The legal minimum age to buy cigarettes varies by country and region, but the most common minimum age is 18 years.
- In the United States, the federal minimum age to purchase tobacco products, including cigarettes, is 21 years old since December 20, 2019. Retailers are prohibited from selling tobacco products to anyone under 21, and age verification with photo ID is required for buyers under 30
- In the European Union, most member states set the minimum age to purchase tobacco at 18 years, though Austria and Belgium allow purchase from age 16
- In the Netherlands, tobacco products can only be sold to people aged 18 and older
. There is discussion about raising the age to 21, but currently it remains 18
- In the United Kingdom, you can smoke at any age but are not legally allowed to buy cigarettes until you are 18 years old
Raising the legal age to 21 is considered by some health authorities to reduce youth access to tobacco, as it limits proxy purchases by slightly older peers
. In summary:
Country/Region| Minimum Age to Buy Cigarettes
---|---
United States| 21 years
European Union (most)| 18 years
Austria, Belgium| 16 years
Netherlands| 18 years
United Kingdom| 18 years
Therefore, the legal age to buy cigarettes is typically 18 years in many countries, but in the U.S. it is 21 years under federal law
