Laos vape ban and smoking rules for travellers (2026)

WHO's office in Laos states that the amended Law on Tobacco Control of 2021 prohibits the import, distribution, sale and use of all types of e-cigarette products. Importing is on that list, so a device or a bottle of e-liquid in your bag falls under the ban, not just the shops that sell them.

The ban is being enforced in public. In November 2025 the Ministry of Health and WHO took down 288 online vape shops with 759,599 members between them, and officials met on 18 February 2026 and held a national workshop on 12 March 2026 about tightening enforcement. In November 2023 the Deputy Prime Minister also told the National Assembly that e-cigarettes would be added to the list of prohibited substances in drug-control law. We could not confirm whether that second step has happened.

We found no published fine for a traveller caught with a vape. WHO says the decree on fines is being revised, and travel sites that quote figures or deportation cite no source. Leave the device at home.

If you are flying on from Laos with a vape bought elsewhere, the airline side of the question is in our guide to bringing a vape on a plane. It does not change what Lao law says on arrival.

Lao Customs' own site refused our connection, and no official page we could reach gives a passenger allowance for tobacco. Travel guides disagree. Several give 200 cigarettes, or 50 cigars, or 250 g of tobacco for adults. One aggregator gives 500 cigarettes or 100 g of tobacco, and in the same breath says that a typical allowance is 200. We would not rely on either.

What is consistent across the guides is the principle: anything over the allowance is declared and taxed, and undeclared goods can be confiscated. Ask Lao Customs before you pack more than you need.

Under the tobacco law, indoor public places, indoor workplaces and public transport are smoke-free. Outdoor areas of schools and health facilities are also smoke-free, and the law lists complete bans in health-care facilities, universities, restaurants, bars and pubs, and government buildings. The detail that matters most to a smoker is the implementing rule for designated areas: they must be outdoors and at least 10 metres away from the building.

Enforcement sits with the Public Security sector, which applies Articles 8 and 9 of Decree No. 52 on smoking in non-smoking areas and on posting signs. We did not find the fine amounts for an individual.

The law summaries we read do not mention airports. On our airport pages, Vientiane Wattay and Luang Prabang are listed as not allowing smoking, and Attapeu as limited, so check those pages before you assume there is a smoking spot after security. We found no 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.