Are Nicotine Pouches Legal in Mauritius? (No: Banned Since 2023)

By PouchGuide Editorial Team · Published October 27, 2026

No. Nicotine pouches are banned in Mauritius. The Public Health (Restrictions on Tobacco Products) Regulations 2022 say no one may manufacture, import, distribute, sell or offer for sale “any other product containing nicotine” that may be made or marketed to replace or imitate a tobacco product. The same rule bans smokeless tobacco, which the regulations define to include snus. The ban has applied since May 31, 2023. The only exception is nicotine replacement therapy prescribed by a doctor.

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

What do the regulations say?

Regulation 4(4) lists products that no one may manufacture, import, distribute, sell or offer for sale in Mauritius. Two items on that list cover pouches:

“(e) any other product containing nicotine and any device used for its consumption, that may be manufactured or marketed to replace or imitate a tobacco product, other than such product as a medical practitioner may prescribe as nicotine replacement therapy;”

“(g) a smokeless tobacco product;”

The regulations define smokeless tobacco as “a tobacco product used without combustion, heating or pyrolysis, at the time of use, such as chewing tobacco, snus and snuff and dissolvable products”. So snus is banned under item (g), and tobacco-free nicotine pouches fall under item (e).

The same list also bans e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, flavored tobacco products and roll-your-own tobacco.

When did the ban start?

The regulations were made on June 10, 2022 as Government Notice No. 139 of 2022. An amendment in December 2022 (Government Notice No. 321 of 2022) moved the start date to May 31, 2023. They replaced the older 2008 tobacco regulations.

Do other trackers agree?

Yes. In its October 2025 global review of pouch rules, the Institute for Global Tobacco Control at Johns Hopkins lists Mauritius as one of ten countries where the sale of nicotine pouches is prohibited by law. It cites the same regulation 4(4).

What are the penalties?

Under regulation 26, anyone who breaks the regulations can be fined between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 and imprisoned for up to 12 months. When a company breaks the rules, its directors and managers can also be held liable unless they show they took reasonable steps to prevent it.

Can you buy nicotine pouches online in Mauritius?

No. Selling pouches in Mauritius is banned however the sale is made. The regulations also separately ban remote retail sales of tobacco products, by post, phone or internet, whenever the buyer or seller is in Mauritius. Ordering pouches from abroad would also be an import, which regulation 4(4) bans.

Can travelers bring nicotine pouches to Mauritius?

We’d strongly advise against it. Regulation 4(4) bans importing these products, and we found no personal-use exemption in the text. Pouches in your luggage could be seized at the airport, and you could face a fine. Leave them at home and plan to go without for the trip. See our travel guide.

How Mauritius compares

Mauritius is one of the few African countries with an outright ban. On the mainland, South Africa sells tobacco-free pouches with no product-specific rules. Mauritius’s approach is closer to Singapore, which also bans pouches alongside vapes. In Europe, France and Belgium have banned them too.

Bottom line

Nicotine pouches are banned in Mauritius. Since May 31, 2023, the Public Health (Restrictions on Tobacco Products) Regulations 2022 have banned manufacturing, importing, distributing and selling them. Penalties reach Rs 10,000 and 12 months in prison, so don’t bring them with you. See our legal status overview for other countries.