Vaping Rules by Country: A Quick-Reference Guide for UK Travellers

Vaping rules abroad can be very different from the UK, and the gap is widest in countries where a vape is treated as contraband. If you have recently swapped cigarettes for a vape, it is easy to assume the rules at your destination match the ones at home. 

This guide covers 28 destinations that UK travellers regularly search for, from outright bans to EU-style product rules, and shows the month each row was last checked and what it was checked against. For the rules at home, see our UK vaping rules guide.

Vaping Rules Abroad at a Glance

The tables below sort each country into one of three groups.

Group	What it means
Banned outright or effectively banned	Leave your vape at home. Possession or use can lead to confiscation and fines.
Legal but restricted	You can vape, with limits on where you can use it, what you can bring, or what you can buy.
Broadly like the UK	Vaping is legal and product rules follow the EU Tobacco Products Directive. Where you can vape is set nationally, usually alongside smoking bans.

Two points apply everywhere. Being allowed to own a vape does not mean you can use it in every place, and you cannot count on buying refills abroad.

Can You Vape in Thailand?

No. It is illegal to possess or use any vape, e-cigarette, pod, e-liquid or heat-not-burn device in Thailand, and GOV.UK travel advice says there are no exceptions for tourists or for personal use. Offences can lead to confiscation, fines that are typically 5,000 to 30,000 baht, detention and court proceedings. You may also be required to stay in Thailand until your case is finished.

The ban was introduced in 2014, and press coverage in April 2026 describes tourists being fined after Thai authorities stepped up enforcement. Leave your vape at home. Buying one after you arrive is not a safe workaround, because possession is the offence.

Can You Vape in Dubai?

Yes, if you are 18 or over. The UAE lifted its ban on e-cigarettes in 2019, and Khaleej Times reports that vaping and smoking are prohibited indoors across the country. Malls, public transport such as the Dubai Metro, and government buildings are commonly listed as off limits, so stick to designated smoking areas. Fines of roughly AED 500 to AED 2,000 are widely reported, although those figures come from travel and retail sites rather than an official tariff.

Bringing your own device is the less clear point. Many retailers say visitors can carry a personal supply, but at least one customs-rules site says personal import is not permitted without product certification, and we could not find an official statement either way. One risk is confirmed: GOV.UK warns that some e-cigarette refills may contain ingredients that are illegal in the UAE, such as CBD oil, and that these products will be confiscated and can lead to criminal charges. Check the UAE customs guidance before you fly.

Can You Vape in Mexico?

Not with a vape you bring in. Mexico's ban on importing and selling vapes has been enforced since 16 to 17 January 2026, and reports say it covers disposables, refillable devices, pods and e-liquid, with no personal-use exception. Press coverage quotes the FCDO's travel advice as saying customs officials will confiscate vapes and could fine or detain you. The same coverage says the law targets importing and selling rather than use itself, but smoking or vaping in a public place can carry a fine of up to 3,000 pesos.

Cruise passengers are caught too, because carrying a vape ashore counts as importing it. Reported penalties range from confiscation to fines of up to $12,500 or detention, although those figures come from cruise and travel outlets, not the Mexican authorities. Leave your vape on board or at home.

Vaping Rules by Country: The Quick-Reference Table

Every row shows the month it was last checked and its main source. "GOV.UK" means the row matches the FCDO's published travel advice. Rows marked "press" or "trade report" rest on news coverage, customs guides or industry reports, so confirm those before you travel.

Banned Outright or Effectively Banned

Country	Can you vape?	Bring your own?	Buy there?	Key catch	Checked and source
Thailand	No	No	No	Possession and use are illegal with no tourist exemption. Fines are typically 5,000 to 30,000 baht	Sep 2026, GOV.UK
Singapore	No	No	No	Illegal to bring in, including for personal use. Vapes are confiscated and you could be fined	Sep 2026, GOV.UK
Vietnam	No	No	No	Vapes and related products are banned. You cannot buy them or bring them in	Sep 2026, GOV.UK
Australia	Nicotine vapes need a prescription	Only under a narrow treatment exemption	No	The traveller exemption is for treatment use, in small quantities, with a prescription	Sep 2026, TGA guidance (2024), confirm current rules
Mexico	Use is not banned, but public vaping is fined	No	No	Importing and selling vapes has been illegal since January 2026, including for personal use	Sep 2026, press quoting FCDO
India	No	No	No	Vapes and related products are banned. You cannot buy them or bring them in	Sep 2026, GOV.UK
Hong Kong	Not in public places	No, importing is banned	No	Import banned since 2022. Possessing one in a public place is banned from 30 April 2026, with a HK$3,000 fixed penalty	Sep 2026, Hong Kong Government
Qatar	No, reported	No	No	Import and sale are banned. Sources differ on whether use itself is an offence, so treat it as banned	Sep 2026, legal database and press (dated)
Mauritius	Only where smoking is allowed	Reports say no, confirm with customs	No, sale is banned	Some reports say bringing vapes in is banned too, so leave yours at home unless customs confirm	Sep 2026, legal database (2024) and traveller reports

