How To Spot Illicit Vapes Now Duty Stamps Are Here

Vaping Duty Stamps have been appearing on packaging since 1 October, and if you’ve picked up a vape recently you may have spotted one. A small Union Jack-patterned label, placed on the box. It’s tempting to think that’s the whole story, stamp means legit, no stamp means it's dodgy.

It’s not quite that simple, and it’s worth getting right, because for the next few months the answer is more complicated than it sounds. Some perfectly legal vapes won’t have a stamp yet, and a stamp on its own can’t tell you everything.

Key Takeaways

• Duty stamps have been appearing on retail packaging since 1 October 2026, but an unstamped vape isn’t automatically illegal until 31 March 2027
• From 1 April 2027, every vaping product sold in the UK has to carry a valid stamp
• You can’t scan stamps yet, so treat the stamp as one clue rather than proof
• The most reliable check right now is whether the product is on the MHRA’s list of notified vapes
• Illegal vapes tend to break other rules too, like tank size, nicotine strength and labelling
• If you think you’ve been sold an illicit product, don’t use it, and report it

Where we are with stamps

Vaping Products Duty is £2.20 per 10ml of liquid, according to HMRC, and the stamp is how it’s tracked. If you want the full background, we’ve covered it in our guide to what VPD is and how HMRC enforces it.

What matters for you is the timeline, because it changes what a missing stamp means.

These dates come from HMRC’s guidance on how stamps work and the GOV.UK announcement.

The part that surprises people is the grace period. Right now, a vape with no stamp can be perfectly legal, because it was made before 1 October. That includes some of the stock we sell. So don’t treat a missing stamp as proof of anything, not yet.

What a stamp is, and what it can’t tell you yet

HMRC describes them as red tamper-evident rectangular stamps. Each is 18mm wide by 42mm long, with multiple physical security features built in to help identify genuine products. The colour doesn’t mean anything about the product itself.

There are a couple of rules about where they go. A stamp has to be on the outermost retail packaging, and it has to be placed so the packaging can’t be opened without damaging either the packaging or the stamp. So a stamp that looks pristine on a box that’s clearly been opened and resealed is worth a second look.

Here’s the catch. Right now, you can’t actually check a stamp. The transitional stamps are physical only and aren’t scanned. Digital stamps, which carry a scannable code, are mandatory on new products from 1 January 2027, and HMRC says that in future “retailers and customers will be able to scan digital stamps” to verify them. There’s no firm date for that yet.

So for now, think of a stamp as a good sign, not a guarantee. That’s why the checks below matter more.

Here’s how you should check for legitimate vapes:

Run through these in order. None of them need any special equipment.

• Check the MHRA list. This is the single most reliable test at the moment, and we’ve explained how below. The MHRA says products aren’t compliant for supply until the notification has been published.
• Look for the stamp, and where it sits. It should be on the outer packaging and show damage if the box has been opened. Its absence isn’t damning before 1 April 2027, but its presence is reassuring.
• Check the tank or pod size. The legal limit is a 2ml tank, so anything bigger than that isn’t compliant, whatever the box says about puffs.
• Check the bottle size and strength. Nicotine e-liquid can only be sold in refill containers of up to 10ml, and strength is capped at 20mg/ml.
• Look at the packaging. It should be child-resistant and tamper evident, and carry the required nicotine warning and ingredients. Blurry printing, spelling mistakes or labelling in another language are all warning signs.
• Think about where you’re buying. An established shop or website with a real returns policy and customer service is a very different proposition from an anonymous stall or an unmarked online listing.
• Treat price as a weak signal. More on that below.

How to check the MHRA list

It’s easier than it sounds. Here’s how.

• Go to the MHRA advice for consumers page.
• Select the “ECIG” tile to reach the list of notified products.
• Search by the brand name, the product type or the ECID (the product’s notification number).
• If the product isn’t on there, it shouldn’t be on sale. The MHRA’s advice is to only buy products that appear on its list.

The list covers products published since 1 January 2021, and older and withdrawn products are listed separately. If you bought something that isn’t listed and can’t take it back, the MHRA says to contact your local Trading Standards.

You can run this check on any product, including ours. We’d rather you did.

What changes on 1 April 2027

From 1 April 2027, the picture gets a lot simpler. According to GOV.UK, every vaping product sold in the UK must carry a valid stamp, and consumers “should only buy duty-stamped vaping products”.

At that point, no stamp is a clear red flag on its own, with no other checks needed. The checks above still matter, because a stamp doesn’t tell you a product meets the rules on tank size, strength or labelling.

What about cheap prices

Cheap doesn’t automatically mean dodgy. Plenty of legitimate retailers hold prices for good reasons. We’ve done it ourselves, with stock made before the tax applied, and we’ve explained how in our piece on how much e-liquid prices will rise. That stock is still legal to sell without a stamp until 31 March 2027.

But when duty makes legitimate products dearer, there’s more room for an illegitimate one to undercut them. So if a price looks far too good, with no sale, no bulk deal and no clear reason, check it against the list above before you buy.

It’s also worth remembering what’s at stake. According to the NHS, UK vapes are tightly regulated and must be notified to the MHRA with their ingredients listed, and it advises buying from a reputable supplier. Illicit products skip those checks, so there’s no guarantee what’s in them.

How to report an illicit product

If you think you’ve been sold an illicit vape, don’t use it. Then you have a few options.

• Trading Standards: report it through the Citizens Advice consumer service, either online or on 0808 223 1133, as set out in the Trading Standards guide. It’s honest about the fact that teams are under-resourced, so you may not hear back, but your report can still be used as evidence
• HMRC: the GOV.UK announcement says anyone who suspects a vaping product is illicit can report it through the report tax fraud page
• The MHRA: if you have a side effect or safety concern, report it to the Yellow Card scheme, as described on its consumer page
• The police: for a shop you think is repeatedly breaking the rules, you can call 101

Enforcement is being backed by money, too. The government says it’s investing £30 million a year until 2028-29 in Trading Standards, Border Force and HMRC to tackle illicit and underage sales of tobacco and vapes.

FAQ

Sources

1. GOV.UK: New Vaping Products Duty comes into effect
2. HMRC: How vaping duty stamps work
3. MHRA: Advice for consumers on e-cigarettes
4. GOV.UK: E-cigarettes, regulations for consumer products
5. Trading Standards: How to report guide
6. GOV.UK: Report tax fraud
7. NHS Better Health: Vaping myths and the facts