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How to check a vaping duty stamp is genuine: HMRC's rules
HMRC's stamp specification, read for shoppers: the 42 mm by 18 mm size, where it must sit, transitional versus digital, and when a missing stamp matters.
To check a vaping duty stamp is genuine, look for a rectangular stamp 42 mm long and 18 mm wide on the outermost retail packaging, so the pack cannot be opened without damaging pack or stamp. HMRC tells retailers a damaged, reused, altered or wrongly placed stamp is a warning sign; from 1 April 2027, so is a missing one.
This desk read HMRC’s two guidance pages on 23 September 2026: how vaping duty stamps work, last updated on 26 August 2026, and the page for wholesalers and retailers handling vaping products. Both are written for businesses; this reads them for shoppers.
What does a UK vaping duty stamp look like?
HMRC describes the stamps as secure physical labels with multiple security features. Three rules in the guidance give a shopper something to check:
- Size. Rectangular, 42 mm long and 18 mm wide.
- Placement. On the outermost retail packaging, so the pack cannot be opened without damaging the packaging or the stamp. A stamp on an inner pouch does not meet that.
- One use. A stamp cannot be re-used once affixed, so a peeled and re-stuck one is a problem.
HMRC officials told the International Tax Stamp Association in July that each stamp carries at least two overt security features, two covert ones and one forensic element.
Transitional or digital: how to check a vaping duty stamp is genuine
Transitional stamps, per HMRC, “have physical features only and are not scanned”; they can be bought from 1 April 2026 until 30 November 2026. Digital stamps, available from 1 September 2026, add a scannable code for authentication and supply-chain tracing. From 1 January 2027, only digital stamps may be affixed.
A stamp with no code may simply be transitional.
Can I scan a vaping duty stamp with my phone?
Not with any tool HMRC has published for shoppers in the pages read here. The stamps page mentions scanning codes on an iOS or Android device through an app, but in its section on scanning devices for supply-chain businesses. Neither gov.uk page read on 23 September 2026 publishes a consumer scanning tool. HMRC officials told ITSA in July that consumers “will be able to scan” the digital stamp, with further details to follow.
Does a missing stamp mean a vape is illicit?
Not yet. The dates decide it:
| Date | What HMRC’s guidance says |
|---|---|
| Before 1 October 2026 | Stamped products must not be released onto the UK market |
| 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027 | New liable products released must be stamped; unstamped stock produced or imported before 1 October can still be sold |
| 1 January 2027 | Only digital stamps may be affixed |
| From 1 April 2027 | Unstamped vaping products must not be sold |
For the wider picture, see the duty timetable we set out in August and the digital stamp’s data fields; overseas parcels are covered in our piece on duty on e-liquid ordered online from abroad.
Questions shoppers ask
Do all vapes need a duty stamp from 1 October 2026?
Not all at once. From 1 October 2026, HMRC’s retail guidance says every liable vaping product released onto the UK market must carry a stamp, but unstamped stock produced or imported before that date can be stored and sold until 31 March 2027. The duty itself is £2.20 per 10 ml of vaping liquid, whether or not it contains nicotine.
Is it illegal to sell vapes without a duty stamp?
From 1 April 2027, HMRC’s guidance says all vaping products outside duty suspension must carry a stamp and that unstamped products must not be sold. HMRC says it may then seize goods, charge penalties and, in the most serious cases, carry out a criminal investigation; on conviction a seller could face an unlimited fine, imprisonment, or both.
How can you tell if a vape is fake in the UK?
The stamp is one check, not the whole answer. Look for a 42 mm by 18 mm stamp on the outer pack, intact and not re-stuck. HMRC’s warning signs for retailers are a stamp that is damaged, reused, missing, altered or not attached to the correct packaging. Suspected illicit or counterfeit products can be reported to HMRC as tax fraud or to local Trading Standards.
A valid stamp, HMRC officials said, shows duty has been paid and that a product is “likely to be legitimate”. It is a tax mark, not a safety certificate. Nicotine is addictive, UK sale is restricted to over-18s, and this guide is for adults who already vape or are weighing a move off cigarettes.