Guidance

E-cigarettes: regulations for consumer products

Consumer advice and details of how to report problems with e-cigarettes with guidance on how to place an e-cigarette on the market in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, including the notification scheme.

From:
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
Published
29 February 2016
Last updated
16 August 2024 — See all updates

The MHRA is the competent authority for the UKs notification scheme for nicotine containing Vaping products (E-cigarettes and refill containers) in Great Britain and Northern Ireland and is responsible, working with other regulatory bodies, for implementing a number of provisions under Part 6 of the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TRPR), as amended

The TRPR introduced rules which ensure:

  • minimum standards for the safety and quality of all e-cigarettes and refill containers (otherwise known as e-liquids)
  • that information is provided to consumers so that they can make informed choices
  • an environment that protects children from starting to use these products.

The requirements:

  • restrict e-cigarette tanks to a capacity of no more than 2ml
  • restrict the maximum volume of nicotine-containing e-liquid for sale in one refill container to 10ml
  • restrict e-liquids to a nicotine strength of no more than 20mg/ml
  • require nicotine-containing products or their packaging to be child-resistant and tamper evident
  • ban certain ingredients including colourings, caffeine and taurine
  • include new labelling requirements and warnings
  • require all e-cigarettes and e-liquids be notified and published by the MHRA before they can be sold

View the The Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020.

An Explanatory Memorandum explains the changes from a policy perspective.

The 2020 regulations amend the Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products (Amendment etc) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 to implement the obligations of the Withdrawal Agreement and the Northern Ireland Protocol in law. This amends the way in which the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 apply in Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The 2020 Regulations sets out the requirements for new products to be notified from 1 January 2021. This will mean that:

  • Producers placing products on the Northern Ireland market will be required to notify using the EU Common Entry Gate (EU-CEG) system for the notification of tobacco and e-cigarette products.
  • Producers placing products on the Great Britain market will be required to notify on the Great Britain domestic system.
  • Notifiers will be required to pay one fee if they notify in relation to placing products on one of the Great Britain or Northern Ireland markets and the same one fee if they notify in relation to placing products on the two markets.

A producer is anyone who manufactures or imports these products or who re-brands any product as their own. Retailers do not need to submit information for any products they sell unless they also qualify as a producer.

The Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 do not cover nicotine-containing products that are authorised as medicines. See more information about licensing these products as medicines.

Updates to this page

Published 29 February 2016
Last updated 16 August 2024 + show all updates

  1. Information updated as part of content refresh project

  2. Updated PDF 'e-cigarette Analysis Print'.

  3. Updated e-cigarette Analysis Print.

  4. Updated electronic cigarette drug analysis print- up to 31.10.2021

  5. Updated e-cigarette Analysis Print up to 30.9.21

  6. Added Electronic Cigarette Drug Analysis Print up to 31.8.21

  7. Updated information under new section titled 'Payments via MHRA Submissions'.

  8. Updated information under section titled 'Notified products for Great Britain and Northern Ireland'.

  9. Updated advice for retailers.

  10. Updated submitted and published product lists

  11. Update invoice payment information

  12. Updated 'List of submitted GB products' and 'list of submitted Northern Ireland products'

  13. Published new versions of the List of submitted Great Britain products, the List of submitted Northern Ireland products and the two lists covering UK products submissions published before 31 December 2020.

  14. Updated the list of Published products for Great Britain, and the list of Published products for Northern Ireland.

  15. Updated the Electronic Cigarette Drug Analysis Print up to 31.5.21

  16. Updated lists of submitted products for Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  17. Updated lists of submitted products for Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  18. Added Electronic Cigarette Drug Analytics Print up to 30.4.21

  19. Updated published lists

  20. Updated the current e-cigarette Analysis Print.

  21. Updated the ‘Published products GB and NI

  22. Updated lists of of submitted Great Britain and Northern Ireland products

  23. Updated Drug Analysis Print (DAP) PDF attachment.

  24. Published new lists in the 'Notified products for Great Britain and Northern Ireland'. Also published an updated version of the e-cigarette Analysis Print.

