Tobacco Track and Trace: is your business ready?

Updated 1st July 2022

As of 1st July, the UK Government has appointed Dentsu to take charge of managing the information flow behind the Track & Trace system, taking over this role from De La Rue.

If you're a retailer who sells tobacco, there's nothing you need to do to move across: your EOID and FID codes, along with all your other details on the system, have already been transferred to Dentsu automatically. Buying and selling tobacco products carries on exactly as before, with no change to the process.

You'll receive an email from "no-reply@uk-trackandtrace-dentsutracking.com" containing your log-in details for the new Dentsu Track & Trace website. You'll be given a default password, which you'll need to change the first time you log in. The email will also include the website address for UK registrations.

Since the tobacco regulations changed back in May 2019, Lioncroft Wholesale has been on hand to guide retailers through what's required.

What exactly is Tobacco Track and Trace?

Put simply, it's a government law that requires anyone selling cigarettes or hand-rolling tobacco to hold their own unique operator "codes" before they can buy or sell these products. Every pack and pouch gets tracked using these codes, a bit like how a parcel gets a tracking number, so it can be traced right back to its source. This is designed to keep illegal and counterfeit tobacco out of the supply chain and off the shelves.

What do you need to do if you sell tobacco?

Under the regulations, every retailer needs two things: an Economic Operator ID, which is a unique code tied to your business, and a Facility ID, a separate unique code for each individual store or premises selling tobacco. You'll need both of these codes before you can buy Track and Trace cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco through Lioncroft Wholesale.

To get your codes, you'll need to apply directly to a government-appointed ID issuer.