The Philippines just made nicotine pouch certification mandatory — 12 months to comply
DAO 26-07 puts nicotine pouches under the Philippine Standard licensing system: lab testing for nicotine content, pH and water activity, full package disclosures, and a 12-month clock before uncertified products are banned.
The Philippines just moved nicotine pouches from a grey zone into a hard compliance regime: the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has placed the category under mandatory product certification, and products without it will be banned from the Philippine market once a 12-month transition ends.
The rule is set out in Department Administrative Order (DAO) No. 26-07, Series of 2026, reported by Context.ph on October 7. Nicotine pouches may only be manufactured, imported, distributed or sold with a valid Philippine Standard (PS) License, using PNS BSI PAS 8877:2024 as the reference standard.
What companies now have to do
Under the order, the certification framework forces manufacturers to prove testing capability for three things: nicotine content, pH and water activity. Independent testing must be carried out by DTI-recognized laboratories — companies can no longer self-certify.
Toll-packing facilities face their own requirements, including registration, audits, traceability and quality-management systems.
Packaging rules are the most visible change for shoppers. Every can must disclose:
- Nicotine content per pouch
- Ingredients and allergens
- Manufacturing date and batch information
- The prescribed PS certification mark
- Graphic health warnings
Why it matters
Uncertified products can still be sold during the 12-month transition, and existing stock can go through voluntary certification in the meantime. Once the window closes, non-compliant products are out of the market entirely — along with any manufacturer, importer, distributor or retailer that skipped certification.
For a market where the Bureau of Internal Revenue already logs 192 registered nicotine brands, this is the second shoe dropping: registration told regulators who is in the market, and certification now decides who can stay. DTI first signaled the move in April 2026, when it told BusinessWorld it was "eyeing" mandatory certification. It is no longer eyeing it.
The Philippines is following the pattern playing out across Asia and Europe: pouches are not being pushed out of markets, they are being brought under formal product standards — with testing, traceability and labeling obligations that raise the cost of staying in the game. Companies with serious compliance operations will clear the bar. Grey-market importers running courier channels, the model authorities in Bulgaria and elsewhere have been cracking down on, will not.
Compare prices across brands and strengths at PouchFinder.
SOURCES
- Context.ph — DTI mandates certification for nicotine pouches (October 7, 2026)
- DTI Office for the Special Mandate on Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products — OSMV
- BusinessWorld — DTI eyes mandatory certification for nicotine pouches (April 8, 2026)