Russia to revoke tobacco seller licences for sales to minors from March 2027
Version 2: Two further outlets, RBC and Kommersant, have now reported the decree, adding the 1 March 2027 start date for retail and delivery licensing, a three-working-day deadline for sending revocation decisions, the naming of Rosalkogoltobakkontrol as the licensing body, and a September ban on tobacco sales at transport stops and other sites.
In short
The Russian government has added new grounds for annulling the licences of sellers of tobacco and nicotine-containing products, including confirmed sales to minors, under a decree reported by Vedomosti, RBC and Kommersant. TASS said the violation must be confirmed by a court decision under the corresponding article of the Code of Administrative Offences. Licensing of retail and delivery trade in these products is due to begin on 1 March 2027, with individual provisions applying later.
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Retail sellers of tobacco and nicotine-containing products in Russia will be able to lose their licences for a range of violations, including selling cigarettes to minors, under a government decree. Vedomosti reported the change, citing RIA Novosti, saying it amends the rules on annulling licences by decision of the supervisory body. Kommersant reported that the decree was published on the portal of legal acts. TASS reported the measure as applying to tobacco shops, with the violation confirmed by a court decision under the corresponding article of the Code of Administrative Offences. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Vedomosti listed the grounds for annulment: a confirmed violation of the ban on selling tobacco products to minors, including one established in proceedings under the corresponding article of the Code of Administrative Offences, and more than two violations within a calendar year of restrictions set out in legislation on protecting citizens' health. Other grounds previously applied to manufacturers and importers are retained for sellers, including the circulation of unmarked products, failure to transmit data to the state monitoring system, and the unlawful use of trademarks and patented solutions after a relevant court decision takes effect. Separate grounds cover non-compliance with retail and delivery trade requirements. Kommersant listed grounds for revocation as well, but its text was cut off exactly where the list begins. [ 2 , 4 ]
Licensing of retail and delivery trade in tobacco and nicotine-containing products begins on 1 March 2027, Vedomosti, RBC and Kommersant reported, and RBC said the new rule on sales to minors takes effect at the same time. Vedomosti said individual provisions apply from 1 September 2027 and 1 March 2028; Kommersant said part of the provisions, including sending decisions through the monitoring system, start on 1 September 2027. According to Kommersant, the rules currently cover only manufacturers and importers of such products. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Kommersant reported that Rosalkogoltobakkontrol will issue and annul the licences, making a licence an independent instrument of control for a retail outlet: violating the ban on selling to a minor may mean not only a fine but also the loss of the right to trade. Decisions on revoking a licence are sent to the licensing body within no more than three working days, the outlet said. [ 4 ]
Kommersant said the practical application of the measure will depend on how a violation is recorded. It recalled that in December 2024 it was stated that Rospotrebnadzor's work to suppress the illegal sale of such products is substantially limited, because involving minors in control purchases and accepting evidence from third parties, including state organisations, is prohibited. Insufficient control had earlier been named as a reason for the weak results of the ban on selling such devices to children, the outlet added, in a passage that also referred to criminal liability and was cut off. [ 4 ]
Vedomosti recalled that on 9 June the State Duma adopted in the second and third readings a law giving regions the right to ban retail sales of vapes, their liquids and other electronic nicotine delivery systems; the effect of the restrictions is to be assessed in the regions that apply them, while general regulation remains in regions that decline. Kommersant reported that since 1 September, cigarettes, vapes and other nicotine-containing products may not be sold at public transport stops, with an exception for the only retail outlets in small settlements, and that sales of tobacco products are also banned at railway stations, bus stations, airports, sea and river ports and the metro. [ 2 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The decree extends a licensing regime that until now covered only manufacturers and importers to retail and delivery sellers, which Kommersant said makes a licence an instrument that can remove a shop's right to trade rather than only trigger a fine. Kommersant noted that enforcement will depend on how violations are recorded, citing restrictions on inspections. The documents do not indicate how many sellers could be affected.
Key facts
- A government decree adds grounds for annulling the licences of sellers of tobacco and nicotine-containing products, including confirmed sales to minors [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- TASS said the violation must be confirmed by a court decision under the corresponding article of the Code of Administrative Offences, while Vedomosti said it may be established in proceedings under that article [ 1 , 2 ]
- A licence may also be annulled for more than two violations within a calendar year of restrictions set out in legislation on protecting citizens' health [ 2 ]
- Retained grounds include trade in unmarked products, failure to transmit data to the state monitoring system, and unlawful use of trademarks and patented solutions after a court decision takes effect [ 2 ]
- Licensing of retail and delivery trade in tobacco and nicotine-containing products begins on 1 March 2027; Vedomosti reported that individual provisions apply from 1 September 2027 and 1 March 2028 [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Kommersant reported that Rosalkogoltobakkontrol will issue and annul the licences and that revocation decisions are sent to the licensing body within no more than three working days [ 4 ]
- Kommersant reported that since 1 September, cigarettes, vapes and other nicotine-containing products may not be sold at public transport stops, with an exception for the only retail outlets in small settlements, nor at railway stations, bus stations, airports, sea and river ports and the metro [ 4 ]
- Vedomosti recalled that on 9 June the State Duma adopted in the second and third readings a law giving regions the right to ban retail sales of vapes, their liquids and other electronic nicotine delivery systems [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- A government decree introduces new grounds for annulling licences held by sellers of tobacco and nicotine-containing products, including sales to minors [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The violation must be confirmed by a court decision, or established in proceedings, under the corresponding article of the Code of Administrative Offences [ 1 , 2 ]
- Licensing of retail and delivery trade in tobacco and nicotine-containing products begins on 1 March 2027, with the new rule on sales to minors taking effect at the same time [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Until now such rules applied to manufacturers and importers of tobacco and nicotine-containing products, not to retail and delivery sellers [ 2 , 4 ]
- Part of the provisions will apply from 1 September 2027 [ 2 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- Which provisions take effect on 1 September 2027 and 1 March 2028 Vedomosti lists the dates without saying which provisions they cover; Kommersant links only part of the September 2027 provisions to sending decisions through the monitoring system
- The date the decree was signed or published, and its number Kommersant says the decree was published on the portal of legal acts, but no date or number appears in the documents
- The full list of grounds for licence revocation Kommersant's text is cut off at the point where its list of grounds begins, so only Vedomosti enumerates several of them
- Which body will issue and annul retail licences Only Kommersant names Rosalkogoltobakkontrol; no other document confirms the licensing authority
- What penalties beyond licence annulment apply to sellers for sales to minors Kommersant says licence annulment supplements criminal liability in a passage that is cut off, and the documents do not specify the penalties
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- TASS reports that tobacco shops will lose their licences for selling cigarettes to minors, with the violation to be confirmed by a court decision under the corresponding article of the Code of Administrative Offences [ 1 ]
- Vedomosti reports the government decree, its grounds including sales to minors, and the 2027 start of licensing for retail and delivery trade [ 2 ]
- RBC reports that the norm will take effect in March 2027 together with the introduction of licensing for retail and delivery tobacco sales [ 3 ]
- Kommersant reports that the decree was published on the portal of legal acts, names Rosalkogoltobakkontrol as the licensing body and cites limits on detecting violations [ 4 ]