Turkey prepares identification checks for cigarette purchases

Turkey's Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu said a bill would introduce identity-document and identification-number checks for cigarette purchases. He intends to submit it to parliament within weeks.

The proposal aims to verify buyers' ages and strengthen controls on tobacco sales. It remains a planned change. No commencement date or detailed procedure for processing personal data has been announced.

Memişoğlu also described efforts to reduce the visibility of cigarettes in public life. He presented the measures as part of an anti-smoking campaign and support for people wishing to quit.

The minister estimated that about 160 billion cigarettes, equivalent to eight billion packs, were sold in the country last year. He put annual market turnover at 20–30 billion dollars, citing the figures to illustrate the scale of consumption.