Taking Your Vape, IQOS or Nicotine Pouches From the UAE to Other GCC Countries

The UAE is one of the easiest places in the region to vape or use IQOS. Cross a border, and that changes fast. A weekend in Muscat, a work trip to Doha or a drive to Riyadh can each mean a different rule for the device in your pocket.

This guide covers what you can take from Dubai to Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain, product by product: pod vapes, disposables, IQOS ILUMA with TEREA sticks, and nicotine pouches. It also covers road crossings, transit flights, and how to pack so customs reads your supply as personal use.

At a Glance: What You Can Take, Country by Country

Country	Vapes (RELX, JUUL, disposables)	IQOS ILUMA and TEREA	Nicotine pouches	Risk level
Saudi Arabia	Allowed: one device and up to 60 ml of e-liquid	Allowed: keep to 1 carton (200 sticks) duty-free	Allowed	Low
Bahrain	Allowed: personal device and pods	Allowed: personal amount, declare extra	Personal amount	Low
Kuwait	Allowed for personal use; declare extra	Personal amount, about 1 carton	Personal amount	Medium
Oman	Import banned: likely confiscation	Import banned, even for personal use	Unclear: sealed cans only	High
Qatar	Banned, including personal use and transit	Banned, including personal use	Allowed	Very high

The safest single rule: if you are going to Qatar or Oman, leave the vape and the IQOS in the UAE and take nicotine pouches instead.

Saudi Arabia: Allowed, Within Personal Limits

Vapes, IQOS and nicotine pouches are all legal in Saudi Arabia, and you can bring personal quantities in from the UAE. The ban on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco was lifted in 2019, and both are now regulated as tobacco products, with a 100% excise tax on what’s sold locally.

• Vapes (RELX, JUUL, disposables): under the 2019 Saudi customs circular that lifted the ban, non-frequent adult travelers can bring one e-cigarette device and up to 60 ml of e-liquid. In practice that means one pod device with a supply of prefilled RELX Pod Pro 2 pods or JUUL 2 pods for your stay, or a single disposable vape. Anything above that is referred to the Saudi Food and Drug Authority and taxed like tobacco.
• IQOS ILUMA and TEREA: the same 2019 circular allows non-frequent travelers 200 heated tobacco sticks. ZATCA’s published rule for cigarettes is 200 duty-free; between 200 and 2,400 you pay duty and need Saudi Food and Drug Authority approval, and above 2,400 it counts as a commercial import. Keep TEREA to one carton (200 sticks), and you stay inside the duty-free band. A carton of TEREA Silver Kazakhstan lasts about 20 days at 10 sticks a day, and an all-in-one IQOS ILUMA i ONE is the easiest device to carry, with no separate pocket charger.
• Nicotine pouches (VELO, White Fox): sold legally in Saudi Arabia, with health warnings on the pack. A few cans for your trip are fine.

Practical Tips for Saudi

Keep pods, sticks, and pouch cans in their sealed retail packaging, and declare anything above the duty-free amounts at the red channel. If you are driving through Al Ghuwaifat or flying into Riyadh, Jeddah or Dammam, the same personal-use rules apply. Note that flavors other than tobacco are restricted for products sold in Saudi Arabia, so if you rely on a fruit or menthol pod such as RELX Pod Pro 2 Menthol Xtra 5%, bring enough for your stay rather than planning to buy there.

Oman: Import and Sale Are Banned, So Expect Confiscation

Oman bans the import and sale of e-cigarettes, and treats heated tobacco the same way. Using a vape you already own is not itself listed as an offense, but bringing one across the border is technically an import. If customs finds it at the airport or a land crossing, it can be confiscated.

• Vapes (RELX, JUUL, disposables): Ministerial Decree 327/2015 bans the import of e-cigarettes, and Decree 698/2015 bans their sale. In January 2024, Oman’s Consumer Protection Authority issued Decision 756/2023, banning the circulation of e-cigarettes, shisha and their accessories, with fines of up to OMR 1,000 that double for repeat violations and can reach OMR 2,000. Seized products are destroyed.
• IQOS ILUMA and TEREA: heated tobacco is classed as a tobacco product under a regulatory ban, and import is not allowed even for personal use. Don’t plan on taking your IQOS to Muscat.
• Nicotine pouches (VELO, White Fox): there is no clear law on tobacco-free pouches in Oman. Oman does ban the import and sale of smokeless tobacco in any form (Decree 38/2010), and a customs officer may not distinguish a pouch from chewing tobacco at a glance. If you take VELO pouches or White Fox pouches, keep them in their original sealed cans with the “tobacco-free” label visible, and only a few cans.

Driving Into Oman From the UAE

Most UAE residents cross by road: through the Hatta–Al Wajajah crossing, Al Ain (Hili and Mezyad) or into Musandam. Oman customs checks vehicles at these posts, and the import ban applies there just as at Muscat airport. On a weekend trip to Musandam, Muscat or Jebel Akhdar, it’s easy to forget a device in the car’s cup holder or glovebox. Leave vapes and IQOS at home, or accept that they may not come back.

Qatar: Leave Your Vape and IQOS at Home

Qatar bans e-cigarettes and heated tobacco, including for personal use. It is the strictest country in the GCC for these products, and the one most likely to catch UAE residents out on a quick trip to Doha.

