Travel Tips: Countries Where Vaping is Banned or Restricted

If you love to travel abroad, like we here at Cafe Racer Vape do, and want to take your vape supplies with you, here's some info for you to keep in mind 

Note that "banned" is a broad term.  Vaping can be considered banned but it's legal to vape in that country - it's just not legal to buy and sell vaping products.  This is the case in most countries listed below as "banned". Two countries that come to mind are Brazil and Argentina.  If you look at Instagram or Facebook, you'll see quite a lot of posts from Brazilian and Argentinian vapers.  It is illegal to sell vaping products in both countries but it's perfectly ok to vape in places where smoking is permitted. 

The list of Banned countries below is actually terribly inaccurate.  It's what you would typically find if you did a google search on "what countries is vaping Banned. 

The reality is, you can 100% find vape shops in the following countries: Argentina, Belgium,  Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, and Colombia. We know this because we sell Cafe Racer to distributors and/or shops there. 

 In fact, Belgium has over 500 vape shops and is part of the EU's TPD.  Mexico and Colombia both have large Vape Expos attracting thousands of retailers and vape enthusiasts. Malaysia is one of the leading exporters of eLiquid with brands like Nasty and Fanstasia.   The lesson here is do your research before trusting a Banned List that you pull up on a google search and, with only a few exceptions, it's perfectly fine to travel to most countries with your vape in you bag and ok to vape wherever smoking is allowed. 

That being said, there are a couple of countries where vaping can get you into some real trouble.   We don't have a definitive list here but we know for sure: 

Singapore and Thailand are two countries where you should not vape in public and should probably not travel to with vape products in your bag.  

Restricted:

Australia, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iran, Japan, New Norway, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland

Vaping is Technically Legal, But E-Liquid containing Nicotine Isn't in Some Countries

A number of countries wherein vaping is legal and vape products are sold but they do not allow eLiquid with nicotine to be sold.  It's a bit tricky and most local vapers work around this restriction in a number of ways. 

For instance, Australia has the strictest laws on vaping in the English-speaking world and the sale of nicotine there is quite limited due to anti-smoking campaigns and consequently being cautious about the growing trend of vaping. While vaping and vape pens themselves are legal in every state, liquid nicotine isn't.

Most Aussie vapers would then buy their 0 MG  e-liquid in Australia and then buy nicotine from either New Zealand or China, the latter of which may yield dubious results. 

What Should You Do Before You Travel to a Another Country?

You should do your homework if you plan to travel to other countries, especially if your target destination is in the list above. In some countries (Thailand and Singapore) you actually can go to jail if you get caught with e-liquid like you were in possession of illegal drugs. 

Consulting with other vapers in community forums may help you with the information you need to avoid making a vaping faux pas in those countries. As with everything, preparation is key.  

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