The regulator audits, you debug CSS.
Trading-standards bodies in the EU have issued real fines for selling alcohol or tobacco to minors online. A footer disclaimer is not a defence — they want a visible, working gate before the product page.
18+ age verification
without the developer ticket.
Toggle it on in Consentio, pick the minimum age and the redirect URL. The gate appears before the cookie banner and inherits your theme. Regulators happy. You happy.
You know the drill…
Age-verification plugins crumble at every update.
WordPress, Shopify, BigCommerce — the dedicated age-verification plugins are usually old, poorly maintained, and fight your cookie banner over z-index. Every theme update is a new emergency.
Custom build? No modern cookie banner on top.
A freelancer can ship you an 18+ gate, but GDPR consent, Google Consent Mode v2, and multi-language flows are still your problem. Then you spend a week on the conflict between them.
How it works in Consentio
One script tag, two features: age verification and cookie consent. They cooperate. They do not fight.
- 1
Toggle it on
Open the Age Verification section in the designer and flip the switch. No new script to embed — the one you already have on your site does the work.
- 2
Pick age and redirect
18, 16, or 21. Plus the URL where visitors under the limit go (a parental-resources page or a neutral landing page works). Localized texts come in CS and EN out of the box — override per locale.
- 3
Matches your theme
Same theme, colours, and corner radius as your cookie banner. If you ship custom CSS, the gate inherits it. No foreign-looking modal.
- 4
Cookie disclosed automatically
The consentio_age_verified cookie is appended to your generated cookie policy under Necessary cookies. No manual edits to a lawyer-issued PDF.
Six things plugins do not give you
Gate before cookie banner
Correct order: age first, then cookies. Visitors who leave never see the cookie banner — no wasted seconds, no false consent in your analytics.
Theme inherits from the banner
The gate uses the same CSS variables as the cookie modal. Dark theme, light theme, custom colours — automatic.
Googlebot still indexes the page
Bot exemption is on by default. Googlebot, Bingbot, DuckDuckBot, and friends see the page without the gate. Your SEO stays intact.
Persistence 1–365 days
Once confirmed, the browser remembers the visitor’s age for as long as you set. Default is 30 days — repeat customers do not click on every visit.
Multilingual
CS and EN come hand-written. 22 more EU languages ship with sensible fallbacks. Override per locale in the designer.
Guarded redirects
The server rejects non-https URLs and javascript: schemes (XSS). Security is solved without you thinking about it.
What the law says
Age verification is not a "best practice" — it is a statutory obligation in concrete sections. Here they are.
Protection of public health against addictive substances
Prohibits the sale of tobacco products, alcohol, and smoking accessories (incl. vape) to persons under 18. Operators must take "reasonable measures" to prevent the sale — a working age gate is the recognised standard measure.
Foodstuffs and tobacco
Supplements the tobacco rules and underpins ČOI (Czech Trade Inspection Authority) enforcement. For tobacco and vape e-shops, an age gate is effectively required before the product page renders.
Tobacco Products Directive
The EU directive on tobacco and related products harmonises rules across member states, including e-cigarettes. If you sell across borders, a configurable age gate (18/21) is a practical necessity.
Age gates across vendors
Where you get age verification included, where you pay extra, and where you have to assemble it yourself.
| Feature | Consentio Pro | CookieBot | CookieYes | WP "Age Verify" plugin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gate wired into cookie banner | Yes, included | No | No | No (gate only, no cookies) |
| Same theme as cookie banner | Yes | — | — | No (separate visual) |
| Automatic bot exemption (SEO) | Yes | — | — | Usually no |
| Cookie listed in policy automatically | Yes | No | No | No |
| Extra cost | €0 (in Pro) | ~€20/mo extra | Not available | €0, breaks the banner |
Frequently asked questions
Will this satisfy a trade-standards audit?
A working age gate is the recognised "reasonable measure" under most EU national transpositions of the tobacco/alcohol regulations. Regulators cannot demand perfect ID verification online (only point-of-sale can do that), but they consistently accept a gate combined with a visible product-page notice.
What if the visitor has cookies disabled?
The consentio_age_verified cookie is strictly necessary — it works without consent. If a visitor has fully disabled cookies in their browser, the gate will appear on every visit. That is the correct behaviour.
Does it really exempt Googlebot?
Yes, by default. We detect known crawlers (Googlebot, Bingbot, DuckDuckBot, Yandex, Baiduspider, Seznambot, and more) and skip the gate. Your SEO stays intact. You can disable this if for any reason you want to gate bots too.
Does it work with WooCommerce, Shopify, BigCommerce?
Yes. The gate is part of the Consentio widget, which is a universal script tag. Works on WordPress (WooCommerce), Shopify, BigCommerce, Webflow, Squarespace, Wix, Framer, and any custom site. No plugin to install.
What if a regulator sends an underage visitor?
The gate is not 100% — no web solution is. But it is a "reasonable measure" that regulators recognise. Pair it with a visible product-page notice ("Sold only to adults 18+") and a cart-page reminder. That combination holds up in practice.
Can I change the age to 16 or 21?
Yes. The designer lets you set minimum age between 13 and 25. 21+ is useful for US exports or selected tobacco categories. 16+ for certain alcohol categories (e.g. beer/wine in some EU countries).
What if a visitor uses multiple devices?
The cookie is per-browser, so a visit from a different device (phone, work laptop, cafe) shows the gate again. Default remembrance is 30 days — for regular customers this means about 12 confirmations per year.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes. The gate is fully responsive, tested on iOS Safari and Chrome on Android, and works inside WebViews if you load the Consentio script.
Sleep well even while selling alcohol, vape, and CBD.
Age gate, cookie banner, cookie policy generator, and Google Consent Mode v2 — all in one script. 14 days free, no credit card.