Vaping in Singapore: is it legal, can you bring a vape or IQOS? (2026)

The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) states that purchase, possession and use of vaporisers have been prohibited since 1 February 2018. On 1 May 2026 the rules moved into the Tobacco and Vaporisers Control Act, which raised the ceiling for an individual to S$10,000. Until then the figure given in Ministry of Health releases was S$2,000 for possession, use or purchase.

Etomidate, sold in so-called Kpods, is listed under the Act as a specified psychoactive substance from 1 May 2026. Rehabilitation has been compulsory since 1 September 2025 for etomidate offenders and repeat vape offenders, and a person who refuses a urine or hair sample can be prosecuted.

No. HSA's traveller page lists vaporisers among the imitation tobacco products you cannot bring in, and adds that they are not allowed for smoking cessation. Nicotine patches from a pharmacy are the route it points to. There is no allowance, no declaration route and no personal-use exemption.

Airports are where it is enforced. A Ministry of Health release of 4 January 2024 reported that in operations at Changi in December 2023, 177 people were found with vapes: 61 were fined on the spot, 116 declared them, and the devices were confiscated. In August 2025 HSA described a strict stance on travellers bringing in prohibited tobacco products and said foreigners convicted of offences are deported after serving their sentences. More than 3,700 people were fined for possessing or using vaporisers in April to June 2025 alone.

We found no official statement of the on-the-spot fine for a traveller under the 2026 Act. Do not assume the 2024 figures still apply.

Neither. Buying is prohibited, so there is no legal shop, and using one is an offence anywhere, indoors or out. That makes Singapore stricter than countries that merely restrict sales.

HSA's vaping-enforcement page lists heat-not-burn products such as IQOS and nicotine pouches as prohibited items alongside vaporisers. HSA's separate traveller page does not name them and refers readers to the Ministry of Health, so confirm there if you are carrying a pack. We did not find a personal allowance for them. For cigarettes, which are allowed with a declaration and duty, see the Singapore rules page.

We found no official statement on passengers who only change planes. The import rules apply to goods entering Singapore, but the ban on possession is not tied to entry, and officers have caught people at arrival checks. If you have a vape, keep it away from any point where you leave the transit area. Our pages for Singapore Changi and Seletar cover smoking rooms for cigarettes; we found no source that allows vaping in them.

For battery and carry-on rules on the plane, see flying with a vape.