Since 20 August 2026 nicotine pouches are covered by Austria's tobacco law (TNRSG): no sales to under-18s, no mail-order or online sales, a cap of 16.6 mg nicotine per gram with max 1.6 g per pouch, mandatory health warnings, and flavours may only be named in the ingredient list. Older non-compliant stock may be sold to consumers until 30 June 2027.

Nicotine cap

16.6 mg per gram (and max 1.6 g total mass per pouch)

Minimum age

18

Flavours

Flavourings may only be mentioned in the ingredient list (no flavour claims on packs); no flavour ban

Where it is sold

Mail-order/distance sales banned (§ 2a TNRSG)

Nicotine pouches (and cannabinoid pouches) have been banned from the Belgian market since 1 October 2023 under a royal decree. Retailers caught selling them face fines and seizures, although inspections show the ban is widely flouted.

Nicotine cap

Not applicable — sale banned

Minimum age

Not applicable

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

None — marketing/sale prohibited (royal decree, enforced under the 1977 consumer-health law)

Nicotine pouches are legal for adults, but since July 2025 Bulgaria bans the sale of nicotine-containing products with more than 20 mg nicotine per unit, and amendments that took effect once the EU objection period ended bring them under the tobacco act as 'related products', with a mandatory 30% health warning. Pouches are also subject to Bulgarian excise.

Nicotine cap

20 mg per unit of product

Minimum age

18

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

Not set

Nicotine pouches are legal; since 5 July 2025 Croatian law bans the sale of tobacco, nicotine and related products to anyone under 18. There is no nicotine cap, flavour rule or pouch-specific product standard — otherwise general consumer law applies.

Nicotine cap

Not set

Minimum age

18

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

Not set

In March 2026 Cyprus's parliament brought nicotine pouches under its smoking-control law, banning sales to minors and setting fines of up to €2,000 or six months in prison for breaches. Before that, pouches were classed as medicines with no licence ever issued. Detailed product rules, including a 16 mg per pouch cap, are still a draft.

Nicotine cap

Not set

Minimum age

18

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

Not set

Nicotine pouches are legal for adults; sale or giving them to under-18s is banned, and online sale is allowed only with an electronic age-verification system. By ministerial decree each pouch may contain at most 12 mg nicotine and a can at most 240 mg, with labelling, child-resistant packaging and banned additives.

Nicotine cap

12 mg per pouch (max 240 mg per unit pack)

Minimum age

18

Flavours

No flavour ban; specific substances (e.g. pulegone, menthofuran, estragole, safrole, capsaicin) may not be added, nor vitamins, caffeine/taurine or CMR substances (Decree 141/2023 Annex 1 and §2).

Where it is sold

Only via listed outlet types (specialist shops, food retailers, newsagents, catering, accommodation, etc.); banned in health, school and child-care facilities; vending machines only with staff age check; distance/online sale allowed with mandatory electronic age verification notified to the Ministry of Health; no free provision or price incentives.

Nicotine pouches are legal for adults 18+, but only products with at most 9.0 mg nicotine per pouch and no characterising flavour other than tobacco or menthol, in standardised (plain) packaging, may be sold. Since 1 April 2026 it is also illegal to import, buy or possess non-compliant pouches, except up to ten units carried as travel luggage for personal use.

Nicotine cap

9.0 mg per pouch

Minimum age

18

Flavours

Characterising flavours banned except tobacco and menthol (applies to all stock from 1 April 2026; products manufactured from 1 July 2025).

Where it is sold

Not set

Nicotine pouches are legal and treated as 'products related to tobacco products': sale to under-18s, distance/online sale, visible display at the point of sale, and advertising are all prohibited. There is no legal nicotine cap or flavour rule yet; a draft adding a 4 mg/g cap and a tobacco/menthol-only rule was sent back by the economy minister in August 2026.

Nicotine cap

Not set

Minimum age

18

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

In-store only, kept out of sight; distance sales (online, mail order) to consumers prohibited; sellers must file a notice of economic activity.

Nicotine pouches may be sold only by licensed retailers, in shops (distance/online sale is banned), to people 18+. Products may not exceed 16.6 mg nicotine per gram, characterising flavours are banned except menthol and mint (from 1 February 2026), and standardised (plain) packaging is required from 1 August 2026.

Nicotine cap

16.6 mg per gram

Minimum age

18

Flavours

Characterising smells and tastes banned, with exceptions for menthol and mint (in force 1 February 2026).

