Estonia Bans Flavored Heated Tobacco Sales from Feb 2026 Under New Law

Key points:

·The Estonian Parliament has passed an amendment to the Tobacco Act with a majority vote, which will fully ban the addition of flavorings to heated tobacco products starting January 31, 2026. 

·The amendment removes special exemptions for flavors and packaging of heated tobacco products, in line with EU directives.

·The law applies to all tobacco products and their components, regardless of specific technologies. 

·Manufacturers must submit notifications for new products to health authorities six months in advance.

·Individuals could face fines of up to 2,400 euros for violations, while legal entities could face fines of up to 32,000 euros. 

According to a report by Postimees on April 23, the Estonian Parliament passed the Tobacco Act amendment with a vote of 68 in favor and 7 against. 68 representatives voted in favor of the bill, 7 voted against, and 1 abstained. Following EU directives, Estonia will ban the sale of various flavored heated tobacco products starting January 31, 2026.

According to the revised content, the bill defines "heated tobacco products" and sets specific requirements for their ingredients, labeling, and packaging. In accordance with the European Union directive, the bill eliminates previous exceptions that allowed heated tobacco products to have different flavors and packaging characteristics.

In addition, the bill also establishes penalties for violations of the requirements for informing about tobacco products. Failure to provide the required information about a product can result in a maximum fine of 300 penalty units (starting from 2025, each penalty unit is 8 euros), while legal entities could face fines of up to 32,000 euros.

The Estonian parliament also made amendments to the bill during discussions, expanding the scope of the law to include all tobacco products and their components, regardless of the technology used. Additionally, restrictions were placed on the capacity of pods containing tobacco fillings.

In addition, tobacco product and equipment manufacturers or suppliers introducing new products to the Estonian market must submit a notification to the Department of Health at least six months before the new product is launched, including a detailed description of the product and usage instructions in electronic form.

In Estonia, users of heated tobacco products make up approximately 0.2% of the adult population.