Are nicotine pouches banned in Croatia?
Not for adults — but since 2025 they may not be sold to minors, and the law still does not even define them. The amendments to the Act on Restricting the Use of Tobacco and Related Products (NN 98/2025) added nicotine products to the ban on sales to people under 18. Headlines saying "the new law bans nicotine pouches" referred to a draft — the adopted text did not ban them for adults. The key gap: pouches contain no tobacco, so the EU tobacco directive does not cover them, and Croatian law does not define them as a separate category or cap their nicotine strength. The ban on oral tobacco (snus) does not reach them because there is no tobacco. The myth "they are completely banned" is untrue; the myth "you can sell them to kids because they are not tobacco" fell in 2025.
📋 The rules
- Minors: the sale of nicotine products, including nicotine pouches, to people under 18 is banned (Act on Restricting the Use of Tobacco and Related Products, Art. 23, NN 98/2025).
- Not banned for adults: the adopted law did not introduce a general ban on selling pouches to adults — earlier headlines about a "pouch ban" referred to a draft that did not pass in that part.
- A legal gap: pouches contain no tobacco, so the EU Tobacco Products Directive does not cover them, and domestic law does not define them as a separate category or set a maximum permitted nicotine content.
- Snus is a different thing: oral tobacco (snus) is banned from sale in the EU and Croatia, but that ban does not apply to tobacco-free nicotine pouches — they slip through that gap.
- The minister's power: the new framework lets the minister temporarily ban particular new products, so the status of pouches can change by secondary legislation without a new act.
🔓 Exceptions
- Buyers over 18: adults may still be sold pouches — the ban is tied to the buyer's age, not to the product itself.
- Advertising and point of sale: although pouches are not banned, promotion of nicotine and related products is restricted, and the point of sale must display the notice banning sales to under-18s.
- A possible future ban: the status is provisional — the minister may restrict or ban particular products by special act, so today's permission for adults is not a permanent guarantee.
⚠️ Penalties & fines
For an adult user there is no fine — possessing and using pouches is not an offence. The risk sits with the seller: a shop that sells pouches to someone under 18 commits the same offence as with cigarettes — a legal person 9,290 to 19,900 €, and a responsible or natural person 660 to 2,000 €. The market inspector can also, by oral decision, ban the sale of those products for 30 days to six months, which can cost a small retailer more than the fine itself. Unexpectedly: because pouches are not clearly defined, their strength is not capped by law — very strong ones are on the market, so the Croatian Institute of Public Health warns of the risk of nicotine overdose, especially among the young. Because of this gap, the status of pouches is the least settled of all nicotine products and can change by a decision of the minister.
📎 Official sources
- Narodne novine — Act amending the Act on Restricting the Use of Tobacco and Related Products (NN 98/2025) →
- zakon.hr — Act on Restricting the Use of Tobacco and Related Products →
- Croatian Institute of Public Health — guidance on the harms of nicotine pouches →
❓ Frequently asked
Are nicotine pouches banned in Croatia?
They are not banned for adults — the 2025 law did not introduce a general ban on sales to adults. Only sales to people under 18 are banned, while the headlines about a full ban described a draft that did not pass in that part.
May they be sold to someone under 18?
No, the sale of nicotine products, including pouches, to people under 18 has been banned since 2025. A retailer who breaks the ban commits an offence with a fine as for cigarettes and can be temporarily barred from selling those products.
Why is it said the law does not cover them?
Nicotine pouches contain no tobacco, so the EU Tobacco Products Directive does not cover them. Croatian law does not define them as a separate category or cap their nicotine strength, which leaves them in a kind of legal gap.
Is it the same as snus?
No — snus is oral tobacco and its sale is banned in the EU and Croatia. Tobacco-free nicotine pouches do not fall under that ban, although they look similar and are used in the same way, which is the main source of the confusion.
Can the status of pouches change?
Yes, because the new framework gives the minister power to temporarily ban particular new products. So today's permission to sell to adults is not a permanent guarantee and can change by secondary legislation without a new act.
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