Online sale of e-cigarettes

Online sales of e-cigarettes and consequently imports from webshops abroad are prohibited in Belgium.

Belgian webshops can no longer sell electronic cigarettes and/or refills. Neither in Belgium nor abroad. Also online sellers based abroad cannot supply Belgian consumers.

To put it in a nutshell: Belgian consumers are prohibited from buying e-cigarettes online, not even from a webshop abroad. People who buy e-cigarettes from a web trader based abroad risk their shipment being intercepted and confiscated by Customs & Excise.

What about elsewhere in Europe?

A relevant EU directive has also obliged other EU countries to decide whether or not to ban cross-border online sales of e-cigarettes. All our neighbouring countries, except for Luxembourg, permit online sales to customers based at home and abroad. Webshops have to register in their home country and in the countries in which they sell their wares. Exports are prohibited to countries such as Belgium that have banned the online sale of e-cigarettes.

Good to know

E-cigarettes are considered equal to tobacco products in Belgium. That is why there is a ban on:

• smoking e-cigarettes in enclosed public spaces
• the sale of e-cigarettes to youngsters below the age of 16
• online sales of e-cigarettes
• advertising or promoting e-cigarettes, except in newsagents and specialist retail outlets.

For further information on the health aspects associated with e-cigarettes, visit the Federal Government Health Service website (French or Dutch).