Greece is launching a digital platform to prevent the sale of alcohol, tobacco, and nicotine products to minors, with three ministries leading the effort.
The initiative brings together the Ministries of Digital Governance, Health, and Citizen Protection, which are collaborating for the first time to develop an integrated age verification system.
The program is designed to be user-friendly and does not require specific digital skills from either buyers or sellers. It complements the recent Public Health Law regarding alcohol and tobacco use by minors, strengthening its implementation through the use of digital tools. The central objective is to protect young people from products that are harmful to their health. The program is based on five key pillars.
Protecting minors from the harmful effects of tobacco in Greece
To support this objective, the program is built on the following key measures:
- Prevention and protection measures for minors
- Stricter market supervision
- Regulations for new nicotine products
- Creation of a digital control register
- Strengthening control mechanisms and sanctions
For the first time, a clear and universal ban on the sale, offer, or distribution of these products to minors will be established. The responsibility for age verification will explicitly be assigned to the seller. If a buyer does not provide age verification, the vendor, according to the law, will not proceed with the transaction.
As stated by the Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou: “This is a reform that is here to stay so that we can create a safer environment for our children.”
The digital framework
Under the coordination of the Minister of State, and in collaboration with the Ministries of Health and Citizen Protection, a coherent digital framework is being developed that includes the following:
- The complete mapping of the tobacco, vaping, and alcohol product market through alto.gov.gr, strengthening targeted controls
- The events.gov.gr platform for managing private events involving minors, limiting circumvention practices and facilitating oversight
- Digital age verification through the Kids Wallet and Gov.gr Wallet applications, allowing secure identification without unnecessary exposure of personal data
The process will also gradually be implemented in online markets.
The identification process is relatively simple. The seller selects the age group in the application, a QR code appears, and the buyer scans it using the Gov.gr Wallet or Kids Wallet. The system then displays a green or red indication showing whether the sale is permitted, without revealing the buyer’s exact age.
In addition, the entry of minors into bars and nightclubs is prohibited, while exceptions for private events are allowed only under specific conditions—namely, in designated areas, outside regular business hours, and following a declaration on events.gov.gr.
The digital registry, alto.gov.gr, is becoming a key supervision tool, as it will monitor all businesses and points of sale for tobacco, alcohol, and related non-tobacco products. This enables a complete mapping of the market, supports targeted controls, and ensures interoperability between authorities.
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