Tobacco licensing - English

Tobacco licensing

Tough new controls and penalties relating to the sale of tobacco products in Victoria are now in place.

If you sell tobacco in Victoria — either to the public or to other businesses — you must have a tobacco licence.

This applies to both retail and wholesale sales and includes businesses that sell online.

Apply for a tobacco licence

You can apply for your licence from Tobacco Licensing Victoria (TLV) online through Service Victoria.

You must make sure the type of application you submit matches your business structure. Sole Traders should apply as a Natural Person, those in a Business Partnership should apply as a Partnership, and public or private companies and incorporated associations should apply as a Body Corporate. If you are unsure what type of application you should submit, you should seek independent legal advice.

Who can apply

You can apply for a tobacco licence if you are:

• an individual sole trader aged 18 or over
• a partnership
• a company
• an incorporated association.

You cannot apply if you or any directors, executive committee members or partners in your business are disqualified under the Tobacco Act 1987.

Licence types

There are 2 types of tobacco licence: retail and wholesale.

If you sell retail and wholesale tobacco, you will need both licence types.

You will need a separate licence for every location where you sell tobacco. You can include multiple locations in 1 online application.

Retail licence

Retail licences are for businesses that sell tobacco to the public, including from vending machines. This includes:

• supermarkets
• grocery stores
• convenience stores
• liquor licensed premises
• petrol stations
• tobacconists
• online retailers.

Wholesale licence

Wholesale licences are for businesses that sell tobacco to other retail or wholesale businesses.

What you need before you apply

Before you start your application, you will need to know your business structure (for example, are you applying for a licence as a sole trader, partnership, company or incorporated association).

All applicants must provide business and personal information, including:

• the location of the business
• the type of business
• the products they sell
• any websites or social media accounts related to the business.

Individual sole trader applicants, partners, directors and executive committee members must:

• verify their identity
• provide a recent National Police Check
• provide their director ID (if applicable)
• disclose their personal, financial and criminal history, and history of bankruptcy.

Companies must provide a historical and current Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) extract.

Other incorporated bodies, such as an incorporated association, must provide proof of incorporation.

Businesses that operate as a Trust must provide a Trust Deed.

Licence application fees

You must pay a fee when you apply. You can pay by Visa, Mastercard or BPay. Fees are not refundable, even if your application is refused.

After you apply

When we receive your application and payment, we will review it to decide if you are suitable to hold a tobacco licence.

Processing times will vary for each application. Submitting a licence application does not guarantee that you will be granted a licence.

We will let you know the outcome of your application via email.

If your application is approved

If your application is approved, you must understand your obligations and follow the conditions of your tobacco licence.

If your application is refused

If you disagree with our decision, you can ask for an internal review by submitting an Application for an internal review form, which is available on the TLV website.

We will review the decision within 28 days and notify you of the outcome.

If you are not satisfied with the result of the internal review, you can apply to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).

You must apply within 28 days of receiving the internal review decision.

Renew your tobacco licence

Tobacco licences are valid for a financial year. Licences expire on 30 June of each year.

You must apply to renew your licence by 30 June each year.

If we do not make a decision about your renewal application before your licence expires, your licence is valid until the decision has been made.

You will need approval from TLV to:

• change the conditions of your licence
• transfer your licence (e.g. to a new owner)
• relocate your licence (e.g. change the business location)
• cancel or suspend your licence.

If you need to make any of these changes, you must apply using the appropriate form on the TLV website and pay the fee.

Licences issued during the 2025-26 financial year will be valid until 30 June 2027.

Follow the rules of your tobacco licence

You need to know your obligations and the conditions of your tobacco licence.

Display your licence so that it can be easily read by customers when your business is open.

You must comply with any conditions imposed on your licence.

All licences have standard conditions. Standard conditions on all licences are set out in the Tobacco Regulations 2017. These are:

• Licensees should only supply and purchase tobacco from other licensed businesses (if the sale occurs within Australia).
• Licensees must keep records of tobacco purchases (within Australia and overseas) and provide it to TLV if requested.
• Licensees should collect data on tobacco sales at each location and report it to TLV annually.
• From 1 January 2027, retail licensees must not allow employees under the age of 18 to sell tobacco products.

Specific conditions

Licences might include conditions to reduce risks. These could include reducing operating hours or restricting the display of certain products.

This can happen when we grant a new licence or as part of a transfer, relocation or variation application.

Keep your information up to date

You must tell us about any of the following changes to the information that you provided in your application within 14 days of the change:

• licensee details such as new contact information
• changes to people who are involved in managing your business such as directors, executive committee members or partners
• premises details such as a new landlord or real estate agent
• changes to people who might influence your business or have a financial interest in it, such as family members working for the business or people who have lent money
• updates to documents.

Tobacco licensing compliance and enforcement

TLV will begin to enforce the licensing scheme from 1 February 2026. Businesses that sell tobacco must have a licence by this date.

We will check that businesses selling tobacco have a licence and are complying with their licence conditions.

If you do not comply with the law we can vary, suspend, or cancel your licence.

If we suspect you are holding or selling illegal tobacco, we can immediately suspend your licence for up to 90 days.

We may review a licence at any time.

Penalties

About Tobacco Licensing Victoria

Tobacco Licensing Victoria (TLV) regulates the lawful supply of tobacco products in Victoria.

We are part of the Department of Justice and Community Safety and are responsible for:

• licensing businesses that supply tobacco products
• investigating and enforcing the licensing scheme.

The licensing scheme regulates the sale of cigarettes, cigars and other tobacco products designed for human consumption.

E-cigarettes and vapes are not regulated under the scheme. These products are regulated by the Commonwealth government.

Contact TLV

• Email: contacttobacco@justice.vic.gov.au
• Call: 1300 194 739