Are Nicotine Pouches Legal in Greece? (Yes, 18+, Max 16 mg)

By PouchGuide Editorial Team · Published October 12, 2026

Yes, nicotine pouches are legal in Greece for adults. Law 5216/2025, published in the Government Gazette on July 7, 2025, created rules for “nicotine products”, explicitly including nicotine pouches. Each pouch may contain at most 16 mg of nicotine, cans must be child-resistant, sales to and by minors are banned, vending machines are banned, and online sales from abroad into Greece are banned.

This is general information, not legal advice. Check official sources before you buy or travel.

What does Greece’s 2025 law say about nicotine pouches?

Part C of Law 5216/2025 (Articles 24–35) covers heated tobacco-free products and “nicotine products”, defined as tobacco-free products containing nicotine in any amount, including oral pouches (σακουλάκια νικοτίνης). The key rules:

• Nicotine cap (Art. 28): each pouch may contain no more than 16 mg of nicotine.
• Child-resistant packaging (Art. 28): every can must be child-resistant under ISO 8317.
• Behind the counter (Art. 28): in most shops, pouches must be kept in displays that only staff can access. Kiosks (periptera), duty-free shops and specialist shops are exempt.
• Tobacco law bans: several of the tobacco control law’s restrictions (Law 3730/2008) now apply to nicotine products too.
• Sign at the point of sale: shops must display a notice that sales to minors are banned.
• No sales to or by minors (Art. 29): sellers must check that buyers are adults, which in Greece means 18.
• No vending machines (Art. 30).
• No cross-border distance sales into Greece (Art. 31): foreign websites can’t sell pouches to Greek customers. Greek sellers may still ship abroad where the destination country allows it.
• Notification (Art. 27): makers and importers must register each product’s ingredients with the National Public Health Organization (EODY) before selling it. Products already on the market had six months to comply.

What are the penalties?

Selling to minors or through a vending machine costs €500–10,000. For selling to minors, the shop’s license is also suspended for 5–10 days, rising to 30 days for a repeat offense, and permanently revoked after a second repeat. Products that fail lab or labeling checks by the General Chemical State Laboratory can draw fines of €200–30,000 per product, doubled for repeat offenses.

Can you buy nicotine pouches online in Greece?

Not from foreign websites. Article 31 bans cross-border distance sales into Greece. The law doesn’t explicitly ban Greek shops from selling online within Greece, but they still have to verify age. Most people buy pouches at kiosks and tobacco shops.

Can travelers bring nicotine pouches to Greece?

Yes. Bringing a reasonable amount for personal use is fine. Traditional snus is different: like everywhere in the EU except Sweden, it can’t be sold in Greece. See our travel guide.

How Greece compares

Greece’s 16 mg cap is close to Italy’s 16.6 mg and a little lower than Hungary’s 17 mg. Neighboring Cyprus passed its own pouch law in 2026. Like Poland, Greece blocks cross-border online orders.

Bottom line

Nicotine pouches are legal in Greece for adults 18+, up to 16 mg per pouch, in child-resistant cans, sold from shops and kiosks but not from vending machines or foreign websites. See our legal status overview for other countries.