Retail license for tobacco products, smokeless nicotine products, and nicotine liquids
You need a permit under the Tobacco Act for the retail sale of tobacco products, nicotine liquids, and smokeless nicotine products. The retail sales permit for tobacco products, nicotine liquids, and smokeless nicotine products is specific to the operator and the place of business.
It is advisable to submit the sales permit application and the wholesale sales notification electronically via the Turre service.
Retail sales permit for tobacco products, smokeless nicotine products, and nicotine liquids
Ensure that you have the necessary access rights and a self-monitoring plan
To submit the notification, you will need Suomi.fi identification.
For the application, you will need a self-monitoring plan for the retail sale of tobacco products, nicotine liquids, and smokeless nicotine products. A permit will not be granted without a self-monitoring plan.
Submit your application well in advance of the planned start of operations via the electronic Turre service. The electronic application is automatically forwarded to the supervisory authority in the municipality where the establishment is located. Applications for the Hämeenlinna city and Hattula municipality areas are processed by Hämeenlinna Health Supervision.
Attach your self-monitoring plan to the application.
The application processing fee is €228.
Wait for the notification to be processed
We will send you a decision once your application has been processed. We will process the application within 30 days.
A positive decision will be accompanied by a retail sales permit, which must be displayed at each retail sales point.
Carry out self-monitoring
As a tobacco retailer, you are obliged to implement self-monitoring.
Supervision of operations
Operations are supervised in accordance with the environmental health supervision plan. Inspections are free of charge for you, as the inspection fee is included in the annual supervision fee.
Permit under the old Tobacco Act and expansion of sales
If you hold a retail sales permit under the old Tobacco Act, you must notify the municipality before starting the sale of nicotine liquids. This notification cannot be submitted via the electronic system but can be sent by email or on paper.
Sales at events
Tobacco products and nicotine liquids sold temporarily at short-term events also require a sales permit.
A permit application must be submitted separately for each event and must be submitted at least 4 weeks before the event. You can also apply for a fixed-term retail sales permit via the Turre service.
Wholesale sales of tobacco products and nicotine liquids may be conducted if a written notification has been submitted to the municipality of location. You can notify wholesale sales electronically via the Tobacco Register service in Turre.
If you are unable to submit the notification electronically, you can use the written application form available on the Finnish Supervisory Authority’s website, which can be found with completion instructions at the end of the page under Files.
Discontinuation of sales
Changes to permit information and the discontinuation of operations under the Tobacco and Medicines Act must be reported to Hämeenlinna Health Supervision. If your business ID or the address of your sales point changes, you must apply for a new permit.
You can report changes to permit information and the discontinuation of operations via the Tobacco Register’s electronic service Turre or by email. An email notification must include the following information: permit holder, sales point, permit number, and the effective date of the change or discontinuation of sales.
Retail and wholesale sales permits as well as retail and wholesale sales supervision are subject to fees. Retail and wholesale sales supervision fees are included in the annual supervision fee. The annual supervision fee is invoiced to holders of sales permits valid on 1 January for both retail and wholesale sales. For those selling tobacco products and nicotine liquids, the supervision fee is charged at double the rate. The amount of the fee is determined in accordance with the environmental health charge.
