Grace period on new checks on tobacco track and trace codes ends

The grace period provided to retailers on the new checks on tobacco track and trace codes ends today (27 June).

The HMRC has introduced the new checks in early May, giving businesses an eight-week period to ensure they are registered properly for the track and trace system and rectify any issues.

Messages containing codes that fail the new checks will now generate an error message, instead of a warning, from tomorrow (28 June). Retailers that receive an error message must take action to correct the error before continuing to move tobacco products through the supply chain.

Businesses are provided with an economic operator ID and facility IDs for each premise they use to sell or store tobacco products, including vending machines. During the grace period, any codes that aren’t recognised by the track and trace system generates a warning, giving businesses time to investigate the issue with the ID Issuer.