50 Weird Laws From Across the World

By Hedy Phillips

Updated on 10/23/2017 at 8:01 AM

StockSnap | Matthew Henry
Stocksnap | Matthew Henry

The world is an interesting place, to say the least, and it has some interesting laws and rules to go along with it. While some laws that are written seem completely obvious and make you scratch your head — No bear wrestling! No taking lions to movies! — some are completely off the wall. In fact, some are so out there that you have to wonder if they're even enforced. While you shouldn't necessarily let some silly laws completely drive your travel plans for the future, you might want to make sure that you don't do anything illegal next time you're in a new place. Curious what we're talking about? Read on for 50 of the most absurd laws from around the world.

Flickr user dawnlaing

  1. Silly string and confetti are illegal in Mobile, AL.
  2. Stepping on money is illegal in Thailand.
  3. It is illegal in Arizona to have more than two vibrators in your home.
  4. In England, it's illegal to handle salmon in "suspicious circumstances."
  5. In some areas in India, a man can use his wife as payment to settle a debt.
POPSUGAR Photography | Rima Brindamour

  1. In Milan, Italy, you are legally required to smile at all times except at funerals or hospital visits.
  2. Chewing gum is banned in Singapore. Only dental and nicotine gums are allowed.
  3. France has a written law that it is illegal to marry a dead person.
  4. Any whale or great sturgeon caught in the UK legally belongs to the queen.
  5. You're not allowed to drive with an uncaged bear in Missouri.
Stocksnap | Matthew Henry

  1. While there's no law banning women from driving in Saudi Arabia, they are not allowed to get driver's licenses, which in turn makes it illegal for them to drive.
  2. Denmark has a list of 7,000 approved baby names and it's illegal to choose something else unless you have government permission.
  3. You may not feed the birds in Venice, Italy's St. Mark's Square.
  4. Wrestling a bear is illegal in Alabama.
  5. Pennsylvania prohibits anyone from tying a dollar bill to a string on the ground and pulling it away when someone tries to pick it up.
POPSUGAR Photography | Sheila Gim

  1. It's illegal to carry ice cream in your pocket in Kentucky.
  2. In Massachusetts, it's illegal for a woman to be on top during sex.
  3. Men over the age of 80 cannot become pilots in Turkey.
  4. If you stumble upon a Sasquatch or Big Foot in British Columbia, Canada, it's illegal to kill them.
  5. You may not go fishing from a giraffe's neck while in Chicago.
Flickr user stevepj2009

  1. In England, it's illegal to operate a cow while intoxicated.
  2. A man may not kick a woman out of bed in Virginia.
  3. There is to be no dirty talk during sex in Oregon.
  4. A Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, law states that it is illegal to bathe nude in Okanagan Lake between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m.
  5. Utah citizens can marry their first cousins if both parties are over the age of 65.
Stocksnap | Ugur Akdemir

  1. In Utah, a man is responsible for his wife's actions if he is with her at the time.
  2. It is illegal across Canada to intentionally scare the queen.
  3. Ohio prohibits anyone from getting a fish drunk.
  4. It is illegal to buy a prostitute's services in Sweden, though it is not illegal for a prostitute to be selling their services.
  5. Children over the age of 15 in Bangladesh can be jailed for cheating on exams.
Flickr user randearcher

  1. Nightclubs in Argentina must play the same amount of tango music as all the other music combined.
  2. The only people who are legally allowed to change light bulbs in Victoria, Australia, are electricians.
  3. You are legally not allowed to die in the House of Parliament in England.
  4. In Minnesota, games where participants have to catch a greased-up pig are illegal.
  5. One out of every five songs on Canadian radio must be by a Canadian musician.
Flickr user kangirsuk

  1. All business signs in Quebec, Canada, must be in French.
  2. It's illegal to run out of gas on the Autobahn in Germany.
  3. You are not allowed to eat mince pies on Christmas Day in England.
  4. Though this rule has changed throughout the years, it is still unlawful to name a pig after a public figure in France.
  5. You may not, under any circumstances, take a lion to the theater in Baltimore.
Stocksnap | Tuur Tisseghem

  1. No singing loudly after sunset in Honolulu.
  2. In Canada, comic books that portray illegal activities are banned.
  3. Giving a lit cigar to your pet is illegal in Illinois.
  4. It's considered treason in England to place a postage stamp of a monarch on an envelope upside down.
  5. It's illegal to leave your house without underwear in Thailand.
POPSUGAR Photography | Bonnie Burke

  1. In Torino, Italy, dog owners must take their dogs on walks three times a day.
  2. You may not threaten someone with an unloaded gun in Texas.
  3. Men who cross-dress in Australia may only do so if the dresses are not strapless.
  4. No one is allowed to carry a plank on a sidewalk in England.
  5. If you're in Scotland and someone knocks on your door asking to use the bathroom, you must let them in.