Age-checked at order, handed only to the buyer
For tobacco and e-cigarettes, Germany's Youth Protection Act explicitly bans mail-order sales to minors; for alcohol, handing it to minors is banned, so the handover at the door should be secured too. Prüfpaket sets up both in your shop: an age check at checkout through an established verification service, and ID-checked delivery for exactly the items that need it. Paid once, no subscription from us.
Updated
- Age check only for age-restricted items, not for the whole basket
- DHL Ident-Check with name and minimum age booked automatically for those parcels, instead of the visual age check that, according to IT-Recht Kanzlei, a German appeal court found insufficient in 2014
- A written procedure for your team: checks, failed deliveries, refunds and records
A date-of-birth field is not enough when you ship
Many small shops sell wine, gin or e-liquids with a date-of-birth field at checkout and the cheapest shipping option. For tobacco, nicotine products and even nicotine-free e-cigarettes, the Jugendschutzgesetz (JuSchG) explicitly prohibits offering them to minors by mail order or sending them to minors. For alcohol, § 9 JuSchG bans handing it to minors but does not mention mail order explicitly. To be safe, shops check age again at the handover at the front door.
DHL's visual age check (Alterssichtprüfung) is cheap, but under DHL's service description the courier may hand the parcel to other household members of the minimum age, may skip the ID if the age is obvious, and does not check that it is the buyer. According to IT-Recht Kanzlei, the Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt found that check insufficient for reliable authentication of the recipient in 2014. With DHL Ident-Check the courier matches name and date of birth or minimum age against the ID and hands over only to the recipient in person.
The hard part is rarely the will, it is the setup: which age check app fits Shopify, Shopware or WooCommerce, how to check only the right items, how to book Ident-Check automatically for those parcels, and what your team does when delivery fails. That is what we set up.
- Under § 10(3) and (4) JuSchG, tobacco, other nicotine products and nicotine-free products such as e-cigarettes and e-shishas, including their containers, may not be offered to minors by mail order or sent to them (checked 7 November 2026). Source: gesetze-im-internet.de
- Administrative offences under the JuSchG, including breaches of § 9 and § 10, can be fined up to €50,000 under § 28(5). Source: gesetze-im-internet.de
- With DHL Ident-Check the courier scans the ID, matches name and, where set, date of birth or minimum age, and hands over only to the recipient in person; it costs €2.99 plus VAT per parcel on top of the parcel price (checked 7 November 2026). Source: dhl.de
- IT-Recht Kanzlei cites the Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt ruling of 7 August 2014 (6 U 54/14), which found the visual age check insufficient for reliable authentication of the recipient, and considers Ident-Check suitable (article of 16 March 2021). Source: it-recht-kanzlei.de
Without it
- Doing it yourself: Quite doable if you maintain plugins, shipping rules and wording yourself. Our €19 check gives you the list to do it.
- OneGuard: ID and age verification for Shopify from OneGuard GmbH in Germany; its Shopify listing shows from $25 a month with 10…
- AgeChecker.Net: Age verification for online shops at $25 a month plus 50¢ per accepted verification, according to its pricing page…
With Prüfpaket
- Age check only for age-restricted items, not for the whole basket
- DHL Ident-Check with name and minimum age booked automatically for those parcels, instead of the visual age check that, according to IT-Recht Kanzlei, a German appeal court found insufficient in 2014
- A written procedure for your team: checks, failed deliveries, refunds and records
- Checks only where needed
- ID-checked delivery by default
How it works
- 1
Quick check
Tell us your shop platform, carriers and range. Within 2 business days you get a written check of your checkout, shipping options and notices, with a prioritised list of gaps.
- 2
Choose the age check service
We recommend a verification service that fits your platform and order volume, such as OneGuard for Shopify or a Shopware plugin. You open the account in your name and pay its per-check fees directly.
- 3
We set it up
Through a staff account we tag age-restricted items, switch the check on for those only, set DHL Ident-Check with minimum age for those parcels, and update product, checkout and shipping notices. Done within 5 business days of access.
- 4
Test and hand over
We place test orders, check the label and customer notices, and hand over a one-page procedure for your team, failed deliveries and refunds.
Features
Checks only where needed
Customers buying glasses or accessories are not asked for ID. Only tagged items trigger the age check, at 16 or 18 depending on the product.
ID-checked delivery by default
Orders with age-restricted items get DHL Ident-Check with name and minimum age; drop-off, neighbour and parcel locker options are removed for those parcels.
Right age per product
Beer, wine and sparkling wine from 16; spirits, tobacco and e-cigarettes from 18. Mixed baskets get the stricter level.
Clear notices in the shop
Wording for product pages, checkout and shipping info explaining why ID is needed and that the buyer must accept the parcel in person.
Team procedure
One page describing how you check age at order and at handover, which services you use, and what happens when delivery fails.
Marketplaces covered
On the Multi-channel plan, shipping profiles on other sales channels are set so age-restricted items get the same checks everywhere.
Follow-up included
If your verification service or DHL changes settings or booking within 60 days of handover, adjusting your setup is included in your plan.
