Vaping in the UAE and Dubai: is it legal, and can you bring a vape? (2026)

Probably yes for nicotine products, though the sources do not agree. ECigIntelligence's April 2026 summary says nicotine vapes are allowed and classed as tobacco-related products under the standard UAE.S 5030:2018, "Electronic Nicotine Products (Equivalent to Traditional Tobacco Products)", which took effect on 6 January 2019 under Cabinet Resolution 5/2019. It does not give an age limit, a nicotine cap or import rules.

A Khaleej Times explainer, published in 2018 and last updated in August 2023, reads Federal Law 15 of 2009 differently: it says selling e-cigarettes and e-shisha is prohibited while no law says using them is illegal. That article is old, and it conflicts with the 2019 standard, so we cannot say which reflects practice today. If you are deciding whether to buy one in the country, the safe reading is that the position is unclear.

No official source we found answers this. Dubai Customs' Passenger Customs Guide (PDF last modified in June 2025) never mentions electronic cigarettes, e-shisha, vapes, e-liquid or heated tobacco. It gives the tobacco allowance of 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars or 500 g of tobacco and says tobacco is not permitted for under-18s. The Khaleej Times explainer says Dubai Customs listed e-cigarettes and electronic hookahs as prohibited goods and advised against bringing them, but that is the same dated article.

What is firmer is the contents. The UK Foreign Office warns that e-cigarette refills may contain illegal ingredients such as CBD oil, that they will be confiscated and that you could face criminal charges. A nicotine-free or CBD refill that is legal at home can therefore be a problem here.

• Bring a nicotine-only device and refills in their original packaging, nothing with CBD or THC.
• Keep to personal quantities; we found no official figure, so nothing we write here is an allowance.
• If you want certainty, ask Dubai Customs or the customs authority of the emirate you land in before you fly.

We found no published penalty for carrying a nicotine vape into the UAE. Penalties for illegal ingredients are criminal, not a customs fee.

We could not confirm it. The 2019 standard suggests regulated products exist, but the 2023 explainer says Dubai Municipality treats vape sales as prohibited under the federal law. We do not list shops or products.

Treat it like smoking. Dubai Municipality's position, as reported, is that vapes may be used only in designated smoking areas and not in places such as shopping malls or cinemas. The same article says Dubai set a fine of Dh2,000 in 2017 for smoking an e-cigarette in malls and other closed public places, with penalties matching those for tobacco; the figure is dated, so check it. Federal Law 15 of 2009 bans smoking in enclosed public places and restricts it in parks and beaches, according to Gulf News. Some venues ban vapes outright, and the article cites a Dubai airport business lounge.

For where to smoke before and after security, see Dubai International, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Our pages say what we know about each; vape rules inside those areas are not stated by an official source. During Ramadan, the UK government advises against smoking in public in daylight hours.

The same 2019 standard that covers vapes treats heated tobacco as an equivalent of traditional tobacco, according to ECigIntelligence, so these products are regulated, not banned outright. Dubai Customs' guide gives no separate allowance for devices or sticks. We did not confirm import conditions on an official page.

We found no source on nicotine pouches in the UAE.

No official page covers transit passengers with a vape. If you stay airside you are not clearing customs, but that is our reading, not a published rule. If your connection means entering the country, the questions above apply.

Airlines carry vapes in the cabin only, with no use or charging on board. The rules are in can you bring a vape on a plane.