in australia's various states are a little bit conflicting. according to the poisons standard of 2010, inhaled nicotine is pharmacy only, or a schedule 2 medication when used to help quit smoking. in april 2014 a court decision made it illegal to sell or supply e-cigarettes regardless of their appearance or nicotine content (even if zero) in western australia. previously they were banned if they looked like cigarettes. the court ruled that the action they provided in and of itself looks like cigarettes. precise rules in the other states vary. new zealand: e-cigarettes and nicotine vaping products are legal. europe current legal status of e-cigarettes and nicotine-containing or nicotine-free cartridges in europe: sale of nicotine-containing and nicotine-free cartridges legal sale of nicotine-free and nicotine-containing cartridges below certain level legal sale of nicotine-free cartridges legal; sale of nicotine-containing cartridges illegal sale of nicotine-containing and nicotine-free cartridges illegal unknown european union on 19 december 2012 the european commission adopted its proposal to revise the european union tobacco products directive 2001/37/ec which included proposals to introduce restrictions on the use and sales of e-cigarettes. on 8 october 2013 the european parliament in strasbourg voted down the commission's proposal to introduce medical regulation for e-cigarettes, but proposed that cross-border marketing of e-cigarettes be regulated similarly to tobacco products, meaning that sales of e-cigarettes to under-18s would be prohibited in the european union, along with most cross-border advertising. warning labels also would be required. the parliament and member states are involved in trilogue discussions to reach a common conclusion. in february 2014, the european parliament approved new regulations for tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. the new regulations forbid advertising of e-cigarettes, set limits on maximum concentrations of nicotine in liquids, limit maximum volumes of liquid that can be sold, require child-proof and tamper-proof packaging of liquid, set requirements on purity of ingredients, require that the devices deliver consistent doses of vapor, require disclosure of ingredients and nicotine content, and empower regulators to act if the regulations are violated. in october 2014 e-cigarette manufacturer totally wicked won the right to challenge the directive at the court of justice of the eu. the hearing took place on 1 october 2015 and the results will not be announced until early 2016. in autumn 2013, the e-cigarette industry ran "a determined lobbying campaign" to defeat proposed european legislation to regulate e-cigarettes like medical devices. pharmaceutical manufacturers glaxosmithkline and johnson & johnson have lobbied the us government, the food and drug administration (fda), and the eu parliament for stricter regulation of e-cigarettes which compete with their products nicorette gum and nicotine patches. by country a no vaping sign on public transport from scotland albania: no information is available. austria: nicotine-containing cartridges are classified as medicinal products and e-cigarettes for nicotine inhalation as medical devices. nicotine cartridges may not be sold without a license. belarus: no information is available. belgium: a royal decree legalized the sale of nicotine containing cartridges outside of pharmacies as long as the cartridge contains not more than 2 ml and a maximum of 20 mg/ml of nicotine. the sale to a minor under the age of 18 years is prohibited. bosnia and herzegovina: nicotine-containing cartridges are not classified as tobacco products, and therefore the sale is not regulated. bulgaria: the sale and use of e-cigarettes are legal, as well as the sale of cartridges and liquids with nicotine croatia: advertising is restricted. vaping is banned in all public enclosed facilities. by a law passed by the parliament e-cigarettes are classified as tobacco products. therefore, vaping is banned in all public buildings, and the sale to a minor is prohibited. cyprus: the export and import of vaping products is illegal. most forms of advertising are banned. vaping in a car is illegal when a pregnant woman or minor is present. czech republic: sales are prohibited to people under 18 years of age. the use and advertising of e-cigarettes are legal. sale of e-cigarettes is regulated in the same way as sale of conventional cigarettes – as such, e-cigarettes cannot be sold to minors and can be sold only at places permitted to sell conventional cigarettes. online sale with mail delivery is de facto illegal due to the impossibility for age verification, however this rule is not enforced and there are plenty of e-shops. denmark: advertising is restricted. the danish medicines agency classifies e-cigarettes containing nicotine as medicinal products. thus, authorization is required before the product may be marketed and sold, and no such authorization has currently been given. the agency has clarified, however, that e-cigarettes that do not administer nicotine to the user, and are not otherwise used for the prevention or treatment of disease, are not considered medicinal devices. estonia: the estonian state agency of medicines had previously banned e-cigarettes, but the ban was overturned in court on 7 march 2013. currently e-liquids containing more than 0.7 mg/ml of nicotine are still considered medicine and as such cannot be legally purchased within the country due to no manufacturer being licensed properly. following the outcome of eu tobacco directive in october 2013, the legislation is moving towards a more relaxed stance on the issue. as stated by the estonian minister of social affairs taavi rõivas (in charge of tobacco regulation), e-cigarettes will receive an advertisement ban and will clearly be banned for minors but will be available for adults before the end of 2013. finland: the national supervisory authority of welfare and health (valvira) declared that the new tobacco marketing ban (effective 1 january 2012) would also cover e-cigarettes, resulting in that finnish stores or web stores can't advertise e-cigarettes because they might look like regular cigarettes. in theory, e-cigarettes with nicotine-free cartridges may still be sold, as long as their images and prices are not visible. ordering from abroad remains allowed. sale of nicotine cartridges is currently prohibited, as nicotine is considered a prescription drug requiring an authorization that such cartridges do not yet have. however, the finnish