A look inside
What you get: the working view and the delivery report.
Illustration of the layout, built from this page's own feature list. It shows no real results.
Who it's for
Wine merchants and wineries
Wine is 16+, your gin or brandy 18+. Every order gets the right check automatically.
Spirits and craft beer shops
Small teams, many parcels. ID-checked delivery is booked automatically, with no manual steps at the packing table.
E-liquid, vape and tobacco shops
Shipping to minors is explicitly banned. Checks at order and delivery, set up consistently.
Delis and gift boxes
One liqueur in a gift box makes the whole parcel age-restricted. Mixed baskets are recognised correctly.
Works with
- Shopify
- Shopware
- WooCommerce
- DHL Ident-Check
- DHL Alterssichtprüfung (for comparison only)
- Post & DHL business customer portal
- OneGuard (age verification for Shopify)
- Shopware age verification plugins
Pricing
One-time prices, paid after we confirm the scope. The check arrives within 2 business days; setup is finished within 5 business days of shop access. Verification service fees and DHL surcharges are paid by you to those providers. Prices include VAT. Founding customer pricing for early-access orders.
Orders are subject to the Prüfpaket terms.
Check
€19 one-time
A written gap check to act on yourself
- Review of checkout, shipping options and notices
- Age level per product group
- Verification services that fit your platform
- Prioritised list of gaps
- Credited against Setup within 30 days
Setup
€149 one-time
One online shop, set up and tested
- Everything in Check
- Items tagged and age check configured
- DHL Ident-Check set for those parcels
- Product, checkout and shipping wording
- Test orders and team procedure
- 60-day follow-up
Multi-channel
€349 one-time
Shop plus marketplaces or several carriers
- Everything in Setup
- Up to two more sales channels
- Up to three shipping services
- Mixed baskets and gift boxes
- Email help for 60 days
Compared with the alternatives
- Doing it yourself
- Quite doable if you maintain plugins, shipping rules and wording yourself. Our €19 check gives you the list to do it.
- OneGuard
- ID and age verification for Shopify from OneGuard GmbH in Germany; its Shopify listing shows from $25 a month with 10 checks, then $1.40 per order checked (checked 7 November 2026). It checks after checkout and holds unverified orders, but does not set up delivery or wording. We can configure it for you.
- AgeChecker.Net
- Age verification for online shops at $25 a month plus 50¢ per accepted verification, according to its pricing page (checked 7 November 2026). Again, the check at order is one of the two steps.
Your first week
The written check arrives within 2 business days. If you book setup, we finish within 5 business days of access.
- Day 1: You send platform, shipping and range; we confirm scope.
- Day 2: Written check with gap list.
- Day 3–5: Verification service and Ident-Check set up, wording updated.
- Day 6–7: Test orders and handover of the team procedure.
Security and data
- We never receive your customers' ID data; it stays with the verification service under your account or with DHL.
- We work through a staff account you create and remove when we finish.
- Project notes are stored in the EU, encrypted in transit and at rest.
- We delete all project data within 30 days of handover, or immediately on request.
Questions
Is DHL's visual age check enough?
With the Alterssichtprüfung the courier may hand over to household members of the minimum age and does not check that the recipient is the buyer. According to IT-Recht Kanzlei, the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court found it insufficient for reliable recipient checks in 2014 (6 U 54/14). We therefore set up Ident-Check, which matches name and age.
Do I need to check age at order as well?
For tobacco and e-cigarettes, § 10 JuSchG already prohibits offering them to minors by mail order, so a check in the shop makes sense. For alcohol, § 9 JuSchG bans handing it to minors; a check at order also stops you accepting orders you could not deliver anyway.
Do you see my customers' ID?
No. The verification service collects and checks the data in its own flow under your account, and the DHL courier performs Ident-Check. We only configure the settings.
What will running costs be?
Your verification service's fees and the DHL surcharge, which DHL lists as €2.99 plus VAT per parcel for Ident-Check (checked 7 November 2026), plus return costs when a delivery fails. There are no ongoing fees from us.
What if the buyer is not at home?
With Ident-Check DHL does not hand the parcel to neighbours or authorised representatives. If delivery or the ID match fails, DHL's service description says the parcel is returned to you at your cost. We write down how to inform customers in advance and how to handle returns and refunds.
What do I need for DHL Ident-Check?
Under DHL's service description, Ident-Check works only with electronic shipment data (EDI), for example through the business customer portal, a shop plugin or shipping software, and only for a named individual as recipient; parcel lockers are excluded. We confirm in the check whether your shipping setup supports it.
Does this work with carriers other than DHL?
Yes, if they offer delivery with identity and age checks. On the Multi-channel plan we set up to three shipping services and check which one actually performs which check.
Is this legal advice?
No. Prüfpaket is a setup service, not legal advice, and we do not guarantee any legal outcome. DHL's own service description also says it does not guarantee that Ident-Check or the visual age check meets every legal requirement. For questions about your obligations or a cease-and-desist letter, ask a German lawyer.
Age checks that do not stop at the front door
Written check from €19; setup of shop age check and ID-checked delivery from €149, paid once.
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