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It’s been too easy to access age-restricted products online in Denmark.
When buying alcohol, tobacco, or nicotine products, it’s been enough to simply check a box to claim you are above the legal age without having to prove it. This has been a big problem as these products are consumed by underage customers at a growing rate.
However, on June 4th 2024, a new law was enforced by the Danish government making digital age verification a requirement for online sales of alcohol, tobacco, and nicotine products.
Why is age verification necessary?
The current age restriction in Denmark for purchasing alcohol is:
- 16 years for products containing between 1.2% and 16% alcohol
- 18 years for those with an alcohol content above 16%
Despite these regulations, many 15-year-olds are gaining access to alcohol. In 2022, statistics revealed that 22% of girls and 27% of boys aged 15 consumed alcohol on a weekly basis.
When it comes to purchasing nicotine, you have to be over 18 years of age. However, approximately 18.2% of 15 to 17-year-olds regularly use nicotine products like vapes or nicotine pouches (snus).
This high underage consumption of alcohol and nicotine has sparked discussions regarding their accessibility. Research indicates that underage age consumers can easily obtain these products, particularly through online channels.
The online age verification problem
As digital natives, underage consumers often use the internet for online shopping. This has raised concerns regarding the digital age verification process.
In 2019, DR highlighted how easy it was to purchase alcohol without age verification. Similarly in 2020, Alkohol & Samfund conducted a test which revealed that underage consumers could buy alcohol from seven out of nine webshops without undergoing age checks.
In 2023, DR addressed the problem of underage consumers purchasing tobacco and nicotine products online by simply ticking a checkbox before completing the purchase.
In November 2023, the Danish government and various opposition parties announced their collaboration on 30 initiatives to combat the increasing use of alcohol, tobacco, and nicotine products by underage consumers. These initiatives included the long-debated introduction of digital age verification.
The legislation: online age verification with MitID or physical ID cards
In the start of 2024, the Danish Ministry of Health proposed a legislative change to introduce mandatory age verification during purchase of alcohol, tobacco, or nicotine products, through MitID or scanning of physical ID cards like passports or driving licenses.
The proposal was a significant step toward implementing a stricter age verification process in Denmark, driven by the government.
The law was enforced on June 4th 2024 and businesses must comply by October 1st, 2024. This will significantly alter the way alcohol, tobacco, and nicotine products are being purchased online.
Businesses will have to implement age verification with either MitID or physical ID card scanning in their system to adhere to the law. Consumers will have to verify their age at the point-of-purchase.
Before June 4th, the law for purchasing nicotine or alcohol products online stated that the seller must require the customer to confirm they are above the legal age. The customer was not required to verify their age but merely tick a checkbox claiming to meet the legal age requirement.
Therefore, a yes/no checkbox will no longer be considered compliant.
Why MitID is the best solution for age verification
MitID is the most effective method for secure age verification in Denmark. There are three main reasons for this:
- Security: MitID is a secure and trusted way of verifying someone’s identity. And, because a MitID verification always includes the birth date, it is a reliable way to verify the person’s age.
- User experience: MitID supports biometric verification and eliminates the need for passwords. So it’s a fast, simple and convenient way to prove your identity.
- Widespread adoption: MitID is widely used by 4,96 million people in Denmark, so they’re already familiar with it and trust the verification process.
MitID age verification with Criipto
From October 1st 2024, the law requires secure age verification for online purchases of alcohol, tobacco, and nicotine products with MitID or scanning of physical ID cards.
At Criipto, we provide an integration of MitID Age check for age verification that only shows if the individual is below or above the legal age. All other information is excluded from the verification.
This means that businesses don’t have to worry about storing information about their users. They will only receive the necessary information to stay compliant.
If your business is affected by the law, get in touch with one of our experts and learn more about our MitID Age check solution
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