Age-Restricted Products

Guide summary

You must verify the age of anyone buying age-restricted products like alcohol, tobacco, and knives. Ask for ID from anyone who looks under 25 under the Challenge 25 policy. Train your staff, keep a refusal log, and display signage to avoid an unlimited fine or losing your licence.

Ask for ID from anyone who looks under 25 (Challenge 25 policy)
Accept only valid UK or foreign passport, photocard driving licence, PASS card, or military ID
Refuse sale if customer cannot show acceptable ID
Record every refusal in a log with date, time, staff member, and customer description
Train all staff on age verification and refresh training every 6 months
Display Challenge 25 signs at entrances and points of sale
Do not accept paper driving licence, birth certificate, or out-of-date ID
Penalty for underage alcohol sale: unlimited fine in England and Wales
Penalty for underage tobacco sale: £2,500 fine per offence
Proxy sales are illegal – do not sell to adults buying for under-18s

Selling age-restricted products to underage customers is a criminal offence with serious penalties. Retailers must implement robust age verification procedures to avoid prosecution.

Age-restricted products - minimum age requirements

Minimum age requirements for selling age-restricted products in the UK including alcohol, tobacco, knives, fireworks, lottery tickets, solvents, and video games.

Selling age-restricted products to underage customers is a criminal offence. The table below shows minimum age requirements by product type.

Alcohol: 18+
Tobacco and vaping products: 18+
Knives and bladed articles: 18+
Fireworks (category F2, F3): 18+
National Lottery tickets: 18+ (increased from 16 in April 2021)
Aerosol spray paint: 16+ (absolute ban on sale to under-16s)
Butane lighter refills: 18+ (absolute ban on supply to under-18s)
Glues and solvents: 18+ where inhalation is suspected
Video games (PEGI 12/16/18): Age rating is legally enforceable
BBFC-rated video content: Age rating is legally enforceable
Illegal alcohol sale penalty: Unlimited fine in England and Wales + criminal record
Persistently selling alcohol to children: Unlimited fine (as amended 2015)
Alcohol licence consequence: Can be reviewed or revoked

Fireworks, knives and other age-restricted sales — the law (opens in a new tab)

Acceptable ID for age verification

Forms of identification accepted for age verification when selling age-restricted products.

UK passport: Accepted
International passport: Accepted
UK photocard driving licence: Accepted
EU photocard driving licence: Accepted
PASS-accredited proof of age card: Accepted (Citizen Card, Validate UK)
Paper driving licence: NOT accepted
Birth certificate: NOT accepted
Non-PASS ID cards: NOT accepted

Age-Restricted Products

Minimum ages for purchasing age-restricted products

Alcohol: 18 (penalty: unlimited fine in England and Wales; up to £20,000 for persistently selling to children)
Tobacco and vapes: 18 (penalty: £2,500 fine)
Knives and blades: 18 (penalty: unlimited fine)
Fireworks and sparklers: 18 for adult fireworks and sparklers; 16 for other category F1 items (caps, party poppers); 12 for Christmas crackers
Aerosol paint: 16
National Lottery: 18
Solvents and butane lighter refills: Butane lighter refills must not be supplied to under-18s; glues and solvents must not be supplied to under-18s where inhalation is suspected
Video games (PEGI 12/16/18): Statutory age ratings — supply to an underage buyer is a criminal offence

Challenge 25 Age Verification

Best practice for age verification

Policy purpose: Ask for ID from anyone who looks under 25 (provides safety margin above legal age of 18)
Acceptable ID: Passport, UK driving licence (photocard), PASS card, military ID - no out-of-date ID
Signage requirement: Display Challenge 25 signs at point of sale and in age-restricted product areas
Refusals log: Record date, time, product, and reason for each refusal
Till prompts: EPOS system should prompt age verification for restricted products

Trading Standards Penalties

Penalties for trading standards offences

Selling counterfeit goods: Up to 10 years imprisonment + unlimited fine
Misleading pricing: Unlimited fine
Underage sales (alcohol): Unlimited fine per offence in England and Wales; up to £20,000 for persistent selling
Underage sales (tobacco): £2,500 fine per offence
Unsafe products: Fine of up to £20,000 + up to 12 months imprisonment (GPSR 2005)
Obstruction of inspector: Fine on summary conviction
Weights and measures: Unlimited fine for short measures

Due diligence defence

You may have a defence if you can show you took all reasonable precautions to prevent underage sales. This includes:

Written age verification policy (Challenge 25 recommended)
Staff training with records
Till prompts for restricted products
Refusals log
Prominent signage

Legal basis

Primary legislation and key regulations

Consumer Rights Act 2015 Primary 2015 · UK-wide Licensing Act 2003 Primary 2003 · UK-wide DMCCA 2024 Primary 2024 · united_kingdom Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 Primary 2003 · UK-wide Trade Marks Act 1994 Primary 1994 · UK-wide Criminal Justice Act 1988 Primary 1988 · UK-wide Licensing Act 2003 (Mandatory Conditions) Order 2014 SI 2014 · UK-wide General Product Safety Regulations 2005 SI 2005 · UK-wide

Browse UK legislation legislation.gov.uk

Official guidance

Child exploitation disruption toolkit (opens in a new tab)

Home Office

Buying and carrying knives: the law (opens in a new tab)

Home Office

CMA consumer enforcement (opens in a new tab)

CMA

Consumer protection from unfair trading guidance (opens in a new tab)

Publication · CMA

General Product Safety Regulations 2005 - detailed guidance (opens in a new tab)

Publication · OPSS

OPSS: Reporting product safety issues (opens in a new tab)

OPSS

Age-Restricted Products

Due diligence defence

Legal basis

Official guidance

Related guides in Alcohol Licensing

Selling knives and bladed articles

Annual retail compliance checklist

Avoid selling counterfeit goods

Responsible alcohol retailing

Avoid unfair trading practices in retail