🚭 Can I smoke in a bar, an office or an enclosed public space?

Quick answer

No. Smoking in all enclosed public spaces is banned. Law no. 9636/2006 “On the protection of health from tobacco products”, as amended, bans smoking in bars, restaurants, offices, institutions, schools, health centres and public transport. The main responsibility falls on the venue — the owner of the bar or premises — not only on the smoker: a venue that allows smoking inside is fined 300,000 lek, and the figure doubles to 600,000 lek if the breach is repeated within 3 months, up to suspension and licence revocation. Watch the number: in everyday speech you will hear this as “3 million lek” — that is old lek, the same fine. The myth that keeps the breach alive is “we are only smoking in a corner, nobody sees us”: the law knows no “corner” — the enclosed space is banned in full, and it is usually the venue that answers, not the customer.

📋 The rules

Smoking is banned in all enclosed public spaces, at workplaces and on public transport.
The main responsible party is the venue/owner, who must post signage and not allow smoking inside.
The fine for a venue that allows smoking in an enclosed space is 300,000 lek.
If the breach is repeated within 3 months, the fine doubles to 600,000 lek; further repeats lead to suspension and licence revocation.
Selling tobacco to people under 18 and advertising tobacco are banned.

🔓 Exceptions

Genuinely open spaces (terraces, yards) are treated differently; but a terrace that is covered and closed on the sides can count as indoor.
Responsibility falls mainly on the venue; however, an individual who smokes in a banned place can also be fined.
Some places have extra duties (schools, hospitals, institutions), where tolerance is zero regardless of the space.

⚠️ Penalties & fines

The real cost here is paid by the business. A venue that allows smoking inside is fined 300,000 lek, a sum that doubles to 600,000 lek for a repeat within 3 months, and continuous repeats lead to suspension of the activity and licence revocation. In practice, inspection hits the owner, not the smoker: in 2024 the inspectorate reported dozens of measures against bars and restaurants and only a few individual fines. Watch the translation of the figure — “300 thousand” and “600 thousand” new lek are heard on the street as “3 million” and “6 million” old lek; it is the same fine, not ten times more. The consequence that is not counted is continuity: a venue with repeated fines risks closure, while customers who want a smoke-free space are often the majority. For the individual, the fine is smaller, but it exists.

📎 Official sources

Last verified: 2026-07-12

❓ Frequently asked

How big is the fine if I allow smoking in my venue?

A venue that allows smoking in an enclosed space is fined 300,000 lek, a sum that doubles to 600,000 lek if the breach is repeated within three months. Further repeats lead to suspension of the activity and revocation of the licence.

Is only the venue fined, or the customer who smokes too?

The main responsibility falls on the venue that runs the space, because it must not allow smoking inside. However, an individual who smokes in a banned place can also be fined, even though inspections in practice mostly hit businesses.

Is smoking allowed on a venue’s terrace?

Genuinely open spaces are treated differently from enclosed ones, so an open terrace is usually allowed. But a terrace that is covered and closed on the sides can count as an indoor space, so the space rule decides, not the word “terrace”.

Is 300 thousand lek the same as the 3 million I hear about?

Yes, it is the same amount. The legal fine is 300,000 new lek; the phrase “3 million lek” is simply the same value stated in old lek, which are ten times the new lek. So do not be scared by the big number: the fine stays 300,000 new lek, not three million.

Where is smoking banned as an absolute priority?

In schools, health institutions, public institutions and on public transport tolerance is zero. In these spaces the ban applies without any exception and regardless of the size of the space, because the aim is to protect children, patients and users of public services.

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