Legal but Restricted

Country	Can you vape?	Bring your own?	Buy there?	Key catch	Checked and source
UAE (Dubai)	Yes, 18+	Not confirmed, check with customs	Yes, licensed shops	Not allowed in malls or on public transport. GOV.UK warns about CBD in refills	Sep 2026, GOV.UK and press
Turkey	Yes, where smoking is allowed	Grey area: retailers cite an allowance, customs sites report seizures	No	Retail sale is banned, so you cannot buy replacements	Sep 2026, press and retailer guides
Japan	Yes	Nicotine liquid: limits apply, confirm with customs	Nicotine-free liquid only	Nicotine e-liquid is regulated as a medicine. About one month's supply (120ml) is commonly cited	Sep 2026, press and customs guides
Morocco	Yes	Not confirmed, check with customs	Not confirmed	Nicotine vapes are allowed and treated as tobacco-related products	Sep 2026, trade report
Egypt	Yes	Not confirmed, check with customs	Not confirmed	Nicotine vapes are allowed and treated as tobacco-related products	Sep 2026, trade report
Indonesia (Bali)	Yes, reported	Customs limits and excise rules apply	Not confirmed	Declare devices and liquid on arrival. Limited sources	Sep 2026, limited press
USA	Yes, where allowed locally	Yes, in hand luggage only	Yes, 21+	State and city rules on where you can vape and on flavoured sales vary. Carry devices in the cabin, not the hold	Sep 2026, TSA and press
Tunisia	Yes, reported	Commonly reported as tolerated	Reported yes, in vape shops	No specific vaping law, so the position is a grey area. Avoid vaping in public and religious places	Sep 2026, GSTHR profile (2025)
Dominican Republic	Yes, reported	Not confirmed, check with customs	Not confirmed	Reported to fall under the country's tobacco-control law, so expect smoke-free rules indoors	Sep 2026, local press, limited sources
China	Not confirmed	Not confirmed	Not confirmed	We could not find an official traveller position. Check with the Chinese embassy or China Customs	Sep 2026, limited sources

Broadly Like the UK

These destinations are EU members, so vape products must meet the Tobacco Products Directive: a 20mg/ml nicotine cap, 2ml tanks and 10ml refill bottles. Products that exceed those limits may be confiscated. The Directive does not decide where you can vape, so those rules are national. Our guide to the Tobacco Products Directive and e-cigarettes explains how it works.

Country	Can you vape?	Bring your own?	Buy there?	Key catch	Checked and source
Greece	Yes	Yes, within Directive limits	Yes	Indoor smoking bans are reported to cover vapes. Press accounts differ on outdoor rules, so follow local signs	Sep 2026, press
Spain	Yes	Yes, within Directive limits	Yes	A terrace and beach ban is proposed, not yet law (see below)	Sep 2026, press
Italy	Yes	Yes, within Directive limits	Yes	Indoor ban. Some regions and beaches add stricter smoke-free rules	Sep 2026, press (2024), confirm locally
Cyprus	Yes	Yes, within Directive limits	Yes	We could not confirm local use rules, so follow venue signs	Sep 2026, limited sources
Netherlands (Amsterdam)	Yes	Commonly reported as tolerated	Tobacco flavour only	Non-tobacco flavours cannot be sold (see below)	Sep 2026, enforcement paper and press
France	Yes	Yes, within Directive limits	Yes, but disposables are reported banned	The 2025 outdoor smoking ban on beaches and in parks does not cover e-cigarettes, per press. Check indoor rules locally	Sep 2026, press
Portugal	Yes	Yes, within Directive limits	Yes	Reported banned in enclosed public spaces such as bars, restaurants and public transport, apart from designated vaping areas	Sep 2026, trade report (dated) and press
Malta	Yes	Yes, within Directive limits	Yes	Use is prohibited in all public places, apart from designated areas in casinos and some hotel rooms, and on public transport	Sep 2026, legal database (2024)
Poland	Yes	Yes, within Directive limits	Yes	No flavour restrictions in law, per a Polish law firm. We could not confirm where you can vape, so follow venue signs	Sep 2026, law firm summary (2026)

Vaping in Europe: What UK Travellers Get Wrong

Amsterdam and the Netherlands. Vaping is legal, but the flavour rules are far tighter than in the UK. Only tobacco-flavoured e-liquid can be sold, under a flavour ban that took effect in 2023 and that the Dutch food safety authority has enforced since January 2024. The flavour you normally vape will not be on the shelf, so bring enough of your usual e-liquid for the whole trip. Retailer guides generally say personal-use imports are tolerated, but at least one source describes bringing in flavoured liquid as illegal, and we found no official statement, so confirm with the Dutch authorities if you are unsure.

