On January 1, 2025, Latvia enacted a ban on flavored vapes and raised the legal age to purchase tobacco and nicotine products to 20. The updated Tobacco Products Act aims to curb youth nicotine use by targeting appealing flavors and product designs.
The law prohibits all e-liquid flavors except tobacco. Tobacco-flavored e-liquids are restricted to 16 specific flavoring components, mirroring regulations adopted in the Netherlands. Additionally, the law bans vapes and nicotine pouches designed to resemble toys or candy, and caps nicotine pouch strength at 4 mg/g. Menthol, its analogs, and geraniol are also prohibited in smoking products.
Both in-person and online sales are restricted. The State Revenue Service and the Health Inspectorate have the authority to confiscate mail orders of tobacco and nicotine products sent to individuals from outside the country. While the purchase age is now 20, retail employees aged 18 to 20 are permitted to sell these products.
To enforce compliance, Latvia increased fines for selling tobacco and vape products to underage individuals.
| Offender Category | Previous Fine Range | New Fine Range (Effective Jan 1, 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Individual Sellers | €280 – €350 | €280 – €700 |
| Businesses / Legal Entities | €700 – €1,400 | €700 – €7,100 |
Latvian manufacturer Pro Vape has challenged the flavor ban in the Constitutional Court, with a hearing scheduled for May 13. The law remains in effect while the case is decided. Meanwhile, some retailers plan to bypass the ban by selling unflavored nicotine and pre-mixed flavorings separately.
Latvia is the ninth European country to ban flavored vapes, joining Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Ukraine. The country currently has the third-highest daily smoking rate in the European Union, with 22.1% of adults smoking daily.
