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Under the Tobacco Retailers Act (Northern Ireland) 2014, anyone running a tobacco business in Northern Ireland must register with Belfast City Council. The register is a list of businesses that are accessible by the public and sell tobacco.
If a person owns more than one business, each business must be registered at separate business addresses.
Failure to register is a criminal offence and could be fined up to £500, or face prosecution and be fined up to £5000. This offence can be held on record for five years.
The registration process is free and requires you to fill in a form either:
You can also download and print the form at www.tobaccoregisterni.gov.uk (link opens in new window) and return it to:
Tobacco Register NI
City and Neighbourhoods Services Department
Belfast City Council
The Cecil Ward Building
4-10 Linenhall Street
Belfast
BT2 8BP
For more information or to speak to a member of our Tobacco Control Team, call us on 028 9027 0428.
It is illegal to sell tobacco products (including cigarette papers) and any nicotine-inhaling products (including e-cigarettes) to anyone under 18.
If you do sell these products to anyone under 18 you can receive a fixed penalty of £250, or you may face prosecution and be fined up to £5000.
All age-restricted products should only be sold to people who have photographic identification proving they are over 18.
We carry out test purchases for tobacco products and nicotine-inhaling products to check that retailers comply with the law.
We can prosecute or fine anyone who commits an offence related to the sale of age-restricted tobacco and nicotine-inhaling products.
Under The Smoking (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 it is against the law to smoke in ‘enclosed’ and ‘substantially enclosed’ workplaces and public places such as bars and offices; the regulations also extends to work vehicles and public transport.
The legislation was introduced to protect workers and the public from exposure to second-hand smoke and is enforced by our Tobacco Control Officers.
An Individual can receive a fine of £50 or face prosecution and be fined up to £1000 if they smoke in smoke-free premises or smoke-free vehicles.
Anyone responsible for smoke-free premises (including vehicles) are required to display no-smoking signs and failure to do so may result in a £200 fine or lead to a prosecution and be fined up to £1000.
The law also requires those responsible for smoke-free premises (including vehicles) to prevent or stop a person smoking there and failure to comply may lead to a prosecution and a fine of £2,500.