  25. Change to PHE info under section 'Cross border sales'.

  26. Following the end of the transition period, explained the changes to e-cig regulation.

  27. Updated the lists of submitted and withdrawn products

  28. Updated lists of withdrawn and submitted products.

  29. Updated lists of withdrawn and submitted products

  30. Updated withdrawn and published products lists

  31. Updated the Published & Withdrawn Lists

  32. Updated Documents for Withdrawn Products, Products A-I and J-Z

  33. Updated documents of published products A-I & J-Z and withdrawn products

  34. Updated the withdrawn and published products

  35. Updated list of withdrawn products and lists of submitted products

  36. Uploaded new lists of submitted products

  37. Updated Published Products A-I PDF Updated Published Products J-Z PDF Updated Withdrawn Products PDF

  38. Updated attachments for Withdrawn products, Published products A-I and Published products J-Z

  39. Updated 3 documents (Withdrawn products, Products A-I and L-Z)

  40. Updated withdrawn and published lists

  41. Updated Withdrawn products and published products lists

  42. Updated published products lists

  43. Updated published products lists and and Withdrawn products lists

  44. Updated Published products list and Withdrawn products list

  45. Published new lists of submitted products and a new list of withdrawn UK notifications

  46. Update published and withdrawn lists

  47. Updated published products and withdrawn products lists

  48. Corrected links to Published and Withdrawn lists of products

  49. Uploaded new versions of submitted products and list of withdrawn UK notifications.

  50. Updated 'Published products' and 'Withdrawn products' lists

  51. Updated withdrawn products and published products lists.

  52. Updated list of submitted products, companies A to I, list of submitted products, companies J to Z and list of withdrawn UK notifications

  53. We have updated the published and withdrawn lists

  54. Updated submitted products

  55. Published new versions of lists of submitted products and the list of withdrawn UK notifications.

  56. Published new versions of lists of submitted products and the list of withdrawn UK notifications.

  57. Uploaded updated Published products lists A-I and J-Z.

  58. Updated published products lists

  59. Updated published lists and list of withdrawn products.

  60. Updated published lists and list of withdrawn products.

  61. Updated published lists A-I and J-Z as well as List of Withdrawn products.

  62. Updated list of submitted withdrawn products.

  63. An updated list of withdrawn products has been added to the page.

  64. list of submitted products updated.

  65. Updated list of withdrawn products

  66. Updated published products

  67. Added information on how we process submissions sent to us via the EU-CEG.

  68. Updated two lists of products which have been notified to MHRA via the EU-CEG

  69. Update list of withdrawn products

  70. Updated list of withdrawn UK notifications

  71. Updated list of submitted products.

  72. Updated submitted product lists A-I and J-Z.

  73. Updated published lists

  74. Updated lists of submitted products.

  75. Updated published lists (A-I and J-Z).

  76. Updated infomation on CLP requirements, plus a contact email address

  77. updated submitted products lists

  78. Updated product lists.

  79. Added general guidance on vigilance and due diligence.

  80. Updated lists of submitted and withdrawn products

  81. Updated document

  82. Published new Lists of submitted products.

  83. New version of Published Products and Withdrawn Products has been uploaded.

  84. New versions of Published Products & Withdrawn Products documents has been uploaded

  85. Published new versions of published products list, and list of withdrawn products

  86. New document - List of withdrawn UK notifications - has been uploaded

  87. New versions of published products documents has been uploaded

  88. New version of list of submitted products, companies has been uploaded.

  89. List of products which have been notified to MHRA via the EU-CEG has been updated.

  90. Added new lists of published products.

  91. Uploaded new published products lists.

  92. Uploaded new lists of published products

  93. Published new lists of submitted products.

  94. Updated Lists: A to J and K to Z

  95. Published update lists of submitted products

  96. Updated lists of products which have been notified to MHRA via the EU-CEG.

  97. Updated list of products which have been notified to MHRA via the EU-CEG.

  98. Updated lists of submitted products

  99. Updated list of submitted products.

  100. Updated lists of submitted products

  101. Updated lists of submitted products.

  102. Updated published products

  103. Updated TPD lists.

  104. Updated list of submitted products

  105. Updated lists.

  106. Updated list of submitted products added to the page.

  107. updated list of submitted products added to the page.

