This isn’t meant as a definitive legal guide for traveling vapers. If you’re visiting an unfamiliar country you should first check with an up-to-date official source like your country’s state department, or the travel bureau of the country you’re visiting.
Antigua and Barbuda
Legal to use, illegal to sell
Argentina
Legal to use, illegal to sell
Australia
Legal to use, illegal to possess nicotine without a doctor’s prescription. Importing nicotine illegally can be punished with fines of up to $222,000. Penalties for possession vary from one state to the next, but can also be quite severe
Bangladesh
Bangladesh currently has no laws or regulations specific to vaping. However, in 2021 the government announced it would update the country’s tobacco control law with an outright ban on the sales of e-cigarettes
Bhutan
Legal to use, illegal to sell
Brazil
Legal to use, illegal to sell
Brunei Darussalam
Legal to use, illegal to sell
Cambodia
Banned: illegal to use, illegal to sell
Chile
Legal to use, illegal to sell (except approved medical products)
Colombia
Legal to use, illegal to sell
East Timor
Believed to be banned
Egypt
Legal to use, illegal to sell—although the country may be on the verge of regulating vaping products
Ethiopia
Believed legal to use, illegal to sell
Gambia
Believed illegal to use, illegal to sell
Hong Kong
Legal to use, illegal to sell. The local government ban on sales, importation, manufacture and promotion on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products takes effect April 30, 2022
India
Legal to use, illegal to sell. In September 2019, the Indian central government banned sales of vaping products. The government, well aware that 100 million Indians smoke and that tobacco kills nearly a million people a year, did not make any moves to reduce access to cigarettes. Not coincidentally, the Indian government owns a large share of the country’s largest tobacco company
Iran
Believed legal to use, illegal to sell
Jamaica
Legal to use, illegal to sell nicotine-containing products without a medical license
Japan
Legal to use, legal to sell devices and zero-nicotine e-liquid, but illegal to sell nicotine-containing liquid (although individuals can import nicotine-containing products with some restrictions). Heated tobacco products (HTPs) like IQOS are legal and extremely popular
Kuwait
Believed legal to use, illegal to sell
Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos)
Illegal to use, illegal to sell
Lebanon
Legal to use, illegal to sell
Macau
Legal to use, illegal to sell. Imports for personal use are currently not banned, but the government is working on that too
Malaysia
Legal to use, illegal to sell nicotine-containing products. Although consumer sales of nicotine-containing products is illegal, Malaysia has a thriving vaping market. Authorities occasionally raid retailers and confiscate products. Sales of all vaping products (even without nicotine) are banned outright in the states of Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Penang and Terengganu
Mauritius
Legal to use, illegal to sell
Mexico
Legal to use, illegal to sell. The Mexican president issued a decree banning sales of all vapes and heated tobacco products in May 2022. The law includes nicotine-free products
Myanmar
Believed to be banned
Nepal
Legal to use, possibly illegal to sell (although the government itself seems unsure)
Nicaragua
Believed illegal to use, illegal to sell
Oman
Believed legal to use, illegal to sell
Panama
Legal to use, illegal to sell
Qatar
Banned: illegal to use, illegal to sell
Seychelles
Legal to use, illegal to sell. However, the country announced in 2019 its intention to legalize and regulate e-cigarettes
Singapore
Banned: illegal to use, illegal to sell. As of 2018, possession of vapes is a crime, punishable by fines and even prison time. However, the threat of prosecution doesn’t prevent a thriving black market
Sri Lanka
Legal to use, illegal to sell
Suriname
Legal to use, illegal to sell
Syria
Banned: illegal to use, illegal to sell
Thailand
Believed legal to use, illegal to sell. Thailand has earned a reputation for enforcing its ban on importation and sales of vaping products with several high-profile incidents in recent years, including detaining and even deporting vaping tourists
Timor-Leste
Legal to use, illegal to sell
Turkey
Legal to use, illegal to import. Importation of vaping products is illegal in Turkey, and when the country reaffirmed its ban in 2017, the World Health Organization issued a press release cheering the decision. But Turkey’s laws are conflicting, and there is a vaping market and a vaping community in Turkey
Turkmenistan
Believed legal to use, illegal to sell
Uganda
Legal to use, illegal to sell
United States
Legal to use, legal to sell—but sales of products not authorized by the FDA became technically illegal as of Sept. 9, 2021. Although no state has banned sales of vaping products outright, many have bans on flavored products or online sales. Some California cities, notably San Francisco, have banned sales of all e-cigarettes
Uruguay
Legal to use, illegal to sell
Vatican City
Believed to be banned
Venezuela
Legal to use, believed illegal to sell, unless approved as medical products