Spain. Vaping is legal for adults, Spain is bound by the same Directive product limits, and nothing stops visitors carrying a personal device. The change to watch is a draft law approved by Spain's cabinet on 21 July 2026 that would ban smoking and vaping on bar and restaurant terraces, beaches and other outdoor spaces. It still has to pass parliament, where the government lacks a majority, so it is proposed rather than in force. Some travel sites describe it as already law, which is not accurate at the time of writing. Towns and regions can set stricter local rules, so follow the signs.

Taking Your Vape Through the Airport

Airlines generally require vapes and spare batteries in the cabin, not the hold, because of the lithium battery. Vaping on board is banned, and liquids are subject to the usual security limits, so check your airline's own rules. If an airline's rules and your destination's rules differ, follow the stricter of the two. Our guide to taking a disposable vape in hand luggage covers the airport side, and our pod kit travel guide covers packing.

How to Check the Rules Before You Travel

Read the GOV.UK foreign travel advice for your destination before every trip, paying attention to the entry requirements and the safety and security sections, where laws and customs are covered. At the time of checking, GOV.UK named vapes for Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam and India and gave the CBD refill warning for the UAE, and press reports quote FCDO advice on Mexico. The other destinations we checked, including Turkey, Japan and the EU countries above, did not mention vapes in the sections we read, which is why those rows rely on other sources.

For those destinations, ask the country's embassy or customs authority directly. Rules can change with little warning, and this page will be updated as they do.

Vaping Abroad: Common Questions

Can you vape in Turkey?

Yes, adults can use a vape where smoking is allowed. Nothing is legally on sale, so you would need to bring your own, but that is where the picture is unclear. Retailers commonly report a personal allowance of one device, up to 30ml of liquid and up to 10 disposables, based on a 2020 customs circular. Customs-rules sites report devices being confiscated at airports. Bring only what you need for the trip, declare it, and confirm with Turkish customs before you fly.

Can you vape in Greece?

Yes. Greece is an EU member, so the Directive's 20mg/ml nicotine cap and tank and bottle limits apply to anything you buy there. Indoor smoking bans are reported to cover vapes, and accounts differ on outdoor and covered venues, so check for signs before you light up.

Can you vape in Amsterdam?

Yes, where smoking is allowed. Hotels and cafes set their own rules, so ask before vaping indoors. The main issue is flavour, covered in the Europe section above.

Can you bring a vape to Spain?

Yes. Pack it in your hand luggage and keep any liquids within security limits. The proposed terrace and beach ban is not law yet, but check local signs on arrival.

Can you take vapes abroad on a plane?

Yes, in hand luggage only, on airlines that permit them. Airline rules and destination rules are separate, so a vape that is fine on the flight can still be illegal once you land. Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, India and Mexico are the clearest examples.

Can you vape in India?

No. GOV.UK says vapes and related products are banned in India, and that you cannot buy them or bring them into the country. Leave yours at home and check the same page before you fly.

Can you vape in the USA?

Yes, where local rules allow it. You must be 21 or over to buy one, and states and cities set their own rules on where you can vape and which flavours can be sold. The TSA allows electronic cigarettes in carry-on baggage only. Check the state you are visiting, and confirm entry rules with US Customs and Border Protection.

Can you vape in France?

Yes. France follows the EU Directive limits, and press reports say the July 2025 outdoor smoking ban on beaches and in parks does not cover e-cigarettes. Single-use disposable vapes are reported to have been banned from sale since February 2025, so bring what you need. Check indoor and local rules on arrival.

Can you vape in Portugal?

Yes, but not in enclosed public spaces such as bars and restaurants, outside designated vaping areas. Portugal follows the EU Directive limits, so bring your own supply within them.

Which countries is vaping illegal in?

Of the countries in this guide, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam and India ban vapes outright, according to GOV.UK, and Hong Kong, Mexico and Qatar ban importing them. Australia limits nicotine vapes to prescription use, and Mauritius should be treated as banned. Other countries not covered here have bans or heavy restrictions too, so check GOV.UK for any destination not listed before you pack.