Table of contents:
What are age-verified deliveries?
Age-verified deliveries are those deliveries containing items such as 🍷alcohol or 🚬 tobacco, where someone over the age of 18 (it is a legal age in the UK) needs to be present to accept them.
Stuart's policy
Courier's completing age-verified deliveries on the Stuart platform are required to ask for ID for orders containing age-restricted item(s).
You (or your substitute) should also double check customer's name on the order is the same of the person standing in front of you.
This policy is in place to ensure age-restricted items are delivered safely, and within the law.
To help you (or your substitute) follow this policy, you (or your substitute) will be prompted to complete additional steps within the app.
Note on senior citizens: confirm their name and ask the customer for the DOB only. We understand how frustrating it must be for senior citizen to be asked to show ID.
What do I have to do?
📱If it is age-verified order, it will show up on delivery invite screen within Stuart courier app.
New feature! Richer Invite will now give you (or your substitute) more details about what type of age-restricted items the order carries.
🏷️At pick-up, check the label or receipt to confirm the package contains an age-restricted item.
📦Do not open the package yourself or ask the client to do so.
🧍If you (or your substitute) are still unsure, ask the client to confirm if the package contains an age-restricted item.
🍷At drop-off, also ensure that the customer is not intoxicated. If they appear to be intoxicated (see signs below), please contact Customer Support immediately by following the instructions in the app.
Signs of psychoactive substance abuse and/or someone being drunk include:
➡️Traces or smell of solvents on the customer's clothes or breath
➡️A drowsy, vacant, glazed expression or red eyes
➡️Unsteadiness
➡️Slurred speech, uncontrolled or excessive giggling
➡️Rowdy or silly behaviour
📗At drop-off, follow the scenarios in the section below to verify the customer's age and record the date of birth in the app.
Delivery scenarios
Scenario | What do you (or your substitute) have to do? |
Customer appears to be 18-25 and can NOT provide an ID | You (or your substitute) must check their ID and record the DOB within the Stuart app.
If a customer cannot produce a valid ID, you (or your substitute) must not complete the delivery. Contact support by following the instructions in the app. |
Customer appears to be 18-25 and CAN provide the ID | Check to make sure the ID is both valid and acceptable (scroll below to see acceptable IDs).
The picture must match the person in front of you (or your substitute) and ID must show the customer is old enough to receive the delivery (legal age is 18 in the UK).
Once confirmed, you (or your substitute) can complete the delivery by recording the DOB in the Stuart app. |
Customer appears to be over the age of 25 | You (or your substitute) would only need to request a Date of Birth and record it within the Stuart courier app.
Double check customer's name on the order is the same as the person standing in front of you (or your substitute).
However, if you (or your substitute) suspect they have purchased the items for somebody under the legal age, you MUST NOT complete the delivery. This is called a proxy sale and it is illegal. If that is the case, contact support by following the instructions in the app. |
The customer is a senior citizen | Ask the customer for the DOB only. We understand how frustrating it must be for a senior citizen to be asked to show ID.
However, if you (or your substitute) suspect they have purchased the items for somebody under the legal age, you (or your substitute) MUST NOT complete the delivery. This is called a proxy sale and it is illegal. If that is the case, contact support by following the instructions in the app. |
Returns
You (or your substitute) are able to return age-verified orders in the following scenarios:
🍸 customer is intoxicated with alcohol and/or drugs
🔞 customer is not able to prove the age (remember, legal age in the UK to receive age-verified items is 18)
🏠 customer is absent; if customer is not home, you (or your substitute) will not be able to verify if the customer is sober and if the customer is of right age
Under no circumstances leave the age-verified order in a safe place if the customer is absent. Use the chatbot to contact CS and arrange a return.
Please note all returns are currently full returns for all clients (except for Just Eat, see section below). This means returning the entire package if you (or your substitute) cannot complete the delivery, rather than only returning the age-restricted item(s).
Note on Just Eat Takeaway deliveries
Just Eat Takeaway restaurants will package age-restricted items in a separate bag.
🏬 Pick-up
Once you (or your substitute) are at a pick-up location, please make sure you (or your substitute) grab all bags that have the same order number on them. If it is not clear, you (or your substitute) can always check with the restaurant staff.
🏠 Drop-off
Proceed with regular process when at drop-off.
If age-verification check fails to pass, you (or your substitute) can give the food to the customer, but return the separate bag containing age-restricted item(s) back to the restaurant. Contact Support for further information.
You (or your substitute) will receive regular payment upon return.
Acceptable forms of ID
ID type | ID example |
Passport National ID Card | |
National Identity Card | |
National identity card issued by a European Union member state (other than United Kingdom), Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland | |
European Union photocard driving licence
United Kingdom photocard driving licence |
|
PASS card - Photographic identity card bearing the national Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) hologram | |
Serving member of the HM Armed Forces ID card (Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force) |
Age-restricted items list
🍸 Alcohol
🚬 Tobacco & vape products
🎆 Fireworks
🗡️ Offensive weapons (includes knives, knife blades, open edged razor blades, axes)
💦 Solvents
📀 18+ video games and DVDs
🎫 Lottery tickets and scratch cards (age-restriction of 16)
🥤 Energy drinks (age-restriction of 16)
You (or your substitute) can face maximum penalty of 6 months in prison or a Level Five fine if you (or your substitute) knowingly deliver any of these items to those underage. For more information, please see Licensing Act 2003 page, which has now been updated to reflect the delivery process.
Note on POD process
When taking a picture that the order has been delivered, please DO NOT take a picture of the customer's ID. It is against GDPR law.
Here are some tips for taking a picture:
Ensure face is not visible
Ensure photo taken does not reveal any distinct sign(s) that give away personal information
You (or your substitute) must take a photo of the package with the customer’s door number visible and slightly open.
What happens if I don't follow Stuart's policy?
It is against the law to sell and deliver an age-restricted item(s) to anyone under the legal age. Doing so risks:
🧑⚖️ personal prosecution
💸fine starting at £90 for yourself
💸£20,000 fine for the client
📜client alcohol sales licence revoked
🛑offboarding from the Stuart platform
You (or your substitute) cannot deliver the order if the end customer is not of the legal age. Contact Customer Supportif you (or your substitute) are unable to verify their age.
🛍️Stuart completes monthly secret shopper audits to ensure the policy is followed.
Summary
✅ Always check delivery invite screen within the app to see whether it is age-verified order.
✅ At pick up, check the receipt or confirm with the client if the package contains age-restricted items.
✅ Ask for ID.
✅ Only accept ID that is valid and a certain type (passports, driving licenses, or official photo ID, HM Armed forces ID).
❌ Do not deliver age-restricted items to a customer who is under 18, intoxicated, or under the influence of drugs.
You (or your substitute) must complete these steps accurately using the ID provided by the customer. Stuart completes monthly secret shopper audits to ensure the policy is followed.
Helpful links