Nicotine Pouches When Traveling – [Rules & Regulations]

Are you going on a trip? One of the first questions many snuff users ask themselves when traveling abroad is whether they can bring nicotine pouches and snuff on the trip.

Running out of snuff during a trip can be a frustrating thing and therefore, of course, you naturally want to plan how many cans you should bring on the trip. But this can also lead to the question of how much snuff you can bring on the trip.

The answer to that question is that the rules regarding how much snuff or tobacco-free snuff you can bring on the trip vary. At the same time, the rules for tobacco snuff are considerably stricter than for those regarding tobacco-free snuff because the former includes the import of tobacco products. Because nicotine pouches do not contain tobacco, the rules for these are not as strict. At the same time, tobacco-free nicotine pouches are a relatively new product on the market and therefore, few countries have explicitly defined what applies to nicotine pouches. Currently, Finland is the only country of all countries that has specifically defined what applies to traveling in with nicotine pouches.

In this article, we will focus primarily on traveling with tobacco-free nicotine pouches, but we will also touch on classic tobacco snuff.

Traveling abroad with nicotine pouches, tobacco-free snuff – what applies?

Different countries have different rules regarding traveling with nicotine pouches, and the fact that nicotine pouches are a relatively new product on the market can make it difficult to know what applies. To get the latest information, we always recommend contacting the Swedish embassy in the country you are traveling to about what applies to your specific case. We recommend doing this for both classic tobacco snuff and tobacco-free nicotine pouches. If it is discovered that you have more than the allowed amount of nicotine pouches or tobacco snuff with you on your trip, there is a risk that you will have to leave it behind, and in some countries, you may also risk fines. This is obviously something you want to avoid when you start your trip.

It is important to know that nicotine pouches are not subject to the same laws and regulations as tobacco snuff because they do not contain any tobacco.

Traveling with nicotine pouches within the EU

Generally, it can be said that the same rules apply for all EU countries, although there are some differences in terms of quantities. There are only two countries in the EU that explicitly specify the amount of tobacco snus you can bring when you travel, Finland (1kg) and Croatia (250 grams). For the remaining countries, it applies that you can bring snus for personal use. The amount you bring should simply be reasonable and should only be considered for personal use.

However, since nicotine pouches are not snus, the rules above do not apply to this product. However, one can say that if you bring nicotine pouches in quantities that can be considered for personal use, there should not be any problems.

There are neither duties nor taxes for nicotine pouches or snus when traveling within the EU, provided that it is in quantities that can be classified as personal use.

If you travel with nicotine pouches, however, this does not always apply.

In Sweden, however, the following applies:

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“For tobacco and nicotine-containing products that you bring in from a country outside the EU, in addition to the duty-free amount, you must pay customs duties, VAT, and Swedish tobacco tax or nicotine tax. For e-liquid and other nicotine-containing products, in addition to the duty-free amount, you must also pay the nicotine tax even if you bring them in from another EU country. From a country outside the EU: customs duties 390 SEK/kg and tax 1,225 SEK/kg From another EU country: tax 200 SEK/kg”

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Customs states that you must be 18 years of age or older to bring nicotine pouches to Sweden for personal use, meaning approximately 200 grams. If you want to bring more than 200 grams, you need to pay tax.

Traveling with nicotine pouches for personal use is usually okay

When traveling abroad, whether it’s a country within the EU or outside the EU, it is usually no problem to travel with quantities equivalent to personal use. The definition of “personal use” varies from person to person, and even how long you will be away. It is usually the customs officer on site who makes the assessment on site. However, as long as you do not bring unreasonable quantities, there is usually no problem traveling with nicotine pouches.

In the EU, the rules do not apply the same rules to nicotine pouches as tobacco products, but they are classified as nicotine-containing products. And in most cases, quantities equivalent to personal use are okay.

However, the rules and import requirements may vary. If you want to be on the safe side and know that the exact amount of nicotine pouches you are bringing is okay for the destination you are going to, it may be a good idea to contact the embassy or customs in the destination country.

As a rule, if the amount of nicotine pouches you bring exceeds the amount that can be considered personal use, you may have to pay fees. If you know that you plan to bring a large number of cans on your trip, it may be a good idea to double-check with customs in your destination country so that you know in advance if you will be paying tariffs and fees.

Bring Nicotine Pouches on a Flight

Bringing nicotine pouches on a flight is fine as long as it is for personal use. You can pack the cans in your checked baggage and also in your carry-on baggage because nicotine pouches are not liquid. Many people traveling on a longer vacation can choose to pack a few cans in their carry-on baggage and the rest in their checked baggage. There is always a risk that the checked baggage will get lost and it will take a few days to receive it, leaving you without your nicotine pouches.

Traveling to Finland with Nicotine Pouches

Finland is one of the few countries that have specifically defined the import regulations for nicotine pouches. The regulations are different from tobacco snuff. In Finland, the amount of nicotine pouches you bring into the country should not exceed one year’s consumption and should not contain more than 4mg/nicotine per gram. To bring stronger nicotine pouches, you need an import permit.

Finland’s Customs writes the following:

“Customs has noted that orders and traveler’s imports of portion pouches containing nicotine have increased significantly at the beginning of the year. Nicotine pouches are subject to the Medicines Act and other import restrictions apply to nicotine pouches other than snuff.”

In Finland, nicotine pouches are classified as self-medication products, but if they contain more than 4mg nicotine/gram, they are classified as prescription medicines and you must have a doctor’s certificate to bring these products into the country.

They further write:

“Preparations containing more than four milligrams of nicotine per portion may not be imported in connection with travel or ordered, unless a valid import permit, e.g. prescription, can be shown.”

Contact the country’s embassy or customs for detailed questions.

Within the EU, it is allowed to bring both snus and nicotine pouches for personal use. When it comes to tobacco snus, the rules can be more strict and in some countries you can only bring very small amounts, or no snus at all, such as in Singapore.

However, the rules are not as strict (and in many cases not defined at all as it is such a new product) when it comes to nicotine pouches. You can generally bring nicotine pouches on your trip as long as it is for personal use.

However, we recommend that you contact customs or the embassy in your destination country in advance to find out if there are any specific circumstances that may affect you when you travel into the country. The official website for Sweden’s embassies and consulates abroad is Swedenabroad.se and there you can find both information and contact details.

Final thoughts

When traveling abroad, you can in most cases bring both snus and nicotine pouches for personal use. The rules are stricter for traditional tobacco snus than they are for nicotine pouches and this is therefore an advantage. If you normally use tobacco snus, it may in some cases be more practical to instead bring nicotine pouches on the trip to reduce the risk of problems. Within the EU, the rules are clearer and the principle of personal use applies in most cases.

However, we recommend that you contact the embassy or customs in your destination country in advance so that you know what applies to your situation.