Last updated: November 6, 2023
Sales Restrictions
Sale of single cigarettes/sticks
The law prohibits the sale of single cigarette sticks.
The law aligns with FCTC Art. 16 in that the law prohibits the sale of single cigarettes.
Sale of tobacco products via vending machines
The law prohibits vending machine sales of tobacco products.
The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13, the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, and FCTC Art. 16 with respect to vending machine sales.
Sale of tobacco products via the internet
The law prohibits the sale of tobacco products through electronic commerce, which includes the internet.
The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to internet sales of tobacco products.
Sale of smokeless tobacco products
The law prohibits the sale of smokeless tobacco products, except for naswar (a type of snuff).
Sale of waterpipe tobacco products
The law does not specifically prohibit the sale of waterpipe tobacco; therefore, the law is interpreted as permitting the sale of waterpipe tobacco.
Location-based Sales Restrictions
Schools/educational facilities
The law prohibits the sale of tobacco products in schools/educational facilities.
Playgrounds
The law prohibits the sale of tobacco products “by hand, from trays, from baskets, from handcarts” and “outside of stationary shopping facilities”. These provisions effectively ban the sale of tobacco products on playgrounds, as such sales would necessarily take place from carts, kiosks, and other mean which do not entail a formal shop.
Stadiums/arenas
The law prohibits the sale of tobacco products in “sports-wellness and sporting structures”, which is interpreted to include stadiums and arenas.
Healthcare facilities
The law prohibits the sale of tobacco products in healthcare facilities, health spas, and socio-medical institutions.
Cultural facilities
The law prohibits the sale of tobacco products in cultural facilities.
Outside of stationary shopping facilities
The law prohibits the sale of tobacco products outside of stationary shopping facilities.
Pharmacies
The law prohibits the sale of tobacco products in pharmacies.
Premises designated for the sale of children’s products
The law prohibits the sale of tobacco products in premises designated for the sale of children’s products.
Shopping facilities located at a distance of less than one hundred meters in a straight line from educational, sports and religious organizations
The law prohibits the sale of tobacco products in shopping facilities located at a distance of less than one hundred meters in a straight line from educational, sports and religious organizations, with the exclusion of situations in which a shopping facility is located in the territory of shopping malls (in markets) with a total sales area of more than one thousand square meters and in fairground pavilions.
In territories and on the premises (with the exclusion of duty-free shops) of railroad stations, bus stations, airports, river ports, metro stations
The law prohibits the sale of tobacco products in territories and on the premises (with the exclusion of duty-free shops) of railroad stations, bus stations, airports, river ports, metro stations.
Retail Package Size Restrictions
Minimum number of cigarette sticks per unit package
The law prohibits the sale of cigarettes in packages of fewer than 20 sticks.
The law aligns with FCTC Art. 16 with respect to the sale of small packets of cigarettes.
Minimum weight of smokeless tobacco per unit package
The law prohibits the sale of smokeless tobacco with the exception of naswar. The law does not require a minimum weight per unit package of naswar.
Retail Licensing Requirements
Specific retail license or equivalent approval required to sell tobacco products
The law does not require a specific retail license or equivalent approval to sell tobacco products.
To align with FCTC Art. 15, the law should require retailers to obtain a license or equivalent approval to sell tobacco products.