  108. Updated lists of submitted documents

  109. Updated two published product attachments

  110. Updated ingredient list & submitted products

  111. updated submitted products

  112. Updated lists of submitted products.

  113. Updated lists of submitted products for TPD.

  114. Updated lists of submitted products.

  115. Updated list of submitted products.

  116. Update to published products

  117. list of submitted products updated.

  118. Updated list of submitted products and withdrawn products

  119. Updated list of submitted products and withdrawn products

  120. Updated list of submitted products.

  121. Updated lists of submitted products and added a new list of withdrawn products.

  122. Updated list of submitted products

  123. Updated list of submitted products

  124. Updated list of submitted products

  125. General information update

  126. Updated list of submitted products.

  127. Updated list of submitted products

  128. Updated lists of submitted products

  129. New list of published products added to the page.

  130. List of submitted products updated.

  131. Updated list of submitted products added to the page.

  132. New list of submitted products added to the page.

  133. Latest list of submitted products added to the page.

  134. List of submitted products updated

  135. Updated list of submitted products added to the page.

  136. Latest info on submitted products added to the page.

  137. Latest list of published e-cigarette products added to the page.

  138. Up-to-date list of submitted products added to the page.

  139. list of submitted products updated

  140. list of submitted products updated.

  141. Updated documents

  142. list of submitted products updated to 28 June.

  143. Update to the 'further information' section including info about replacement e-cigarette parts and rebuildable devices.

  144. New list of submitted products for June 21 added to the page.

  145. List of submitted products up to 20 June added to the page.

  146. New list of submitted products added to the page.

  147. Updated list of submitted products from 6 June added to the page.

  148. Updated list of submitted products.

  149. Updated list of notified products up to 23 May

  150. New list of submitted products added to the page.

  151. Information updated after 20 May - the deadline for retailers and manufacturers to comply to the TPD

  152. Updated list of submitted products

  153. list of submitted products updated

  154. Updated to advise we are currently checking notifications listed for completeness and verifying TPD compliance with producers.

  155. Updated list of submitted products

  156. Updated information to include guidance on annual reporting.

  157. Updated list of submitted products

  158. Listed of submitted products updted

  159. Submitted products for 03/03/2017 published

  160. Updated the list of submitted products.

  161. List of paid for notifications updated to 20 March 2017.

  162. List of notifications updated

  163. Updated the List of submitted products - 13 March 2017

  164. List of paid notification up to 2 March 2017.

  165. List of submitted products up to 24 February added to the page.

  166. List of submitted products up to February 15th added to the page.

  167. Updated list of submitted products added to the page.

  168. Latest list of submitted products added to the page.

  169. Latest list of submitted products until 01 February 2017 added to the page.

  170. Latest list of submitted products through to 27 January added to the page.

  171. List of submitted products up to 19 January 2017 added to the page.

  172. New list of submitted products up to and including 6 January 2017 added to the page.

  173. Updated links to list of registered retailers and member states that permit cross-border distance selling.

  174. Updated advice for producers including advice about the 6-month waiting period and new list of submitted products. New guidance on E-cigarette and CLP Regulation also added to the 'Guidance on the content of notifications' section.

  175. This update includes updated information on the deadline, non-compliant notifications and invoices.

  176. Important information on official transitional period deadline added under 'Submission deadline' heading.

  177. Updated instructions in 'submitting a notification' section.

  178. guidance has been updated to include information on flavourings

  179. Re-organised page layout and addition of UK product presentation guidance document.

  180. Additional information and guidance added to 'submitting a notification' section

  181. Several updates

  182. Updated to the latest guidance.

  183. Uploaded proposed e-cigarette transition periods flow chart.

  184. Updated to include a link to the initial information about the EU-CEG which has been published by the European Commission.

  185. First published.

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