Where it is sold

Retail sale only with a retail sales licence; wholesale must be notified; distance sales (incl. online) prohibited.

Nicotine pouches have been banned in France since 1 April 2026: buying, selling, importing, holding and using oral nicotine products (other than licensed nicotine-replacement medicines) is prohibited. This includes bringing them in for personal use.

Nicotine cap

Not applicable — sale banned

Minimum age

Not applicable

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

None — sale, distribution, import and possession prohibited; only pharmaceutical nicotine-replacement products are exempt

Selling tobacco-free nicotine pouches in Germany is not allowed: food-safety authorities treat them as foods containing nicotine, an unauthorised novel-food ingredient, so shops and German online sellers may not put them on the market. Using or possessing them is not itself an offence, and the market runs largely on imports and grey-market sales.

Nicotine cap

Not applicable — sale banned

Minimum age

Not applicable

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

No lawful retail channel; local authorities issue orders prohibiting both in-store and online/mail-order sale of nicotine-containing foods

Nicotine pouches are legal in Greece and, under Law 5216/2025, may not be sold or given to under-18s; sellers must check ID and vending-machine sales are banned. Advertising is largely restricted and products are subject to a notification requirement.

Nicotine cap

Not set

Minimum age

18

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

Vending-machine sales prohibited; cross-border distance sales addressed in art. 31 of Law 5216/2025 (details not verified)

Nicotine pouches (legally 'nicotine-containing products substituting smoking') are excise goods that individuals may buy only in the state-licensed National Tobacco Shops (Nemzeti Dohánybolt), which under-18s may not enter; ordering them online, domestically or from abroad, is illegal. Each pouch may contain at most 17 mg nicotine, and a box at most 20 pouches.

Nicotine cap

17 mg per unit (pouch); max 20 pouches per box

Minimum age

18

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

National Tobacco Shops (state retail concession) only; online/distance purchase illegal; products must be notified to the Chief Medical Officer 6 months before market entry.

Nicotine pouches are legal and sold in Ireland with no pouch-specific law in force, so there is not yet even a statutory minimum age. A government bill that would ban sales to under-18s and restrict in-store display and advertising has passed the Dáil and is still in the Seanad.

Nicotine cap

Not set

Minimum age

Not set

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

Not set

Nicotine pouches are legal in Italy but tightly controlled: only ADM-listed, tax-stamped products may be sold, through tobacconists and other ADM-authorised shops, pharmacies and parapharmacies, and not to minors. Since the 2026 Budget Law, online and cross-border distance sales to consumers in Italy are banned.

Nicotine cap

16.6 mg per pouch

Minimum age

18

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

Tobacconists (rivendite) plus ADM-authorised neighbourhood shops, pharmacies and parapharmacies; distance sales incl. cross-border banned (art. 62-quater.1(13-bis.1) TUA)

Nicotine pouches (legally 'tobacco substitute products') may only be sold if they contain at most 4 mg nicotine per gram and no flavourings other than listed tobacco flavours, a rule in force since 1 January 2025 and upheld by the Constitutional Court in October 2025. Buyers must be at least 20, and distance (online) sale is banned.

Nicotine cap

4 mg per gram

Minimum age

20

Flavours

All flavourings banned except tobacco-smell/taste flavourings listed in the law's annex (since 1 January 2025).

Where it is sold

Distance sales (incl. online) prohibited.

Nicotine pouches are not legally on sale in Lithuania. No law authorises or regulates them, pouches in snus-style packaging are treated as banned goods that imitate a tobacco product, and nicotine above about 1.67% is controlled as a poisonous substance. A legalisation framework has been in preparation since 2023 but has not been adopted.

Nicotine cap

Not applicable — sale banned

Minimum age

Not applicable

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

No legal retail channel.

Luxembourg's anti-tobacco law (in force 1 January 2026) caps nicotine pouches at 0.048 mg of nicotine per pouch, far below any normal product, so in practice ordinary pouches cannot be sold. The law also bans sale to under-18s, distance sales and advertising, and bans additives such as caffeine, taurine and CBD.

