yes. Where a country has a price cap or disclosure requirement, it generally applies to the listing regardless of which platform hosts it, and in some places platforms have specific duties of their own, such as checking that listings respect the cap or displaying the total price. What distinguishes fan-to-fan platforms is that many apply stricter limits voluntarily: some only allow resale at the original price, others cap the mark-up at a modest percentage, and official exchanges run by primary sellers typically operate at face value. That is why fans in markets without a legal cap, such as most of the UK and the Netherlands at the time of writing, can still find tickets close to face value. Fees differ between platforms and can make a significant difference to the final total, so compare the full price. Whichever platform you use, the event's own terms continue to apply, including any name or identity requirements set by the organiser.

Do resale rules affect presale codes or presale access?

Presale access is separate from resale, but the two are linked by the same aim: getting tickets to fans rather than to people buying in order to resell. Presale access is issued by the official channel running the presale, such as a fan club, a card issuer, a promoter or a ticketing platform, to its own members, and the terms of these programmes usually prohibit sharing or selling access. Laws such as the BOTS Act in the US, the UK's offence relating to automated buying and Korea's rules on macro programs target the tools used to get around presale and purchase limits. We never publish or distribute presale codes. Our alerts tell you when and where a presale happens and which official channel provides access, so you can register in time. If you are offered presale access for a fee by a third party, be aware that it may breach the programme's terms and fail at checkout.