• Vapes (RELX, JUUL, disposables): banned since a Ministry of Public Health order in 2014. Dr Kholood Al-Mutawaa, head of the Ministry’s Non-Communicable Disease Department, told Gulf Times that people cannot bring e-cigarettes into the country, and that customs at the airport, seaport and land borders were told to seize them.
• IQOS ILUMA and TEREA: Qatar classifies heated tobacco as a tobacco product under Law No. 10 of 2016 and bans its import, including for personal use, as well as its sale and promotion. Treat your IQOS exactly like a vape: don’t pack it.
• Nicotine pouches (VELO, White Fox): tobacco-free pouches are sold in Qatar, and no specific restriction on carrying them has been reported. They are the only one of your products that is realistic to take, so bring only what you need for the trip: a milder can like VELO Crispy Peppermint 6mg, or White Fox Double Mint if you are used to a stronger hit.

What Happens at Hamad International Airport

Customs officers screen arriving bags and confiscate vapes and heated tobacco devices. Qatari officials have also said anyone in possession can face further action, so do not try to hide a device in checked luggage.

Transiting Through Doha

Hamad International Airport is Qatari territory, so the ban applies even if you are only changing planes. If your route home or onward goes through Doha, don’t carry a vape or IQOS in your hand luggage. A pouch can see you through the layover.

Kuwait: Personal Use Allowed, Declare Anything Extra

Kuwait allows travelers to bring a vape for personal use, but restricts the import and sale of e-cigarettes as goods. Vaping is widespread there, and products are openly marketed. Most travel and legal sources treat a personal device as allowed, with anything above a personal allowance declared at the red channel.

• Vapes (RELX, JUUL, disposables): a single device you are using, with a small supply of pods, is the lowest-risk option. Don’t carry boxes of sealed disposables or several devices, which customs may treat as goods for sale.
• IQOS ILUMA and TEREA: handle heated tobacco like cigarettes and stay within a normal personal amount, ideally one carton (200 sticks). Declare anything more at the red channel.
• Nicotine pouches (VELO, White Fox): carry only a few cans for the trip, in their sealed packaging.

Kuwait’s rules are less clearly published than Saudi Arabia’s, so keep your supply obviously personal: one device, opened packs, and nothing that looks like stock for resale.

Bahrain: Regulated and Legal

Bahrain allows e-cigarettes and regulates them like tobacco products, so a personal device is the easiest of the GCC trips after Saudi Arabia. Bahrain lifted its restrictions on importing e-cigarettes in 2016, and since May 2022 products sold there must meet its national Technical Regulation for Electronic Nicotine Products (BH 2:2021).

• Vapes (RELX, JUUL, disposables): a personal device such as a RELX Infinity 2 or JUUL 2 Starter Kit, with pods for your stay, is fine. Large quantities need declaring, and anything that looks like stock for resale may be held.
• IQOS ILUMA and TEREA: treat TEREA sticks like cigarettes. Stay within a personal amount, such as one or two cartons, and declare anything more.
• Nicotine pouches (VELO, White Fox): a few sealed cans for personal use.

If you drive over the King Fahd Causeway from Saudi Arabia, you pass through both Saudi and Bahraini customs, so pack for the stricter of the two at each stage.

Packing Rules for Flights and Road Trips

Whatever the destination, a few rules apply on every GCC trip from the UAE.

• Batteries go in your hand luggage. Vapes, IQOS ILUMA devices and their pocket chargers all contain lithium batteries, which airlines do not allow in checked bags. A device found in the hold is usually removed.
• Never vape or use IQOS on board. It is banned on every airline, and the aircraft’s smoke detectors will pick it up.
• Take your RELX pods or JUUL pods out of the device before you fly. Cabin pressure changes can push e-liquid out of a pod and into the device. Our guide on why RELX pods leak explains what to do if it happens.
• Keep everything in its sealed retail packaging. Customs officers judge personal use partly by how things look. Sealed packs with health warnings read as “for me”; loose sticks in a bag and ten boxes of the same disposable read as “for sale”.
• Check your transit airport. A flight to Kuwait or Saudi Arabia that connects in Doha puts you in Qatar, where vapes and IQOS are banned even in transit. Fly direct or connect elsewhere if you are carrying a device.
• Don’t leave devices in a hot car at the border. Queues at land crossings can be long, and a car parked in the sun gets far hotter than outside. Keep your device and pods on you, not on the dashboard. If you’re traveling with a full carton, our tips on storing TEREA cartons in UAE heat apply on the road too.

Coming back is simpler: the UAE allows personal quantities of all these products. Our Dubai vape rules guide covers what UAE customs expects when you land.

Plan Your Nicotine Before You Leave the UAE

The GCC is not one set of rules. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are relaxed about personal quantities, Kuwait allows personal use but expects you to declare anything extra, and Oman and Qatar will take your vape or IQOS at the border. Match what you pack to the strictest country on your route, including any airport you transit through.

For a trip to Qatar or Oman, the easiest switch is nicotine pouches: no battery, no vapor, and accepted in Qatar. If you’ve never used them, our guide on how to use nicotine pouches covers strength and placement. Stock up before you go, and pick up your device and pods again when you’re home. Order everything for the trip from Vape Hype with 1-hour delivery in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman.

Frequently Asked Questions