New €800 vape licence fee facing Roscommon retailers
Shops that sell vapes will have to join a register and be subject to inspections. Pic: iStock
Roscommon retailers will have to pay an annual fee of €800 to sell vapes and €1,000 to sell tobacco as part of a new licencing system.
The move, according to BAT (British American Tobacco) Ireland, will help to stop the proliferation of illegal vapes and prevent sales to U-18s.
BAT Ireland welcomed the progress on the licencing system, which was recently announced via Statutory Instrument, and will come into force on February 2nd, 2026.
The system includes tobacco products and vapes, but does not include tobacco-free nicotine pouches.
Shops that sell vapes will have to join a register and will be subject to inspections by the HSE to ensure compliance with the law.
They will have to renew their licence annually meaning that any retailer who sells illegal vapes or sells to U-18s can have their licence revoked, and lose the ability to sell vapes.
Commenting on the issue Sinn Fein Deputy Claire Kerrane said that she had been "contacted by small rural shopkeepers who face an annual bill of either €1,000 or €1,800 a year. They are already struggling to keep their doors open and this has come as a huge blow. I have contacted the Minister to ask if consideration was given to such businesses, who are not like for like with large supermarkets who will easily absorb this additional cost. Small rural shopkeepers will not. There should not be a licence fee of one size fits all. I intend to engage with the new Minister on this.”
