May I use an e-cigarette, and where is vaping prohibited?
It depends — an e-cigarette is allowed, but use and sale are tightly restricted, and flavours have been sharply cut since April 2025. Under the Restriction of the Use of Tobacco and Related Products Act (ZOUTPI), e-cigarettes are related products and the same rules apply to them as to tobacco: vaping is prohibited in all enclosed public and work spaces (schools, hospitals, bars, public transport) and in vehicles when minors are present. Sale to under-18s, advertising, vending-machine sales and online sales are prohibited. A major change applies from 24 April 2025: in e-cigarettes and refills, all flavours except tobacco are banned. The myth that an e-cigarette may be used anywhere because it is not real smoke does not hold: an individual who vapes in a prohibited enclosed space risks a fine of 125 euros, and 250 euros in a vehicle with a minor. Smoking rooms have also been abolished.
📋 The rules
- E-cigarettes are related products under ZOUTPI; vaping is prohibited in all enclosed public and work spaces and in vehicles when minors are present.
- From 24 April 2025 only tobacco flavours are allowed in e-cigarettes and refills — all fruit, sweet and other flavours are banned.
- Sale to people under 18 is prohibited; the seller may require proof of age and must refuse the sale if it is not shown.
- Advertising, display, vending-machine sales and sale via the internet and at a distance are prohibited.
- The fine for an individual who vapes in a prohibited enclosed space is 125 euros; for vaping in a vehicle with a minor it is 250 euros.
🔓 Exceptions
- Use outdoors and in private spaces is in principle not prohibited, but a minor must not be present in the vehicle; individual operators may set stricter rules.
- Only one of the 16 defined tobacco flavours is allowed; flavourless liquids remain permitted, but fruit and sweet ones do not.
- Liquids must meet EU limits (e.g. a maximum nicotine strength of 20 mg/ml, special conditions for refills); non-compliant products may not be placed on the market.
⚠️ Penalties & fines
For an individual the most common penalty is a fine of 125 euros for vaping in a prohibited enclosed public or work space, and 250 euros for use in a vehicle where a minor is present. Far higher fines hit retailers and employers: for sale to a minor, advertising, selling banned flavours, online selling or allowing vaping on their premises, fines are prescribed that for legal persons run into thousands of euros, and the ZOUTPI-B amendment tightened them further. The operator of a space who fails to prevent vaping is liable alongside the offender. Supervision is carried out by the Health and Market Inspectorates and the Labour Inspectorate. A retailer also faces the seizure of non-compliant goods and procedure costs. A hidden trap is for publicans: a single vaping guest in a bar can mean a fine for the operator if they do not act. For importers and sellers of banned flavoured liquids after 24 April 2025 it is a direct breach with the seizure of stock.
📎 Official sources
- PISRS · statute register (ZOUTPI and the ZOUTPI-B amendment) →
- NIJZ · e-cigarettes and the flavour ban →
- gov.si · Ministry of Health (ZOUTPI) →
❓ Frequently asked
May I vape in a bar or at work?
No. Under ZOUTPI vaping is prohibited in all enclosed public and work spaces, just like smoking, including bars, schools, hospitals and public transport. An individual who breaches this ban risks a fine of 125 euros, and the operator or employer who fails to prevent vaping risks a higher one.
Which flavours are still allowed from 2025?
From 24 April 2025 only tobacco flavours are allowed in e-cigarettes and refills, while all fruit, sweet and similar flavours are banned. One of the 16 defined tobacco flavours is allowed, flavourless liquids remain on the market, and selling banned flavoured liquids is a breach.
Can I buy an e-cigarette online?
No. ZOUTPI prohibits selling tobacco and related products, which include e-cigarettes, via the internet, telecommunications or at a distance. You may buy them only in a physical shop, where the seller may require proof of adulthood and must refuse a sale to a minor.
May I vape in the car if children are with me?
No. Using an e-cigarette in a vehicle in the presence of minors is prohibited and punishable by a fine of 250 euros. The ban applies regardless of whether the window is open, since the law protects minors from exposure to the aerosol in the enclosed space of the vehicle.
Are smoking rooms still allowed?
No. Under the ZOUTPI amendment separate smoking rooms have been abolished, and smoking and vaping are prohibited in all enclosed public and work spaces. The reform thus put e-cigarettes on the same footing as conventional ones and removed the spaces where use was previously permitted.
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