Retailers urged to prepare for new Tobacco & Vapes age‑of‑sale requirements

Retailers across the UK are being urged to prepare for major changes to tobacco, vaping and nicotine product sales as new Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) guidance sets out the measures coming into force on 29 October 2026 and 1 January 2027.

The guidance, published on 11 August 2026, confirms that from 29 October 2026 the age of sale for all vaping and nicotine products will be 18, with offences covering under‑age sales, proxy purchasing, free distribution and substantial discounting.

• DHSC: Selling tobacco, herbal smoking products and cigarette papers: from 1 January 2027, tobacco retailers will have to display a notice reading: ‘It is illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009’.
• DHSC: Selling vaping and nicotine products: From 29 October 2026, it will be an offence for retailers, including online retailers, to sell any vaping product or nicotine product to anyone under the age of 18.
• DHSC: Tobacco, vaping and nicotine products: fixed penalty notices
• DHSC: Tobacco and vaping product vending machine ban

For tobacco, herbal smoking products and cigarette papers, the most significant change arrives on 1 January 2027, when it becomes an offence to sell these products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009, implementing the smoke‑free generation measure in the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026. Retailers will also be required to update mandatory age‑of‑sale notices to reflect the new legal position.

The DHSC guidance emphasises that these changes apply across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with enforcement powers varying by jurisdiction. Retailers are advised to review their age‑verification policies, staff training, signage, and compliance procedures well ahead of the deadlines. In Scotland, statutory age‑verification guidance has also been updated, extending requirements to nicotine and herbal smoking products from 29 October 2026 and confirming the 1 January 2027 smoke‑free generation offence.

Industry bodies have warned that the scale of change—particularly the introduction of a birth‑year‑based tobacco age‑of‑sale—will require significant operational preparation, including updated till prompts, revised Challenge 25 procedures, and refreshed compliance documentation.

The Institute of Licensing (IoL) is encouraging licensing practitioners, enforcement officers and retailers to make use of its developing resources page, which is being updated as new guidance and commencement information becomes available. 

Readers are also invited to join the discussion on the IoL Forum, where practitioners are sharing implementation questions, enforcement considerations and local approaches.

Those wishing to follow ongoing DHSC updates can also join the relevant Special Interest Group.