At present, there is no need for a licence to sell tobacco or vapes in the UK, but that is about to change.
The government has published proposals for a new scheme which will require licenses to be obtained for premises where such products are sold, as well as licences for those who are involved in the selling.
At the moment, things are at an early stage with the plans – referred to as ‘Bill 121 2024-25’ – being considered by Parliament. There will be other legislation to follow which will set out some of the finer detail, but the proposals at the moment include;
- A potential limit to the number of licences in particular areas
- A ban on licences being issued for specific area, such as near schools.
- The ability to remove licences if there are problems
The cost of a licence and how long it lasts for will be variable and some of this may be decided at a local level by the Council for the area. The Tradings Standards teams will almost certainly have a role to play and it is intended that they must at least every year decide what their programme of enforcement, if any, will be.
There is planned to be a complete ban on tobacco advertising – other than within specialist retail shops – and a range of offences ranging from selling tobacco to anyone who was born after 1 January 2009, or buying it for them, through to designing or publishing advertising material.
We are currently preparing for the new licensing scheme and taking expressions of interest from clients who would like to engage us to assist in making applications when it comes into force. For more information, please contact us.
You can read the various documents related to the legislation here :
Please fill out the form below if you would like us to assist you with licensing when the scheme goes live.
