Retail sale of tobacco and nicotine products, as well as smokeless nicotine products
The retail sale of tobacco products, nicotine liquids and smokeless nicotine products is subject to a notification requirement, and applications must be submitted via the Tobacco Register of the Finnish Regulatory Authority https://www.tupakkarekisteri.fi/. Applications for retail licences for tobacco, nicotine liquids and/or smokeless nicotine products are processed within three weeks.
The retail sale of nicotine products under the Medicines Act is subject to authorisation. Applications must be submitted to the Enforcement Unit of the Keurusselkä Environmental and Health Protection Office (Jämsä, Keuruu, Kuhmoinen, Mänttä-Vilppula, Ruovesi and Virrat) using the online form. Applications for retail licences for nicotine products are processed within three weeks.
For further information, please email terveydensuojelu(at)keuruu.fi.
Operators must familiarise themselves with the legislation and guidelines gove ing the retail sale of products covered by the Tobacco Act before submitting an application for a retail licence for tobacco, nicotine liquids and/or smokeless nicotine products.
Guidance on the retail sale of products covered by the Tobacco Act can be found on the Licensing and Supervisory Authority’s website
Retail sale of tobacco products
An amendment to the Tobacco Act (549/2016) was adopted on 23 May 2025 and came into force on 1 August 2025. The amendment adds a new definition of smoke-free nicotine products to the Tobacco Act, which refers, for example, to nicotine pouches. In future, the sale of smoke-free nicotine products will also require an application for a retail licence and/or the submission of a wholesale notification.
If an operator did not hold a valid retail licence under the Tobacco Act prior to the legislative amendment, but has been selling smoke-free nicotine products and wishes to continue doing so, they must apply for a sales licence from the supervisory authority. A self-monitoring plan must be attached to the application.
The introduction of smoke-free nicotine products into retail outlets will increase the annual regulatory fee charged by the local authority.
Smokeless nicotine products may not be sold online or used in schools, nurseries or playgrounds from 1 August 2025.
Further information on smoke-free nicotine products is available on the website of the Finnish Medicines Agency. https://lvv.fi/tupakka/savuttomat-nikotiinituotteet
The holder of a tobacco licence is required to submit a notification of change if there are changes to the retail arrangements:
- product categories (types of products on sale, e.g. cigarettes, cigars, loose tobacco, nicotine liquids, smokeless nicotine products)
- the number of till stations (increase or decrease)
- end of stock
Notifications of changes must be submitted via the Tobacco Register, the electronic system operated by the Licensing and Supervisory Authority.
In the retail sale of tobacco products, there is a separate annual fee for tobacco products and for nicotine liquids and/or smokeless nicotine products.
The Supervisory Unit’s current fee schedule sets out the processing fees for applications and notifications, as well as the amount of the annual tobacco fee. To stop the annual fee from being charged, a notice of termination must be submitted before the end of the calendar year. The annual fee will not be refunded even if sales cease during the year.
Nicotine products are nicotine replacement therapies designed to help people quit smoking; in addition to pharmacies, they may be sold in shops that sell tobacco, at petrol stations and in kiosks. Obtaining a licence to sell nicotine products requires a valid licence to sell tobacco products and a self-monitoring plan for sales. The products may only be sold to persons aged 18 or over; the seller must monitor the purchase situation and the products must be stored in accordance with the package leaflet. The products may not be sold via vending machines.
This content has been translated using AI