How old do you have to be to vape?

What is the legal age to vape in the UK?

The legal age to vape is 18- the exact same age that you need to be to smoke. This can seem confusing, as vaping is around 95% less harmful than smoking, so it may seem illogical that the same restrictions are placed on vaping as smoking.

However, there is a good reason for this age restriction.

While vaping is certainly significantly less harmful than smoking, that is not to say that people should take up vaping when they have never smoked. Vaping is a phenomenal smoking cessation tool, allowing smokers to begin rebuilding their health from years of putting strain on their lungs and immune systems.

However, encouraging minors to vape will not benefit their health, as vaping is not completely harmless and, if used by people who have never smoked, can end up creating nicotine addictions rather than easing them. Vaping is a tool to help smokers recover their health and kick their addictions and should never be actively taken up by anyone who has never smoked- let alone minors.  

How old do you have to be to vape in other parts of the world?

While you must be 18 to vape in the UK, it is important to remember this may not be the case for other countries. The US, for instance, has a restriction around buying vapes which means you must be 21 or over to purchase a vape. This is complicated by the fact that each state and city have different rules, however all retailers must check for 21+ IDs to avoid selling vapes to underage customers.

In Japan, the age limit is 20 and South Korea requires people to be 19 years old to purchase vapes.

In Malaysia, there is no restriction on vaping whatsoever and people of any age can buy liquid nicotine. On the other hand, India has banned vaping completely!

However, while these age limits are in place, there are specific regulations attached to these that are unique to each country. Some countries have no restrictions on nicotine-free vapes such as Japan, sometimes vaping is banned in some public places such as in Fiji and Israel, and there are bans on the marketing of vapes in Argentina and Brazil.

Most countries have the age limit of 18 to buy vapes, such as:

• Germany
• Spain
• Italy
• Russia
• Greece
• Czech Republic
• Canada
• Mexico
• Brazil
• Australia
• New Zealand

These variations in regulation mean it is essential to check the laws of the country you’re visiting if you’re hoping to enjoy a vape on your holiday!

How to vape abroad

If you’re looking for how to vape and inhalation methods, check out our blog on how to vape for beginners. (link). However, if you’re already vaping but need to figure out how to travel with your vape, we would recommend using a disposable vape for convenience and to save space in your luggage! To find out how many vapes you can bring, read our blog here (link).

The question of ‘how old do you have to be to vape?’ can have a variety of answers according to your country, nicotine content, and a variety of other factors. If in doubt, do your research prior to going anywhere outside of the UK, as the 18-year-old age limit does not apply everywhere!