Traceability marking and security features on tobacco products
Unit packets of tobacco products must carry a traceability marking and a tamper proof security feature. This applies for all 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 2024-05-24
The pages on traceability marking and security features have been updated as the rules applies to all tobacco products from May 20th 2024.
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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. Tobacco products 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 tobacco products 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 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 retailers
Retailers are responsible for securing that all unit packs of tobacco products 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.
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).
- Systems for tobacco traceability and security features (health.ec.europa.eu)
- Compilation of questions and answers and expert subgroup discussions concerning the EU systems for traceability and security features of tobacco products (health.ec.europa.eu)
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)
