Bringing nicotine e-liquids to Australia

Bringing nicotine e-liquids to Australia - A Person Holding a Vape pod

Update after having been on the trip
Australia doesn't care about it anymore. I filled in my arrival card and marked "Yes" for importing medical supplies. The lady at customs asked me to elaborate, immediately dismissed it when I said "eliquids", and let me through customs with no checks.
I assume there's still a limit to the amount of eliquid you can bring into the country, but they weren't interested in actually seeing the eliquids that I had declared.


I am leaving for a 5 week holiday to Australia (and New Zealand) soon.

I moved to e-cigarettes a while ago, and recently found out that they are generally prohibited in Australia (barring a prescription).

This is the most comprehensive page I've found on the subject. In detail:

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) Personal Importation Scheme in Australia allows a person the ability to import a 3-month supply at the one time (max dose recommended by manufacturer) of unapproved therapeutic goods into Australia, and they do not need any approval required by the TGA so long as the following is understood and carried out:

  • Goods purchased cannot be sold and are only for personal use or immediate family
  • Medicine must have their original packaging and any dispensary labels intact (where necessary)
  • Goods are not under any restriction under Australian customs controls or quarantine rules and do not contain contolled substances
  • Goods are not to be injectable, nor an they contain any material of human or animal origin (except insulin)
  • Quantity of the goods imported within a 12 month period does not exceed 15 months supply of the goods. ( medicines at max dose recommended by manufacturer as well as : Goods that are Schedule 4 or 8 of the Poisons Standard ie) Nicotine E- Liquid must also have a prescription held on file from an Australian registered medical practitioner.

Emphasis mine (and theirs too, I guess).

As I am Belgian, and nowhere near Australia, I can't consult an Australian physician before getting to Australia.
Annoyingly, I can't just travel to Australia and get a prescription there, because you then need to import the nicotine e-liquids from abroad (even if you're an Australian citizen).

Part of me assumes that the rules here are described from the point of view of an Australian citizen (thus not taking tourists into account). It seems a bit counterintuitive that Australians would be allowed to import nicotine e-liquids, but tourists have no way of bringing them along if they have a valid prescription.

Note: I actually already scheduled a doctor's appointment for tomorrow, in order to get a prescription/certificate from my (Belgian) GP. But now I'm unsure if it's actually going to matter or not.

If there's no way for me to bring the e-liquids; I'll (begrudgingly) make my peace with that and will have to resort to smoking cigarettes again. However, I really want to avoid that, so I would like to know in advance whether I'll be allowed to bring them in, because having just under €100 (155 AUD) confiscated won't be an enjoyable first leg of my holiday.

So, on to the questions:

  • Will I be able to bring my nicotine e-liquids as a tourist, if I have a prescription?
  • Does a Belgian prescription suffice? Is there any information regarding the needed information on the prescription, so that I can pass that along to my doctor?
  • If they need an Australian prescription, would they e.g. hold my e-liquids until I return with a local prescription for them; or will I lose the e-liquids indefinitely upon my arrival in Australia?

Note: I was informed that New Zealand had a similar legislature, but I can currently find NZ webshops with nicotine e-liquids, so I assume they have legalized it by now. If not, I'm interested in hearing about it.



Best Answer

The information here was useful, but have discovered an up-to-date (Feb 2019) guide that covers something called the Travellers Exemption. The exemption is specifically written for people like us who are planning to bring a nicotine vape with them to Australia.

Basically visitors to Australia can bring with them nicotine e-liquids if the the following requirements are met -

Traveller’s exemption – requirements

  1. The medicine or device must be for your use, or for a passenger in your care
  2. You cannot sell or supply the products to another person
  3. Keep the product in original packaging with dispensing labels (if possible)
  4. Carry the prescription or written authorisation showing that it is for your use, or for a person in your care
  5. Carry no more than three months supply at the maximum dose
  6. Take any remaining medicines or devices with you when you leave Australia
  7. Comply with requests and directions from customs officers.

https://www.tga.gov.au/travellers-visitors

The full guide for travelling to Australia with nicotine e-liquids is here - https://www.ozvapour.com/flying-with-vapes-nicotine-e-liquids-australia/




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Can I bring nicotine vape juice into Australia?

It is legal to import a three-month supply of nicotine e-liquid into the country but to do so legally you need a prescription from an Australian doctor. Travellers can also bring nicotine e-liquid to Australia legally under the traveller's exemption.

Can you take nicotine vapes on a plane Australia?

E-cigarette batteries now have a global ban on being included in checked luggage. If you wish to travel with your e-cig batteries, you will need to place them in your hand luggage. This includes e-cig devices too, and vaporisers and vape pens. There are no exceptions to this rule.

How much nicotine can I bring into Australia?

Travellers arriving in Australia You do not need a permit to bring in tobacco products into Australia as a traveller. You are allowed to bring in duty-free: one unopen packet of up to 25 cigarettes or 25 grams of other tobacco products; and. one open packet of cigarettes.

Can I travel to Australia with my vape?

If you want to bring a device to vape nicotine into Australia, you'll need a prescription from an Australian doctor before you go. Otherwise you could have your device confiscated at the border, and you can be fined.



How to order nicotine for your vape eliquid in Australia




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Thorn Yang, Dede Avez, Kelly L, Suthee Pakcharoen