Singapore Vape Prohibition & Tobacco Control Guide 2026

Covered

• Electronic vaporisers
• E-cigarettes
• Vaporiser devices
• Vaporiser components
• Refill liquids or cartridges intended for vaporisers
• Other products falling within the statutory vaporiser or component definitions

Personal Acts

• Purchase in Singapore
• Possession in Singapore
• Use in Singapore

Commercial Acts

• Import
• Sell
• Give
• Transport
• Send
• Deliver
• Distribute
• Offer to carry out the above acts
• Possess for the purpose of carrying out the above supply acts

Important

The personal-use offence is distinct from the import and supply offences. The much higher 2026 penalties apply to the latter categories.

Personal

Import

Supply

Important

These are statutory maximum penalties. The actual sentence depends on the offence proved and the circumstances.

Status

Vaporisers and imitation tobacco products are prohibited goods for import into Singapore.

Red Channel

Singapore Customs requires travellers carrying goods that fall under the relevant declaration rules to use the Red Channel where appropriate. However, a Red Channel declaration does not create an import permit for a prohibited product.

Surrender

HSA has previously stated that incoming passengers who voluntarily declare vaporisers at the Red Channel and surrender them for disposal can avoid penalties. This operational guidance should not be misunderstood as a legal right to import the prohibited item.

Enforcement

ICA and HSA conduct checkpoint operations at air, land and sea entry points. Travellers can be screened for vaporisers and components.

Current Guidance

Because prohibited goods are not allowed to be brought into Singapore, the safest course is not to carry a vaporiser into Singapore at all.

Transit

Transit arrangements can depend on whether the passenger remains airside or enters Singapore and on the applicable checkpoint and airline procedures. The page should not state a blanket rule that every transit passenger is automatically liable or exempt.

Prohibited Goods

Singapore Customs lists imitation tobacco products such as electronic cigarettes and vaporisers, and their components, among prohibited imports.

Attempted Import

Singapore Customs states that attempting to bring prohibited goods into Singapore is an offence regardless of quantity or intent.

Declaration

The Red Channel is for declaring goods where required, but declaration does not convert a prohibited item into an authorised import.

Practical Advice

Travellers carrying prohibited vaporisers should not rely on a declaration as permission to enter Singapore with the device.

Hsa

• Local possession-and-use enforcement
• Online monitoring of listings and social-media sales
• Investigation of import and supply offences
• Seizure of vaporisers and components
• Enforcement at relevant premises

Ica

• Checkpoint screening
• Detection of prohibited goods entering Singapore
• Referral of suspected vaporiser offences to HSA

2026 Statistics

From 1 April to 30 June 2026, authorities caught and penalised 2,428 persons for possession and use of vaporisers, and more than 3,900 vaporisers and related components were seized at checkpoints.

Latest Example

On 9 July 2026, HSA charged an individual in connection with alleged importation of vaporisers and possession of etomidate vaporiser pods for supply. The case illustrates that import/supply allegations are treated separately from ordinary personal-use enforcement.

Effective Date

1 May 2026

Rule

Etomidate and its analogues were added to the TVCA Schedule as specified psychoactive substances (SPS).

Why It Matters

A vaporiser containing etomidate can create offences beyond ordinary vaporiser possession or use.

Import Penalty

For specified etomidate/SPS import offences, HSA states that conviction can result in 3 to 20 years' imprisonment and 5 to 15 strokes of the cane.

Supply Penalty

For specified etomidate/SPS supply offences, HSA states that conviction can result in 2 to 10 years' imprisonment and 2 to 5 strokes of the cane.

Personal Offences

Specified psychoactive substance possession, purchase and consumption have their own statutory penalties and should not be substituted with the ordinary S$10,000 vaporiser-possession maximum.

Important

Not every ordinary vaporiser case involves etomidate. The applicable charge depends on what was found and proved.

Rule

From 1 May 2026, owners and occupiers of land, buildings and places have statutory due-care obligations to prevent the storage or keeping of prohibited products such as vaporisers on their premises.

First Offence

Failure to exercise the required due care can attract a fine of up to S$100,000, imprisonment for up to 3 years, or both for a first offence.

Repeat Offence

For a second offence, the maximum increases to a fine of up to S$200,000, imprisonment of up to 6 years, or both.

Practical Measures

• Tenant or occupier verification
• Contractual clauses prohibiting prohibited-product storage
• Reasonable inspections where appropriate
• Responding to evidence of prohibited-product storage

Scope

These duties are separate from the penalties imposed on the person who possesses, imports or supplies the vaporiser.

Rule

From 1 May 2026, specified public entertainment outlets such as discotheques, pubs, bars, lounges, nightclubs and KTV establishments have additional duties concerning prohibited products under the TVCA.

Possession

If a person is found in possession of a prohibited item, the owner or manager must inform the person to dispose of it and, if the person refuses or fails to comply, request the person to leave the premises.

Use

If a person is found using a prohibited item, the owner or manager must instruct the person to stop using it and dispose of it and, if the person refuses or fails to comply, request the person to leave.

Important

The precise statutory duties depend on the type of premises and current TVCA requirements.

Rule

The TVCA applies to conduct in Singapore regardless of nationality or immigration status.

Pass Consequences

A conviction or enforcement action can have separate immigration, employment or school consequences under other applicable rules, but there is no universal TVCA provision that automatically cancels every EP, Work Permit, Student's Pass or other immigration status.

Entry

ICA can separately assess a foreigner's immigration status and admissibility under immigration law.

Practical

Foreign nationals should not assume a composition fine or possession case has no immigration consequences, but the outcome must be assessed case by case.