authorities have decided that nicotine cartridges containing less than 10 mg nicotine, and e-liquid containing less than 0.42 g nicotine per bottle, may be legally brought in from other countries for private use. if the nicotine content is higher, a prescription from a finnish physician is required. from a country within the european economic area a maximum of one year's supply may be brought in for private use when returning to finland, while three months' supply may be brought in from outside the eea. mail-order deliveries from eea countries, for a maximum of three months' supply, are also allowed. france: the sales of e-cigarettes or machines that imitate smoking, as well as the sale of cartridges containing or not containing nicotine, are prohibited to people under 18 years of age. the e-cigarettes are considered neither as a medical device nor as a medicine, according to a 2011 opinion of the national agency for the safety of medicines and health products (ansm), if it is not claimed by its sellers as a smoking cessation product, if the level and amount of nicotine do not exceed the thresholds of (20 mg / ml) and 10 ml respectively. in january 2017, the french health law transposing the european directive on tobacco products came into force and establishes a list of places where smoking is prohibited. offenders are liable to a fine of 150 euros or more. the persons responsible for the places where the prohibition applies and who have not put in place the signage will be fined 450 euros. georgia: until the introduction of new tobacco laws that was passed in 2018, there were virtually no regulation in e-cigarettes. however, since the passing of the tobacco-control law 2017, persons caught smoking including using e-cigarettes have been prohibited in all enclosed areas, bar private houses and casinos and public transport, but not taxis, watercraft and designed areas in airports. germany: sales of e-cigarettes are prohibited for people under 18 years of age since transposition deadline for member states of the european union regarding the tobacco products directive (2014/40/eu) (including non-nicotine-containing cartridges). the use of such is not allowed in restaurants, where they are sold, and other public places. greece: the marketing of e-cigarettes is banned unless a ministerial decision authorises them under certain conditions. sales of e-cigarettes are prohibited for people under 18 years of age (only for nicotine-containing cartridges). hungary: the sale of nicotine-containing cartridges is legal as long as they are packaged in volumes of 10ml maximum in bottles and only sold at the official 'nemzeti dohánybolt' (national tobacco shops). at least 30% of the packaging must indicate the following text, "this product contains nicotine, which causes a strong addiction" the same restrictions apply to the sale of any e-cigarette and refillable tanker liquids as to any other tobacco product, therefore the legal purchasing age is 18 years. iceland: ireland: in ireland, the legal age to buy a vape and use it is 18. vape juice bottles must not under european union law come in a bottle more than 50ml. italy: sales of e-cigarettes are prohibited for people under 18 years of age (only for nicotine-containing cartridges). in 2013 the minimum age of 16 years for the sale of cartridges containing nicotine was raised to 18 years. whoever now sells cartridges containing nicotine to a person under 18 years of age can be fined 250-€2,000. kosovo: no information is available. latvia: the sale and use of e-cigarettes are legal. liechtenstein: sales of e-cigarettes to people under 16 years of age is prohibited. all other laws regarding sales and imports are carried over from the laws of switzerland. lithuania: the sale and use of e-cigarettes are legal. luxembourg: the sale and use of e-cigarettes are legal, and sales of e-cigarettes are prohibited to under 18s. since a new tobacco law was introduced in 2017, persons cannot personally import e-cigarettes or e-liquid from abroad by post and vaping is prohibited in enclosed spaces like bars and restaurants. malta: sales and use of e-cigarettes under 18 years of age is prohibited. since 2010 products and smoking devices which are simulating cigarette or tobacco smoking are included to "tobacco products" as considered in the tobacco (smoking control) act. moldova: no information is available. montenegro: no information is available. netherlands: since 2017, sales of e-cigarettes to people under 18 years is prohibited. sales of e-liquid refills are regulated; with a maximum size of 10 ml per package, a maximum nicotine concentration of 20 mg/ml and strict labeling requirements including warning labels about harmfulness of nicotine. marketing of e-cigarettes are limited to signs in shops. dutch residents can order devices and liquids from aboard, but only from the eea. the laws on plain packaging for tobacco which came about in 2020, extends to e-cigarettes in 2022. north macedonia: no information is available. norway: the sale and use of e-cigarettes are legal, but nicotine cartridges can only be imported from other eea member states (e.g. the uk) for private use. norway does not allow e-cigarette advertising. a no smoking and no vaping sign in a bus in gdansk, poland. poland: since a revision of the tobacco prohibition law in 2016. there has been a large change in the e-cigarette regulation, previously where it was very loose. currently there is ban on sales to under 18s, prohibition of marketing, sales online, in cigarette machines and a ban in hospitals & all public transport including pkp train stations but not in airports. vapers who break the laws are liable to a fine of up to 500 zloty (approximately €109.70). portugal: the sale of nicotine-containing cartridges is restricted. romania: the sale and use of e-cigarettes are legal; from 2016 the liquid used in e-cigarettes will have an excise duty. russia: e-cigarettes are not considered to be a tobacco product in russia according to the ministry of health therefore sales and possessions of such devices are unregulated. serbia: no information is available. slovakia: producers must register with the slovak trade inspection and the ministry of health before bringing new products to the market. companies must report annual sales reports for the ministry of health. advertising of vaping products is banned. slovenia: producers must register with the national laboratory for health, environment and food before bringing new products to the market. they must report annual sales reports. companies are not