Get The Vaping State in Thailand


Do you like Muay Thai kickboxing? I do! My class is preparing a trip to train with a few of the masters. Naturally, I wondered about the state of vaping in Thailand and if I could take my e-cigarette with me. No one in my class knew the answer. None of us have ever existed. A few of my more helpful classmates instantly required to their phones and consulted Google to obtain me an answer. It didn't help.

Travel Advisor says that electronic cigarettes are not allowed in Thailand, however, vapor items are available there. Okay, what does that imply? Some individuals have actually stated that their electronic cigarettes were confiscated at custom-made and they were fined. In fact, there is an image distributing of what seems Thai custom-made officers destroying seized electronic cigarettes by squashing them with a steamroller! There are also reports that you can get 5 years in jail for vaping in Thailand! That kind of makes a declaration.

Some stated they traveled through customs and vapes on the streets of Bangkok in front of a police officer without any problem. A single person wrote that a law enforcement officer actually tried his vape! Exactly what is going on here? The state of vaping in Thailand is very confusing. With things like fines and a 5-year prison sentence on the line, I am not ready to simply wing it based upon some conflicting reports. What are the actual vaping laws in Thailand? If like me, you are thinking of traveling to Thailand, you require real answers not a lot of internet rumors.




Vaping Laws In Thailand

To obtain a genuine response, I called the Royal Thai Consulate in Los Angeles. I left a detailed message relating to vaping in Thailand and asking if I could bring my vape with me. The next day I had a return telephone call and the response was extremely clear. The response was no. My vape and e-liquid is not allowed in Thailand and is considered prohibited.

" No, you cannot bring your electronic cigarette into Thailand. They are prohibited.
                                                      - Consular Official at Royal Thai Consulate Los Angeles"

The Consular official I spoke with was really expert, friendly and extremely company. Despite the varying reports out there, I did not detect any gray area expressed in her voice. At all.

In probing for details, I think that I learned why vaping in Thailand is so complicated. There is no actual law versus vaping or vapor items in Thailand. Rather, vapor products fall under the customized law in a category called "items that have not been taxed". Here are the applicable laws:

  • Customs Act 27 states that preventing import responsibility tax is tax evasion and against the law. Breaching Customs Act 27 is punishable by fines, 5 years in jail or both. The fines are computed based on the cost of the items that averted tax and they can be high. The five years in jail is clearly the source of reports of going to prison for vaping.


  • Customs Act 20 provides Thai law enforcement arrest powers without a warrant if you are deemed to be breaking the law. Basically, this supplies the legal basis for detaining someone in belongings of vapor products. Similar to "possible cause" in the United States.

Can You Buy Vapor Products In Thailand?

Are you all set for a bit more confusion? There are numerous locations that you can buy vapor products in Thailand. You may even see people walking around vaping. The question ends up being whether or not you know and can establish that important tasks have been paid on your vapor products. I was not able to get a clear response on how a traveler would have the ability to supply that evidence.

Searching Thai media sources for more details on electric cigarettes in Thailand, I found a significant lean toward unfavorable publicity. I stumbled upon lots of news articles recommending that e-cigarettes are just as harmful as tobacco cigarettes. The smoking cigarettes rate in Thailand for people over 15 years of age is 21% and increasing. A pack of cigarettes in Thailand costs about $4. Get this, the excise tax on imported cigarettes in Thailand was raised to 90% in 2016.

Tobacco cigarettes represent a growing source of income for the government. Is that why the regional reporting on e-cigarettes is so negative? Perhaps in the future, the Thai federal government will ease the stance towards electronic cigarettes and vape when they have the ability to execute systems to account for and collect taxes on vapor imports. For the time being, however, don't take you vape to Thailand.

Do Not Vape in Thailand. Leave Your E-Cigs At Home

We can debate the benefits of the vaping laws in Thailand all day. At the end of the day, we are visitors in another person's home. Whether you can get away with it shouldn't be a consideration. It was explained to me by an official from the Royal Thailand Consulate that e-cigarettes protest the law and not allowed. As visitors to their gorgeous nation, we ought to respect that.

That's really the last analysis. First, we need to not abuse the advantage of checking out Thailand by flaunting their laws. Second, there are prospective repercussions including arrest. Don't vape in Thailand. Leave your vape equipment and e-liquids in the house. They will exist awaiting you when you return.


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