What is the legal age in United Kingdom for a person to purchase cigarettes?
Can I sell tobacco to a minor who brings a signed note from a parent?
Can I sell tobacco to a minor if a parent telephones me and requests it?
Can I sell rolling papers to minors?
Are there any restrictions on who I can sell matches to?
How can I ensure my staff refuse tobacco sales to minors when I am not present?
What is the legal age in United Kingdom for a person to purchase cigarettes?
They must be 18 years of age.
Can I sell tobacco to a minor who brings a signed note from a parent?
No. A note from an adult does not permit a retailer to sell tobacco to a minor. The retailer could still be fined or worse if this a repeat offence.
Can I sell tobacco to a minor if a parent telephones me and requests it?
No. A phone call from a minor’s parent does not make the sale legal. A retailer should explain that the law states that adults have to come in person to purchase tobacco.
You are advised to accept only the following forms of Proof of Age:
- Photo driver’s license
- Current Passport
- PASS accredited proof of age cards bearing the PASS hologram (e.g. CitizenCard)
There are a number of PASS card issuers in the scheme – visit the proof of age standards scheme website – www.pass-scheme.org.uk for more information.
Can I sell rolling papers to minors?
No ‘tobacco product’ can be sold to minors, including:
- Cigarettes and cigars
- Rolling papers
- Tobacco leaves and extract
Are there any restrictions on who I can sell matches to?
There are no published restrictions on the sale of matches (although novelty matches cannot be sold to anyone under the age of 16). However, we strongly recommend that matches are not sold to children.
How can I ensure my staff refuse tobacco sales to minors when I am not present?
Make all efforts to train your staff properly. It is important that all members of staff understand the consequences of breaching the existing law and the additional laws which came into force on April 1st 2009.
JTI is in the process of developing a training module for this site which will provide you with training tools specifically developed to make it easy for you to demonstrate to staff the tactics for ‘getting it right’ and the consequences of ‘getting it wrong’.
Meanwhile, please see www.noidnosale.com for guidance and training tips on the existing laws.
We have included some ideas for implementing a ‘Clear Store Policy’ in the Impact section of this site which, if you decide to implement, will do a good job of educating staff and customers alike.