Nicotine cap

0.048 mg per pouch

Minimum age

18

Flavours

Flavourings that mask the product's harmfulness or make it more attractive are prohibited (per the bill's description)

Where it is sold

Distance sales banned; vending machines must block minors

Nicotine pouches are legal in Malta and have been subject to an excise duty of €8 per kilogram since 1 April 2026, but there is no pouch-specific law on age, flavours or nicotine strength. Health authorities have said they will address pouches in the national tobacco control strategy.

Nicotine cap

Not set

Minimum age

Not set

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

Not set

Nicotine pouches cannot be sold in the Netherlands: since 1 January 2025 the Tobacco and Smoking Products Act prohibits placing tobacco-free nicotine products for oral use on the market. Before that, only pouches with a negligible nicotine content could be sold under food law.

Nicotine cap

Not applicable — sale banned

Minimum age

Not applicable

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

None — placing on the market prohibited (art. 3a Tabaks- en rookwarenwet)

Nicotine pouches are legal in Polish shops for adults, but since July 2025 they cannot be sold to under-18s, sold online or by any other distance sale (including cross-border), sold from vending machines or self-service, or advertised and promoted. Products must stay at or below 20 mg nicotine per gram, carry a health warning and be notified to the chemicals office.

Nicotine cap

20 mg/g

Minimum age

18

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

In-person retail only; distance selling including online and cross-border banned; vending machines and self-service banned (duty-free excepted); no sale at medical, educational or sports facilities.

Nicotine pouches are on sale in Portugal and, since 1 January 2026, are taxed under the tobacco excise code, but there are no pouch-specific rules yet on age, flavours, advertising or online sales. A government bill to create those rules is in parliament.

Nicotine cap

Not set

Minimum age

Not set

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

Not set

Nicotine pouches are legal for adults under Law 64/2024 (in force 28 March 2024): sale to under-18s is banned, pouches may not exceed 20 mg nicotine each, and they cannot be sold through vending machines or parcel lockers. Online sale with courier delivery is allowed if the parcel carries the mandatory age-check warning.

Nicotine cap

20 mg per pouch

Minimum age

18

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

Vending machines and parcel lockers (easybox) banned; online/courier sales allowed with a Romanian-language age-check warning on the package; use banned for pupils in schools.

Nicotine pouches are legal for adults under Slovakia's tobacco products act: sale to and use by under-18s is banned, each pouch may contain at most 20 mg nicotine, products must be notified to the trade inspectorate before sale, and packs need ingredient lists and a nicotine health warning.

Nicotine cap

20 mg per pouch

Minimum age

18

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

Not set

Since the 2024 ZOUTPI-B amendment, tobacco-free nicotine products such as pouches are 'related products' under Slovenia's tobacco act: sale to under-18s is banned, advertising and sponsorship are banned, sellers need a tobacco sales permit, and selling them online or by cross-border distance sale is prohibited.

Nicotine cap

Not set

Minimum age

18

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

Licensed retail only; online and cross-border distance sales prohibited.

Nicotine pouches are legal and on open sale in Spain, with no pouch-specific national law in force yet. A draft royal decree (nicotine cap, tobacco-only flavour) and a tobacco bill that would restrict sales to specialised shops are both still pending.

Nicotine cap

Not set

Minimum age

Not set

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

Not set

Tobacco-free nicotine pouches are legal and widely sold in shops and online to adults 18+. Retailers must notify their municipality, products must be notified to the Public Health Agency, and packs must carry a content declaration and health warning; there is no nicotine cap or flavour restriction.

Nicotine cap

Not set

Minimum age

18

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

Physical retail and distance/online sales permitted; seller must be able to verify the recipient's age, including for distance sales and vending machines; retailers must notify the municipality before selling.

Nicotine pouches are legal and regulated as 'nicotine products': buyers and sellers must be 18+, retail sale needs a licence, and products may contain at most 20 mg nicotine per gram. A government draft bill to add plain packaging, flavour restrictions, a cross-border distance-sales ban and a new nicotine cap went to public consultation in summer 2026 and has not been adopted.

Nicotine cap

20 mg per gram

Minimum age

18

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

Licensed retailers only; sale banned in schools and at venues for children's and youth activities.

Tobacco-free nicotine pouches cannot legally be sold in Norway. They count as a new nicotine product needing approval from the Directorate of Health, every application has been refused, and the appeals were finally decided in July 2023. Since 1 January 2026 private individuals also cannot order any tobacco or nicotine products from abroad.

Nicotine cap

Not applicable — sale banned

Minimum age

Not applicable

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

No legal retail channel; private online/distance orders from abroad banned since 1 January 2026.

