Azerbaijan Imposes Ban on Electronic Cigarettes

The Azerbaijani parliament has approved, in its final reading, a law that bans the import, export, production, storage, wholesale and retail sale, and use of electronic cigarettes and their components.

The amendments have been incorporated into the Law “On Tobacco and Tobacco Products.” The law classifies electronic cigarettes containing nicotine as tobacco products, The Caspian Post reports, citing local media.

The legislation defines an electronic cigarette as a product designed to deliver vapor, with or without nicotine, into the human body via the respiratory tract, using a device with a mouthpiece or other components, including cartridges and bottles, whether single-use or refillable.

The law clarifies that heated tobacco products are not considered electronic cigarettes. A heated tobacco product is defined as a product made from tobacco (or a tobacco blend) and non-tobacco components, designed to deliver nicotine-containing aerosol through heating, without combustion or the production of tobacco smoke.

Lawmakers said the new definitions will allow for clearer classification and differentiation of tobacco products, including heated tobacco products and electronic cigarettes, in legal practice.

Amendments will also be made to the Tax Code and the Law “On Advertising,” removing single-use electronic cigarettes and e-liquids from the list of excise goods, cancelling related tax rates, and updating advertising restrictions to align with the new definitions.

The law is set to take effect on April 1, 2026.