Age-Restricted Items
Certain items are age-restricted in the UK, including, but not limited to, alcoholic beverages, such as beer and wine, e-cigarettes and bladed items.
By placing an order for one of these items, you are declaring that you are 18 years of age or over. These items must be used responsibly and appropriately. There are a number of measures in place to check whether a customer is eligible to purchase an age-restricted item.
Online Age Verification
Items requiring online age verification can't be purchased using gift cards, Pay by Bank, or instalments and they must be purchased with a credit card only.
For Knives and Bladed Items
When you purchase knives and bladed items, we're required by UK law to verify that you are 18 years or older before you complete your purchase. You'll need to complete a quick age verification check during checkout for each purchase of knives and bladed items using a government-issued ID and a selfie.
How to Complete Age Verification
When you proceed to checkout with a knife or bladed item in your basket, you must follow these steps:
- Select your ID type
- UK passport
- International passport
- UK driving licence
Note: Your ID must be current and not expired and must include your date of birth. - Upload your ID
- Take a clear photo of your ID using your device camera or upload an existing photo
- Ensure the image is well-lit and all text is readable
- Make sure your date of birth is clearly visible
- Take a Selfie
- Position your face within the frame shown on screen
- Follow the on-screen guidance for proper positioning
- Ensure good lighting so your face is clearly visible
- Wait for verification
- Verification typically completes within 30 to 45 seconds
- You'll see a confirmation message when successful
- Once verified, you can proceed to payment and complete your order
If Verification Fails
If your verification is unsuccessful, you'll see a clear message explaining why. Here's how to resolve common issues:
| Reason | What to do |
|---|---|
| Expired ID | Upload a current, valid ID that has not expired |
| Unclear Photo | Retake with better lighting; ensure text is readable and free from glare |
| Photo mismatch | Retake your selfie with adequate lighting; follow positioning guidance |
| Under 18 | You must be 18 or older; remove the knife or bladed item from your basket to continue with other items |
What You Can Do Next
- Proceed without bladed items to continue checkout with other items in your basket.
- If issues persist, contact Customer Service with your order details ready.
Your Privacy and Security
We take the security of your personal information seriously. Your ID and selfie are encrypted during transmission and used only to verify your age, in accordance with the UK GDPR regulations. We do not share your information with third parties except the limited set of vendors we use to carry out age verification checks ,For more information see our Privacy Notice.
Delivery arranged by Amazon Logistics (Delivery Service Providers or Amazon Flex)
We take our responsibility in relation to the sale of age-restricted items extremely seriously. In line with the Challenge 25+ industry best practice, to confirm the recipient is over 18 years of age, the delivery driver is required to request and record a year of birth and record that the customer is visibly over 25 years old. If they are not visibly over 25 years old, the driver is required to request valid government-issued photographic ID with a date of birth to confirm that the customer is over the age of 18 and can lawfully take delivery of the item. The driver will not take photographs of your ID document or be able to access your information once the delivery is complete. The year of birth is stored securely in Amazon’s systems and will be deleted according to our retention policy. This way we can ensure that any legal obligations with respect to age verification have been met.
If there is nobody at the address aged 18 years or over who can show valid photo identification, the item will be returned to Amazon for re-delivery the following day. Age-restricted items cannot be left with a neighbour.
If your order is being delivered to a commercial address or residential apartment block, the receptionist, concierge, or mail room attendant receiving your parcel must provide a valid photo ID showing they are aged 18 or over. If they can't, the parcel will be returned to Amazon for re-delivery the following day.
