Traceability marking and security features on tobacco products

Unit packets of cigarettes and roll-your-own tobacco must carry a traceability label and a tamper proof security feature. This will also be applicable for other tobacco products, produced in or imported to the European Union, from May 20th 2024.

Unit packets without these markings may not be sold. The purpose of the traceability system and the security features system is to reduce the circulation of non-compliant tobacco products. The traceability label enables the tobacco product to be traced from the production site to the retail outlet. The security features enables authorities and consumers to verify the tobacco products authenticity.

Updates 2023-12-21

The pages on traceability marking and security features have been updated with information on the Commissions implementing regulation (EU) 2023/448 amending Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/574 on technical standards for the establishment and operation of a traceability system for tobacco products', which will enter into force on 21 December 2023.

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Traceability marking on tobacco products

In order for tobacco products to be traceable, they must have a unique identifier, a traceability marking, that makes it possible to identify, track and trace the product throughout the supply chain, from the production site to the retail outlet. Products intended for the Swedish market must have unique identifiers issued by the Swedish ID issuer.

Traceability marking on tobacco products

Security feature on tobacco products

To check whether a tobacco product is authentic unit packets of tobacco must be marked with a security feature composed of visible and invisible authentication elements. Cigarettes and roll-your-own tobacco supplied to consumers in Sweden must have a security feature with at least five elements.

Security feature on tobacco products

Traceability marking and security feature on tobacco products – this applies to manufacturers and importers

You who manufactures or imports cigarettes or roll-your-own tobacco to Sweden must mark your products with a traceability marking and a tamper proof security feature with at least the five authentication elements stated in the regulations on security feature on unit packets of tobacco products.

Traceability marking and security feature on tobacco products – this applies to manufacturers and importers

Traceability marking and security feature on tobacco products – this applies to wholesalers and distributors

Wholesalers and distributors may only sell tobacco products with traceability markings and security features to other economic operators. To ease the registration of events aggregated packings, e.g. cartons or pallets, can be created. Aggregated-level UIs can be self-generated or requested from the ID issuer.

Traceability marking and security feature on tobacco products – this applies to wholesalers and distributors

Traceability marking and security feature on tobacco products – this applies to retailers

Retailers are responsible for securing that all unit packs of cigarettes and roll-your-own tobacco that they sell to consumers have the correct labelling, including traceability marking and security features.

Traceability marking and security feature on tobacco products – this applies to retailers

Rules and regulations on traceability marking and security features on tobacco products

Unit packets must have a traceability marking and security features, according to the Act on Tobacco and Similar Products (2018:2088), chapter 3 section 7. The rules now applies to cigarettes and roll-you-own tobacco, but will applies to all types of tobacco from 20 May 2024. There are transitional rules.

Rules and regulations on traceability marking and security features on tobacco products

The ID issuer All Soft Corp gets renewed assignment

The Public Health Authority of Sweden has after a procurement process, signed a new agreement with the Slovak company All Soft Corp s.r.o. (formerly Allexis) as the role of Swedish ID issuer for traceability of tobacco products.

The new agreement enters into force on February 20, 2024 and is valid until February 2029.

National ID issuer (traceability of tobacco products)

More about traceability marking and security features

The European Commission's website ‘Systems for tobacco traceability and security features’ is updated regularly with information for relevant actors.

Discussions on the systems of traceability and security features for tobacco products take place on a regular basis in the Subgroup on Traceability and Security Features. The summaries from these meetings can be found on the website, in the Events section. For ease of navigation, it is also possible to consult a single, searchable document compiling Q&As and past Subgroup discussions (from February 2018 until November 2021).

It is important that all events are reported in the correct order and that the right information is transferred to the system in the correct manner. The Commission has collected common mistakes and how to correct them in a brochure:

EU System of Tobacco Traceability: Common reporting mistakes (health.ec.europa.eu)

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