Countries › Asia › South Korea
Are snus and nicotine pouches legal in South Korea?
Since 24 April 2026 South Korea treats every nicotine product as tobacco: an amendment to the Tobacco Business Act added products made with nicotine as a raw material, closing the loophole that let tobacco-free nicotine pouches be sold outside tobacco rules. Pouches now need a licence, are limited to buyers aged 19 or over, may not be sold online, and are taxed by weight at about KRW 1,273.5 per gram (halved for two years). Tobacco snus falls under the same act, since the definition has always covered tobacco prepared for chewing or smelling, but it is absent from the Korean market.
Eastern Asia
South Korea at a glance
| Nicotine pouches (tobacco-free) | Tobacco snus | |
|---|---|---|
| Sale to adults | Legal with restrictions | Legal with restrictions |
| Possession and use | Legal | Legal |
| Personal import (mail order, bringing in) | Allowed with limits | Allowed with limits |
| Online sale inside the country | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Regulated | as a tobacco product | as a tobacco product |
| Minimum age | 19 | 19 |
| Nicotine strength cap | No legal cap found | No legal cap found |
| Flavours | Unclear | Unclear |
| Excise tax | About KRW 1,273.5 per gram of product (roughly KRW 12,700 on a 10 g can) | Yes |
| Legal basis | Tobacco Business Act (담배사업법), as amended with effect from 24 April 2026 | Tobacco Business Act (담배사업법), Art. 2 |
| In force since | 24 April 2026 | – |
Medium confidence: Based on consistent secondary sources; primary text not yet verified. Research tier 1. How we verify.
Nicotine pouches in South Korea
Legal but taxed as tobacco, 19+, no online sale.
Before the amendment, pouches made with synthetic (non-tobacco-derived) nicotine sat outside the definition of tobacco and could be sold without licensing, age checks at vending machines or tobacco taxes. The amendment is the first change to the statutory definition of tobacco since 1988. Retail is now licensed, online sale is prohibited and vending machines must verify age (from February 2026).
Tax: Weight-based rather than per unit. A transitional 50% reduction applies for the first two years after the April 2026 amendment took effect.
Sources: Tobacco Insider, Tobacco Insider, TobaccoIntelligence
Tobacco snus in South Korea
Legal as tobacco, 19+, not sold.
The statutory definition covers a product 'manufactured in a state suitable for smoking, sucking, inhaling steam, chewing or smelling, by using tobacco leaves as all or any part of the raw materials', so oral tobacco is a tobacco product and requires a manufacturing or import licence and licensed retail. No Swedish-style snus is marketed in Korea and there is no evidence of a specific prohibition.
Tax: Taxed as manufactured tobacco; no published Korean rate specific to oral tobacco found.
Sources: Tobacco Insider, TobaccoIntelligence
Bringing snus or nicotine pouches into South Korea
| For personal use | Allowed Travellers aged 19 or over may bring one tobacco category duty-free: 200 cigarettes, or 50 cigars, or 250 g of other tobacco products. Only one category qualifies. |
| Declaration | Unclear |
| Penalties | Amounts above the allowance are taxed on arrival. |
The 250 g 'other tobacco' figure comes from consular and travel summaries of the Korea Customs Service rules; the customs pages fetched did not restate it, so treat the exact figure as indicative. Nicotine pouches are now tobacco under Korean law, so the tobacco allowance should apply to them as well.
Full travel guide: can you bring snus and nicotine pouches to South Korea?
Buying snus and pouches in South Korea
- Nicotine pouches sold in shops: Yes
- Tobacco snus sold in shops: No
- Typical price: 16500 KRW per can (as of 2026). Trade-press estimate of KRW 15,000-18,000 per can once the weight-based tax applies.
Pending and proposed changes
- Transitional 50% tax reduction on nicotine pouches and other synthetic-nicotine products expires two years after the 24 April 2026 amendment took effect, raising the effective rate. Expected: 2028. Status: adopted not in force.
Frequently asked questions
Are nicotine pouches legal in South Korea?
Yes, but since 24 April 2026 they are regulated and taxed as tobacco. Sale requires a licence, buyers must be 19 or over, online sale is banned and the product is taxed by weight.
Is snus legal in South Korea?
Oral tobacco is covered by the Tobacco Business Act definition and is not prohibited, but no Swedish-style snus is sold in Korea. Import and manufacture require a licence.
How much snus or pouches can I bring into Korea?
The duty-free tobacco allowance is 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars or 250 g of other tobacco products for travellers aged 19 or over, and only one category counts. Anything above that is taxed on arrival.
Can I order nicotine pouches online in Korea?
No. The April 2026 amendment bans online sale of nicotine products, including pouches.
What is the age limit?
19. Korea's Youth Protection Act bars sale of tobacco and alcohol to anyone under 19, and the age counting reform of 2023 did not change it.
Nearby in the atlas
- Afghanistan – pouches unregulated (sold openly), snus legal
- Armenia – pouches legal, snus no specific rule found
- Azerbaijan – pouches unregulated (sold openly), snus no specific rule found
- Bahrain – pouches banned, snus banned
- Bangladesh – pouches no specific rule found, snus legal
- Bhutan – pouches no specific rule found, snus legal with restrictions
- Brunei – pouches no specific rule found, snus banned
- Cambodia – pouches no specific rule found, snus legal
- China – pouches legal with restrictions, snus legal with restrictions
- Georgia – pouches legal, snus legal
Where are nicotine pouches legal?Where is snus legal?Strength limits by countryAge limits by country
Sources
- South Korea: Nicotine Pouches – Tobacco Insider (Trade press; accessed 4 September 2026) ✓ verified
“all nicotine-containing products – regardless of whether the nicotine is tobacco-derived or synthetic – will be regulated in the same manner as conventional cigarettes”
- Tobacco Regulation: South Korea – Tobacco Insider (Trade press; accessed 4 September 2026) ✓ verified
“manufactured in a state suitable for smoking, sucking, inhaling steam, chewing or smelling, by using tobacco leaves as all or any part of the raw materials”
- South Korea closes synthetic nicotine loophole with new tobacco definitions – TobaccoIntelligence (Trade press; accessed 4 September 2026) , not re-verified
- Customs Clearance Guide for Passengers – Korea Customs Service (Customs; accessed 4 September 2026) , not re-verified
- Smoking, vaping, HTP, NRT and snus in South Korea – Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction (GSTHR) (NGO / research; accessed 4 September 2026) ✓ verified
Record last verified 4 September 2026. Found an error or a newer rule? Tell us and we will re-check the source.