Nicotine Pouch Laws Across Europe

Ever wonder how the nicotine pouch regulations of European neighbours compare? This guide offers a summary of nicotine pouch regulations across Europe, making it essential reading for trips and general trivia.

With more than 44 sovereign states across the whole continent, we haven’t quite covered every single nation. But we’ve done our best to compile relevant info for the countries that are the biggest fans of nicotine pouches, and the places with the most intriguing laws.

The information here is accurate as of 9 June 2026. This guide does not reflect the countries Snusdirect sells to — for that, check out our up-to-date list of countries we ship to.

Sweden

It makes sense to start in the home of nicotine pouches themselves, Sweden. Since there’s a longstanding tradition of smokeless nicotine products here, the regulatory environment here isn’t as stringent as in many other European countries.

That’s not to say that anything goes — as time has gone on, the government has introduced more regulation. The Act (2022:1257) on Tobacco-Free Nicotine Products legislated that Swedes must be 18 years old to buy pouches, and that pouch adverts cannot feature people under the age of 25. This measure is aimed at reducing youth exposure.

Finland

Finland might be a fellow Nordic nation, but it takes a very different approach to Sweden. Here, nicotine pouches have come under the country’s Tobacco Act since 2025. The sale of nicotine pouches is limited to strengths below 16.6mg/g and tobacco, mint, or menthol flavours.

Cans must contain health warnings, and standardised packaging is compulsory (meaning no colours or logos).

Denmark

Some of the most iconic nicotine pouch manufacturers are Danish, such as Another Snus Factory and Habit Factory. But since July 2025, Denmark has had a strict approach when it comes to legislation.

Nicotine pouches can have a maximum of 9mg each, and only certain flavours are permitted (tobacco and menthol). Just like Finland, standard packaging is required.

Germany

Germans are some of the biggest users of nicotine pouches in Europe. Here, nicotine pouches are legal, but they’re hard to find. There are strict restrictions on local sales, so they cannot be found in local supermarkets or kiosks — but they can be bought online.

The country is somewhat unusual as there are no specific regulations concerning nicotine pouches, leading to what some have termed a “legal gray area.” Still, some individual regions have stronger laws in place. For instance, in Berlin, only specialist shops can sell nicotine pouches, and distribution is tightly controlled.

Austria

Nicotine pouches are legal in the land of apple strudels, but just like its neighbour Germany, the products can be tough to get. They’re mostly only available from Trafiken (licensed tobacconists) and other specialised stores.

There are also restrictions on buying online.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is another country with a novel approach, as nicotine pouches fall under the category of “general consumer products” for regulatory purposes. In most European countries, they’re classed as tobacco or even poison, but the UK sticks to this less specific classification. The result? A less stringent regulatory environment overall.

However, this is likely to change soon, with the Tobacco and Vapes Bill coming into force in June 2027. It will tighten up advertising rules, and could also impose limits on nicotine contents, packaging, flavours, and more.

Ireland

Nicotine pouches are legal in Ireland, but there are some stringent restrictions in place. The Public Health Bill was amended in 2026 to crack down on marketing and youth access to tobacco and nicotine products, including nicotine pouches. It prohibits the sale of nicotine pouches and similar products to people under the age of 18, and the Minister of Health also has the power to regulate flavour names.

It’s interesting to note that Ireland isn’t just banning the products currently on the market — it’s also writing the legislation so that it applies to new nicotine products that don’t even exist yet.

Poland

Poland has become one of the top countries where nicotine pouches are manufactured outside of Scandinavia, so it’s natural to be curious about how the law stands here.

Only consumers over the age of 18 can buy nicotine pouches, and all products have to be registered with the Central Office of Chemicals. There’s also a maximum nicotine content of 20 mg/g in pouches, and certain additives are banned (like vitamins and caffeine).

As of 1 April 2025, an excise tax has applied to nicotine pouches, at a rate of 200 PLN per kg in 2026 (around €47). Bear in mind that most cans weigh closer to 30g, so the tax on a single can is nowhere near as high as this scary figure.

Greece

Over in Mediterranean Europe, we have Greece. Nicotine pouches are legal in Greece for customers over the age of 18, both in physical stores and online.

The country is also in the process of drafting a law to introduce more requirements for the ingredients and labelling of nicotine pouches.

Italy

In Italy, customers over the age of 18 can buy nicotine pouches, like in many other European countries.

But there has been a tax in place since January 2023, which starts at €22 per kilogram for nicotine pouches.

Portugal

In a similar vein to Italy, Portugal allows nicotine pouches but has a tax in place, which it introduced in 2026. Every gram of net weight is subject to a tax of €0.065.

Spain

In sunny Spain, nicotine pouches are legal but can be hard to find in practice.

Still, Spain may be taking a more hardline approach in the future. The government has floated the idea of prohibiting all flavors except tobacco and limiting portions to 0.99mg of nicotine each.

Hungary

In Hungary, nicotine pouches are strictly regulated. They can only be bought at “Nemzeti Dohánybolt” (National Tobacco Shops), which must be authorized by the government. Portions can also have a maximum of 17mg of nicotine each.

European Countries that Prohibit Nicotine Pouches

Curious about a country that didn’t appear yet? It might be because we didn’t choose it for this article (sorry about that), or it may be among the nations that have prohibited nicotine pouches.

There are the following:

• France. The nation classifies nicotine pouches as poisonous substances and has some of the strictest rules in Europe, with fines of thousands of euros just for personal possession. It’s advisable to avoid carrying nicotine pouches when travelling through the country.
• Netherlands. Although Amsterdam is known for a more relaxed attitude in some areas, it banned nicotine pouches in January 2025 under the Tobacco and Tobacco Products Act.
• Belgium. Nicotine pouches have been prohibited in Belgium since October 2023, and the government is strict about enforcing the ban.
• Norway. The Law on Tobacco Products classifies nicotine pouches as tobacco surrogates, under which sales are prohibited. It’s of note that Norway has a unique approach to regulating “white snus” (products containing a marginal amount of tobacco). These products can be sold as long as the packaging is plain and uniform, with the same colour and font as chosen by the Norwegian government.