Maldives Sets Generational Smoking Ban, Tourists Affected

Published on Nov 4, 2025, 3:49 pm CSTUpdated on Nov 4, 2025, 3:50 pm CST

4 min read

Key points

Maldives now bans smoking and tobacco sales for anyone born on or after January 1, 2007
Ban applies to tourists of the affected birth years as well as residents
Selling to underage buyers can draw a 50,000 MVR fine and vape use carries a 5,000 MVR penalty
Tourists may bring limited tobacco only, typically 200 cigarettes, 25 cigars, or 250 grams
Electronic cigarettes are already banned nationwide for import, sale, possession and use

Impact

Who Is Affected: Travelers born in 2007 or later cannot buy, use, or be sold tobacco products anywhere in the Maldives
What To Do: Do not pack or use vapes, carry only permitted tobacco quantities, and expect ID checks at points of sale
Fines And Enforcement: Retailers face up to 50,000 MVR for illegal sales and individuals face 5,000 MVR for vape use
Border Rules: Customs can retain over-limit tobacco for up to 30 days, collectable on departure with receipt
Trip Planning: If you rely on smoking, plan nicotine alternatives that comply with Maldivian law and your airline's rules

The Maldives has enacted a generational smoking law that bars anyone born on or after January 1, 2007, from purchasing, using, or being sold tobacco products, effective November 1, 2025. Authorities say the measure is a milestone aimed at a "tobacco-free generation," and it applies to foreign visitors as well as Maldivian residents. The country already outlaws electronic cigarettes and vaping devices for all ages, and maintains tight limits on how much traditional tobacco tourists may bring in. Travelers should expect ID checks at points of sale and firm penalties for violations.

What changed and why it matters

Under the new rules, retailers must verify age and refuse sales to the 2007-and-later cohort. Selling tobacco to someone under the legal threshold can draw a fine of 50,000 Maldivian rufiyaa, and using a vape device carries a 5,000 rufiyaa penalty. Because the ban is tied to birth year, the restriction will remain in force for those travelers as they age. If you were born in 2007 or later, you cannot legally smoke in the Maldives, even as a tourist.

Vapes are off-limits for everyone

Separate from the generational ban, the Maldives previously prohibited the import, sale, possession, distribution, and use of electronic cigarettes nationwide. Visitors arriving with vape devices should expect confiscation at the border and no permission to use them during their stay. Packaged nicotine alternatives that are legal in your home country may still violate Maldivian law if they qualify as vape or e-cig devices, so do not bring them.

What you can bring as a tourist

Customs guidance allows tourists aged 18 and above to import limited tobacco for personal use, typically up to 200 cigarettes, or 25 cigars, or 250 grams of loose tobacco. Amounts above the limit can be retained by Customs for up to 30 days and may be collected at departure with the receipt issued on arrival. These allowances do not extend to e-cigarettes, which are banned outright. Always check the current Customs notice before you fly, and keep your receipt if any items are held.

Enforcement posture and tourism impact

Officials have signaled that the law is public-health focused rather than tourism restrictive, arguing that visitors come for beaches and marine environments, not for smoking permissiveness. Early reporting indicates tourism demand remains robust, and authorities are emphasizing compliance through retailer checks and point-of-sale ID verification rather than visitor profiling. Still, travelers should plan conservatively, assume checks will occur, and avoid any attempt to import or use vapes.

Background

The Maldives has tightened tobacco control through rising duties, a national vape ban, and now a generational restriction modeled on ideas debated elsewhere. New Zealand passed, then repealed, a similar cohort policy in 2023, while the United Kingdom is still considering its own version. The Maldivian approach is notable for explicitly covering tourists and for pairing sales restrictions with possession and use rules that extend beyond retail counters.

Practical guidance for travelers

If you smoke and were born before 2007, bring only the permitted amounts of tobacco, declare when required, and keep proof of purchase if asked to verify age at shops. Never bring vapes. If you were born in or after 2007, the safest plan is to carry non-prohibited nicotine aids that comply with airline and destination rules, or to abstain during your trip. Budget extra time at arrival in case Customs inspects luggage with tobacco, and build in a few minutes at resort check-in to ask concierge staff about any on-island restrictions or designated smoking areas that comply with local law.

Final thoughts

The Maldives' generational smoking ban is now part of trip planning alongside the long-standing nationwide ban on vapes and the narrow tobacco import limits for tourists. Confirm your birth-year eligibility, leave e-cigs at home, and stay within Customs thresholds to avoid penalties, delays, or confiscations.