Special barcode will be placed on the boxes of legal cigarettes

New measure are taken against smuggling of cigarettes in Bulgaria. As of May 21, all manufacturers start placing a special barcode on the boxes, which will reportt each sale. The requirement is for the EU. Data shows, that the illicit cigarettes on the market are currently 4.4%.

The new system will allow the identification of the origin of each cigarette box that is on the market in the European Union.

Through a reader, customs officers will be able to identify the manufacturer of the tobacco products, the date of manufacture and the market for which the cigarettes are intended, and their movement. The bar code will be placed on both individual cigarette packets and stacks and larger packages.

The Printing Works of the Bulgarian National Bank has been chosen to make the bar codes or so-called identifiers. The identifiers are needed both for cigarette manufacturers and distributors and traders. Their registration is done by electronic signature, however, when it is a small object, especially in the countryside, registration with the BNB is permitted to be cinducted by an authorized person.

The tracking of the boxes will be done with marking when leaving the factory, and after each transfer until they reach the retailer.

Supervision of the whole process will be carried out by the Customs Agency. Barcode installation as well as scanning machines will be at the expense of tobacco manufacturers. They have one year to clear all boxes without a barcode from the market.