UK vape law timeline: every change from 2025 to 2027

Here is every confirmed date in one place. Save the page; we will keep it current as new dates are announced.

Three big themes run through it. First, devices: single-use vapes went in June 2025. Second, tax: the duty started on 1 October 2026, with stamps rolling in through to April 2027. Third, the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026, which tightens age rules, sales and advertising in stages.

Anything without a date is still a proposal or still being worked out, so treat it as possible rather than certain.

Three big changes have already landed. The disposable ban took single-use vapes off sale from 1 June 2025, online and nicotine-free included. The Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026. And the Vaping Products Duty started on 1 October 2026.

The long-standing rules still apply alongside all this: nicotine refill bottles capped at 10ml, nicotine at 20mg/ml, tanks at 2ml, child-resistant packs and MHRA notification. It is an offence to sell nicotine vapes to under-18s, or to buy them for someone under 18.

None of those older rules went away when the new ones arrived; they stack on top.

Later this month, several parts of the Tobacco and Vapes Act switch on at once, according to ASH.

The 18+ rule extends to all vapes, including nicotine-free ones, closing a gap that let 0mg vapes be sold to under-18s. The vending machine ban extends to vapes. Free samples and big discounts on vapes are banned. And there are £200 fixed penalties for breaking the rules.

For adult vapers buying normally, day-to-day life barely changes. For shops, it means age checks on every vape and an end to giveaway promotions. Our guide to age of sale and proxy buying has the detail.

The first half of 2027 is busy. On 1 January, duty stamps go digital-only, and the generational tobacco rule starts: anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 can never legally be sold tobacco. That rule is about tobacco, not vapes.

On 1 April, the grace period for unstamped vape liquid ends, so everything on sale must be stamped. On 1 June, the vape advertising and sponsorship ban begins, according to ASH.

If you buy a lot of liquid, the stamp dates are the ones to remember. Our duty stamps guide explains what to look for.

Some headlines you will read are about proposals, not law. The biggest is the consultation on packaging, appearance and display, which ran from 10 July to 2 October 2026. It proposed plain packs, simple flavour names, plain device colours and keeping vapes out of sight in shops. Flavours were not proposed for a ban, and nothing has changed in law yet.

Vape-free places, such as cars carrying under-18s, have been consulted on with no start date. A licensing scheme and a product register are still to come.

Tap the cards to separate fact from rumour.

Quick one before you go. Of all the dates on this page, this is the one most people get wrong, mainly because the stamp changes happen in stages and the headlines rarely explain which stage is which.

For the background on the Act itself, read the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 explained. It covers what the Act does, what it does not do, and which parts still need more rules before they apply.

If you buy liquid in bulk, it is also worth knowing that physical stamps can be fixed to products only until 31 December 2026, so stamped and unstamped stock will sit side by side on shelves until spring 2027. That is normal, and it is exactly why the April date is the one to remember.