Nicotine pouches are legal and covered by the federal Tobacco Products Act (TabPG) in force since 1 October 2024: sale to under-18s is banned nationwide in every sales channel, and advertising and promotion (free giveaways, prize contests, certain posters and venues) are restricted.

Nicotine cap

Not set

Minimum age

18

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

All channels allowed (shops and online) provided sellers prevent purchase by minors; free distribution and prize contests prohibited.

Nicotine pouches cannot be legally imported or sold through licensed retail in Türkiye, and no major brand has launched there, though they are sold illegally online. The restriction rests on the 2020 Presidential import ban (Decision 2149) covering non-cigarette tobacco products and any product used in a way that imitates tobacco, with or without nicotine. No law names pouches explicitly.

Nicotine cap

Not applicable — sale banned

Minimum age

Not applicable

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

Not set

Nicotine pouches are legal to buy and sell in the UK and, until 29 October 2026, no pouch-specific sales law is in force (general product safety law only). From 29 October 2026 the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 makes it an offence to sell any nicotine product, pouches included, to under-18s, to buy for a minor, or to give pouches away or sell them at a substantial promotional discount.

Nicotine cap

Not set

Minimum age

Not set

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

Not set

Canada regulates nicotine pouches as nicotine replacement therapy. Only Health Canada-authorised pouches of 4 mg or less may be sold without a prescription, and only by a pharmacist from behind the pharmacy counter. Pouches above 4 mg need a prescription, and unauthorised pouches are illegal to sell.

Nicotine cap

4 mg per pouch without a prescription (higher strengths prescription-only)

Minimum age

Not set

Flavours

Under SOR/2024-169, new NRT dosage forms may contain only mint, menthol or a mint-menthol combination; listed dosage forms may not have confectionery, dessert, soft-drink or energy-drink flavours.

Where it is sold

Pharmacies only, behind the counter, sold by or under the supervision of a pharmacist; no self-selection. Only Health Canada-authorised products may be sold.

Nicotine pouches are regulated federally as tobacco products: adults 21 and over can buy them, and FDA says only its 43 authorised pouch products (ZYN and on!) may be lawfully sold. Since May 2026, FDA has also said it will generally not prioritise enforcement against unauthorised pouches with a pending, accepted application. States and cities add their own rules: California and Massachusetts ban flavoured tobacco products, and some towns ban all sales.

Nicotine cap

Not set

Minimum age

21

Flavours

No federal flavour restriction on pouches (FDA has authorised mint, fruit and other flavoured pouches). California and Massachusetts restrict the sale of all flavoured tobacco products; California's definition also covers products that impart a 'cooling sensation' (from 1 Jan 2025). DC and over 420 localities also have flavour restrictions.

Where it is sold

Retail and online with age verification (photo ID check for buyers under 30). Federally, only FDA-authorised pouch products may be lawfully sold. New York requires a tobacco dealer licence to sell pouches from 1 Sep 2026.

Nicotine pouches cannot be legally sold or imported in Brazil. Anvisa treats them as smoking products (produtos fumígenos), and none is registered. Personal import by post or express courier is also prohibited.

Nicotine cap

Not applicable — sale banned

Minimum age

Not applicable

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

No legal channel. Import and sale of unregistered smoking products is irregular. RDC 840/2023 bans importing any smoking product, even for personal use, by postal or express shipment.

Since 24 July 2026 there is no lawful way to buy or import nicotine pouches in Australia. Retail, personal import (even with a prescription), the Special Access and Authorised Prescriber schemes and pharmacy compounding are all closed, and travellers can no longer bring them in. Only TGA-approved nicotine replacement therapies such as gum and lozenges remain legal.

Nicotine cap

Not applicable — sale banned

Minimum age

Not applicable

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

None. Imports are seized at the border and destroyed by Australian Border Force; the traveller's exemption no longer applies.

In Hong Kong, any nicotine product other than cigarettes is regulated under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance, so nicotine pouches cannot be sold unless registered as pharmaceuticals. The Department of Health says illegal sale or possession of unregistered pharmaceutical products is a criminal offence, with up to HK$100,000 and two years in prison.

Nicotine cap

Not applicable — sale banned

Minimum age

Not applicable

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

None for unregistered products. Sale or possession of unregistered pharmaceutical products is a criminal offence.

