Personal matter: Russians will be able to order delivery of 18+ goods using biometrics

Russia has launched the delivery of 18+ products using biometrics. At the first stage, it will be possible to order energy products — now they are sold only by passport. In the future, the system may be extended to the delivery of other age—restricted goods, such as Russian wine. To confirm the age, the system will require you to read the buyer's biometrics when placing an order and upon receipt. How you can try out the delivery of age—restricted goods is in the Izvestia article.

How to buy an 18+ product online

A service for the delivery of goods with an age restriction on biometrics has been launched in Russia, the press service of the Central Bank told Izvestia. It will be possible to confirm the right to purchase goods without a passport using the Migom service, which operates on the basis of the Unified Biometric System (UBS).

At the first stage, it will be possible to order energy drinks with courier delivery. In December, such a pilot project with age verification was launched by T-Bank and the Magnit retail chain, said Mikhail Bulatov, head of the bank's ecosystem identification center. The service is currently operating only in Moscow, the CBT clarified. You can now order an energy drink through the T-Bank mobile application — the function is available in the Supermarkets service, Bulatov said.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Eduard Kornienko

The user's age is checked twice — at checkout and upon receipt of the order. The system will also ask the buyer to bring his phone to the courier's phone to confirm that he is nearby.

— You will not be able to leave an 18+ product "at the door" without reliable age verification. The use of biometrics will ensure reliable age verification in accordance with all legal requirements, the CBT clarified.

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When purchasing products with age restrictions, the system receives a direct request about the age of the buyer. If the client is over 18 years old, the operation is approved. If it is younger, the product purchase request is blocked.

As part of the pilot project, payment by a "person" with proof of age is already being implemented at self-service cash desks (CSR) in the Magnit store chain, as well as in vending machines in a number of Moscow fitness clubs, the CBT added. At CSR, biometrics can be used to purchase any products with age restrictions, in vending machines — only for energy companies.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Sergey Vinogradov

To enable payment using biometrics for such products, you need to register biometrics: through the application "Gosuslugi Biometria" or in a bank with a passport and SNILS. Then you need to connect the "Migom" service from Gosuslug. For this, you will need to log in through the portal once and consent to data processing. Then you can buy goods at points with this logo, confirming the age according to the instructions on the screen.

Izvestia sent a request to the Magnit network and the Association of Online Commerce Companies (AKIT).

How technology can evolve in the future

— Age confirmation during the delivery of power engineers is the first stage of the pilot project. Now it is important to make sure that the technological solution is mature and to check the reliability of all algorithms. If the pilot is successful, we will look towards the delivery of Russian wine. But a regulatory framework has yet to be formed for this," a source familiar with the progress of the project told Izvestia.

The CBT, in turn, clarified that the expansion of the use of biometrics in online retail is already provided for by the law on the platform economy.

"The pilot must confirm the technological readiness of such a process and the possibility of scaling it to various categories of goods that require proof of age," Mikhail Bulatov emphasized.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Sergey Lantyukhov

Confirmation of age using biometrics will provide the necessary restrictions when purchasing goods and services on various platforms: from online orders and payments at self-service cash desks to access to certain content on the Internet, Olga Alekseuk, head of the Department of Innovative Technologies and Digital Business of the PSB, is confident.

Now this payment method is actively developing. In the first half of 2025 alone, Russians made more than 95 million biometric transactions, which is 10 times more than in the same period last year, said Pavel Salugin, Executive Vice president of Gazprombank. He noted: convenience is the main driver here. When using biometrics, a person does not need a phone, a card, or an identity document: it is enough to go to the terminal and confirm the operation with a "face".

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How will biometrics affect the development of retail chains

The main advantages of paying for 18+ goods using biometrics will be received by sellers and couriers, because for them it will be an effective form of controlling the age of the buyer, said Natalia Milchakova, a leading analyst at Freedom Finance Global.

— Fears about how teenagers will start ordering energy drinks on the Internet on a rampage are nothing more than fears. Confirmation via biometrics is more reliable than any passport check at the checkout," said Oleg Nikolaev, co—founder of the Sevastopol Association of Winegrowers and Winemakers.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Yulia Mayorova

The expansion of the system in the future should not significantly affect sales of 18+ products in retail chains, Natalia Milchakova believes. Expanding sales channels and sales formats will only allow stores to attract new customers.

Only small non—chain retail stores can face losses, so it can be expected that the SME community will resist expanding this approach to Russian wine. On the other hand, small manufacturers can benefit from the emergence of a new niche in the market — the opportunity to expand online sales channels provides ample opportunities, Oleg Nikolaev noted.

In any case, even now there will be a demand for the age confirmation service for biometrics for online purchases, and in the future it will increase even more, Natalia Milchakova concluded. According to forecasts, by 2028 at least 10% of all payments in Russia will be made using biometrics, she noted.