Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius: smoking and vape rules for travellers (2026)

The islands follow their own customs rules, not those of the European Netherlands. The Caribbean Netherlands tax administration exempts these quantities from the general spending tax (ABB) and from excise duty:

• 200 cigarettes, or
• 50 cigarillos weighing under 3 grams each, or
• 25 cigars, or
• 125 grams of smoking tobacco.

The page lists these as alternatives. It does not say whether you can mix them, so assume you pick one. The tobacco exemption applies from age 17; the exemption for distilled drinks starts at 18. Tobacco is also left out of the small-value exemption for online purchases.

Above the allowance, import excise on Bonaire is USD 8.69 per 100 cigarettes, USD 9.78 per 100 cigars, USD 4.89 per 100 cigarillos and USD 30 per kilogram of smoking tobacco, with ABB charged on top. Saba and Sint Eustatius collect no excise except on petrol. We found no penalty amount for undeclared tobacco.

We could not find any rule on e-cigarettes, e-liquid or heated tobacco for travellers, and the customs pages do not mention them. The one vape rule we did find is on Saba: since 1 September 2023 an island ordinance bans selling tobacco and vapes to anyone under 18. The Dutch Tobacco and Smoking Products Act does not apply on the islands, and the national tobacco law for the islands defines tobacco products as products made wholly or partly from tobacco plant material, which does not clearly include nicotine liquid. Treat that as a gap in the written rules rather than a green light, and ask Caribbean Netherlands Customs if you are carrying more than a personal device. For flying with a device, see bringing a vape on a plane.

The legal basis is a 2010 law and decree for the three islands. The decree designates all rooms in public buildings as places where a tobacco ban must be set up and enforced, with visible "roken verboden" signs. The authority can exempt a separate room if nobody else is bothered. Rooms and facilities in the open air are outside the decree. Healthcare, social-care, sports and education facilities have to take their own measures.

What the text does not do is name bars, restaurants, hotels or airports, or set a fine. A May 2026 report from Bonaire says smoking continues in air-conditioned casino areas and that a draft ordinance to restrict alcohol, tobacco and smoking products, approved in June 2025, was later withdrawn without explanation. In March 2026 the Dutch cabinet decided the new European Dutch limits on tobacco sales will not apply to the islands for now.

The only airport we list is Flamingo International Airport on Bonaire, in Kralendijk. Check its page for current smoking spots: Flamingo International Airport. We found no tobacco rule specific to transit passengers.

Limits are per adult arriving by air, for personal use. The rule that applies is the one of the country you land in.

Figures checked on November 12, 2026.