No nicotine pouch is approved for sale in India, and the government treats selling them as illegal under its drug law. On 19 September 2026 the Health Ministry told every state to search, seize and prosecute. Nicotine gum and patches remain legal as approved nicotine replacement products.

Nicotine cap

Not applicable — sale banned

Minimum age

Not applicable

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

None. No approved products; enforcement (search, seizure, prosecution) is ordered against online and shop sales.

Tobacco-free nicotine pouches count as pharmaceuticals in Japan and cannot be sold without drug approval, though adults may import them for personal use. The 'pouches' on Japanese shelves, such as ZYN by IQOS and VELO, contain tobacco leaf and are sold legally as oral tobacco under the Tobacco Business Act.

Nicotine cap

Not applicable — sale banned

Minimum age

Not applicable

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

Tobacco-free nicotine pouches: no retail channel without pharmaceutical approval; personal import allowed. Tobacco-containing oral pouches are sold in convenience stores, tobacco shops and brand stores as tobacco products.

Nicotine pouches cannot be legally sold in New Zealand; only Medsafe-approved nicotine replacement therapies can. Adults may still import them for their own personal use. The government has said it intends to allow regulated domestic sales but has not legislated.

Nicotine cap

Not applicable — sale banned

Minimum age

Not applicable

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

No legal retail or online sale. Personal import for one's own use is permitted.

Nicotine pouches are prohibited tobacco products in Singapore: importing, distributing, selling or offering them for sale is an offence. Buying, possessing or using prohibited tobacco products is also an offence, and the government blocks foreign websites selling them.

Nicotine cap

Not applicable — sale banned

Minimum age

Not applicable

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

None. Importing, selling and possessing prohibited tobacco products are all offences; checkpoints seize them and websites are blocked.

Since 31 January 2026, Bahrain's dedicated technical regulation (Resolution 54/2025) has been in force. Only approved products may be imported or sold, and sale or free distribution to anyone under 18 is banned. Pouches are capped at 20 mg nicotine each, need child-resistant packaging and 30% Arabic/English warnings, and may not use a list of banned flavour categories.

Nicotine cap

20 mg per pouch

Minimum age

18

Flavours

Additives limited to Gulf/international food-standard lists; spice, alcohol, candy, chewing gum, vanilla, coffee, cocoa, tea and cola flavours are excluded.

Where it is sold

Pre-market approval required; importing, producing or selling unapproved pouches is prohibited.

Until 31 December 2026, nicotine pouches can be sold in Kuwait with no pouch-specific law in force. From 1 January 2027, Ministerial Decision No. 237 of 2026 bans the import and sale of nicotine pouches that are not registered as medicines, sets the purchase age at 21 for all nicotine products, and bans online, app, delivery and vending sales.

Nicotine cap

Not set

Minimum age

Not set

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

Not set

Nicotine pouches are sold in Saudi Arabia and fall under the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, but no pouch-specific rules on composition, labelling, marketing or sale were found to be in force. The SFDA decides on a product's legality case by case through its product-classification procedure.

Nicotine cap

Not set

Minimum age

Not set

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

Not set

Tobacco-free nicotine pouches can be sold legally, but only products that meet the UAE technical regulation and hold an ECAS conformity certificate from the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT), mandatory since 31 July 2025. The standard caps nicotine at 20 mg per pouch and requires pharmaceutical-grade nicotine and child-resistant packaging.

Nicotine cap

20 mg per pouch

Minimum age

Not set

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

Only ECAS-certified products may be imported or sold (pre-market approval by the competent authority).

Nicotine pouches (e.g. BAT's VELO) are sold legally in Kenya and treated as tobacco products under the Tobacco Control Act. They must carry graphic pictorial health warnings, mandated in February 2025, and the Act's under-18 sales ban applies. There is no nicotine cap or flavour ban in force yet; a bill that would add both is before Parliament.

Nicotine cap

Not set

Minimum age

18

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

Not set

Nicotine pouches are sold openly in South Africa (e.g. LOOP, launched in Johannesburg and Cape Town in August 2026), and no pouch-specific law is in force: the 1993 Tobacco Products Control Act does not address them. A new tobacco bill is in Parliament; the health department has proposed exempting pouches from its packaging and labelling rules, but the definitions are still being argued.

Nicotine cap

Not set

Minimum age

Not set

Flavours

Not set

Where it is sold

Not set