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What Age Can You Vape?
Legal Guides
The legal age to buy and use vaping products in the UK is 18. Here is a clear guide to the law, how it is enforced, what the penalties are for retailers who break it and what the rules mean in practice for vapers and for shops like ours.
18
Legal Minimum Age to Buy Vaping Products in the UK
2015
Year the Age Restriction Was Extended from 16 to 18
£2,500
Maximum Fine for Retailers Who Sell to Under-18s
The law
What Age Can You Vape in the UK?
The legal minimum age is 18
Buying, selling and supplying vaping products to under-18s is illegal in the UK
It is illegal to sell or supply vaping products to anyone under the age of 18 in the UK. This applies to e-cigarettes, vaping devices, e-liquids, replacement coils, pods and any other nicotine-containing vaping product. The restriction was introduced in 2015 under the Nicotine Inhaling Products (Age of Sale and Proxy Purchasing) Regulations, which aligned the age restriction for vaping products with the existing age restriction for tobacco. The law applies to in-store sales, online sales and any other form of supply including giving vaping products to a person under 18 as a gift.
This is a general information guide. It is not legal advice. If you have specific legal questions about age restrictions and vaping products, please consult a qualified legal professional or Trading Standards.
The legal framework
How the Law Works in Practice
The Nicotine Inhaling Products Regulations 2015
The Nicotine Inhaling Products (Age of Sale and Proxy Purchasing) Regulations 2015 made it a criminal offence to sell or supply e-cigarettes and related products to anyone under 18 in England, Wales and Scotland. These regulations mirror the existing framework for tobacco products. Northern Ireland implemented equivalent legislation at the same time. The regulations apply to any person or business that supplies vaping products, whether a specialist retailer, a convenience store, an online retailer or a private individual.
Proxy Purchasing: Adults Buying on Behalf of Under-18s
The 2015 regulations also created the offence of proxy purchasing, where an adult buys vaping products on behalf of someone they know to be under 18. This mirrors the proxy purchasing offence for tobacco and alcohol and is designed to prevent adults from circumventing the age restriction by purchasing on behalf of underage individuals. The offence applies regardless of whether money changes hands. An adult who buys a vape for a 16-year-old family member commits a criminal offence under these regulations.
How the Law Is Enforced
Age restriction compliance for vaping products is enforced primarily by local Trading Standards teams, who conduct test purchasing operations in which underage volunteers attempt to buy age-restricted products. Retailers found to have sold to underage customers face prosecution, fines of up to £2,500 per offence and potentially losing their licence to sell age-restricted products. The MHRA also has a role in enforcement of vaping product compliance more broadly.
Age Verification Requirements
UK retailers selling vaping products are required to operate a Challenge 25 policy, asking for proof of age from anyone who appears to be under 25. Acceptable forms of ID include a passport, a photo driving licence, a PASS-accredited proof of age card (such as a Citizen Card) and, for online sales, verified age confirmation processes. A retailer who genuinely and reasonably believed a customer was 18 or over has a statutory defence against prosecution, but this defence requires that a documented Challenge 25 policy was in operation and followed.
"We apply Challenge 25 in our Leicester store and have done since we opened. We ask everyone who looks under 25 for ID. No ID, no sale, and we explain why if asked. It is the right thing to do and it is the law."
Touch of Vape team, LeicesterFor parents and young people
What Under-18s and Their Parents Should Know
01
Under-18s cannot legally buy vaping products
This applies in any shop, any online retailer and to any form of supply. There are no exceptions based on parental consent or medical need.
02
Adults who buy for under-18s commit a criminal offence
Proxy purchasing is illegal regardless of the relationship between the adult and the young person.
03
Underage vaping carries health risks
The developing brain and body of a young person is more vulnerable to nicotine's effects on reward circuitry and addiction pathways than a fully developed adult brain. These risks are why the age restriction exists.
04
Reporting suspected underage sales
If you believe a retailer is selling vaping products to under-18s, this can be reported to your local Trading Standards team or to the MHRA.
Touch of Vape Leicester
Age Verification at Touch of Vape Leicester
We operate a strict Challenge 25 policy and ask every customer who looks under 25 for ID. We sell only to over-18s.
To find our Leicester store and check our product range, visit our Vape Shop Leicester page.
From our Legal guide
Part of our Legal guide
Legal Guides
Our Legal guide covers UK vaping law, the vape tax, MHRA regulation and the rules that govern what you can and cannot do with vaping products in the UK.
Find more UK vaping law guides in our Legal guide.
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Questions About UK Vaping Law? Our Leicester Team Knows the Rules.
We operate a compliant, responsible store. Come in and ask us anything.