Thailand Vape Law: Import Ban, Up to 10 Years

Yes. E-cigarettes are banned imports in Thailand under a Commerce Ministry notice in force since 27 December 2014. Importing one carries up to 10 years in prison. Holding or buying one you know is a banned import carries up to 5 years. Vaping in a smoke-free zone carries a fine of up to THB 5,000.

By Vincent Nguyen and team

Vapes are illegal to bring into Thailand. The maximum penalty depends on what you do with the device, and each act sits in a different law.

The import ban

E-cigarettes are prohibited imports under a Commerce Ministry notice in force since 27 December 2014. The Customs Act defines prohibited goods as goods that a law bans from import, export or transit.

ให้บารากู่และบารากู่ไฟฟ้าหรือบุหรี่ไฟฟ้าเป็นสินค้าห้ามนําเข้ามาในราชอาณาจักร

Hookahs, electric hookahs and e-cigarettes are goods prohibited from import into the Kingdom.

Commerce Ministry notice on hookahs and e-cigarettes B.E. 2557, article 4, Royal Gazette 26 December 2014 (editor’s translation)

What counts as a vape

The notice defines an e-cigarette as an electric device that makes vapour like cigarette smoke and is used in the same way as smoking. The definition turns on what the device does.

Liquids and refills

Liquids and substances that feed the vapour are banned imports too when they arrive with the device. A bag with a device and a bottle of liquid therefore holds two banned items.

Customs Act penalties for importing

A traveller who brings in a vape faces up to 10 years in prison under section 242 or section 244 of the Customs Act.

Section 242: goods not yet through Customs

Section 242 covers goods that have not passed Customs formalities. The penalty is up to 10 years in prison, a fine of 4 times the value including duty, or both, and the goods are forfeited.

Section 244: evading a prohibition

Section 244 covers goods brought through Customs while evading a restriction or prohibition on them. The penalty is up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to THB 500,000, or both. The court may forfeit the goods.

What goes wrong

Forfeiture reaches more than the device. Packages, containers and other things used or kept to move or hide prohibited goods are forfeited in full, whether or not anyone is convicted.

Holding, buying or receiving a vape

Section 246 of the Customs Act sets up to 5 years in prison for hiding, selling on, buying or receiving goods you should know are tied to an import offence. Where the offence is tied to section 242, the fine is 4 times the value.

Where it is tied to section 244, the fine is up to THB 500,000. Customs applies this to e-cigarettes: helping hide, buying, receiving or holding one you know to be a banned import is an offence.

If you already own one

The import ban and section 246 both attach to the device, so leaving it at home removes the exposure. Buying one after you arrive falls under section 246 as buying a banned import you know about.

Vaping in public

Vapour from a nicotine product counts as smoking, and smoking in a smoke-free zone carries a fine of up to THB 5,000.

The Tobacco Products Control Act treats any product containing nicotine that is consumed by smoking and similar methods as a tobacco product. Smoking includes any act that produces smoke or vapour from a tobacco product.

Nobody may smoke in a smoke-free zone, unless it is a smoking zone set under section 41 paragraph 2. The fine is up to THB 5,000.

Smoking zones

A smoking zone set under section 41 paragraph 2 is the one place where the smoking ban gives way. The fine for smoking elsewhere in a smoke-free zone stays at up to THB 5,000.

Selling vapes

Selling or supplying e-cigarettes and refills, and making them to sell, is banned under a Consumer Safety Committee order dated 8 July 2024.

Ignoring a Safety Committee order under section 29/8 or 29/9 paragraph 2 carries up to 3 years in prison, a fine of up to THB 600,000, or both. Illegal sale carries the same figures.

What this means for a buyer

The Safety Committee penalty is aimed at the business that sells. A buyer’s exposure comes from section 246, which covers buying goods you should know are tied to an import offence.

↑ Contents

Not confirmed: Reported plans to amend the Tobacco Products Control Act and the Customs Act are not enacted in any text found, so check before you travel. The texts do not say which section applies to one device in a traveller's bag.

General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.

Spotted an error? Report it.