The Middle East has changed rapidly from being a region with little formal recognition of nicotine pouches to one containing several regulated and commercially significant markets.

The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain now have dedicated technical regulations for tobacco-free nicotine pouches. Saudi Arabia has a substantial domestic market, but commercial importation is restricted and the products are treated differently from ordinary tobacco. Other countries, including Kuwait, Oman, Jordan and Iraq, still have less clearly defined rules.

At the stricter end of the spectrum, travellers should exercise particular caution when visiting Qatar or Turkey, where available regulatory sources indicate that nicotine pouches are prohibited or cannot lawfully be imported and sold as ordinary consumer products.

This creates an especially important distinction between:

• Products manufactured or registered for the local market.
• Commercial imports by a licensed business.
• Overseas orders delivered by post.
• A few cans carried by a visitor for personal use.
• Possession after the traveller has cleared customs.

A product being sold locally does not necessarily mean that an overseas version of the same brand may be brought across the border. Saudi Arabia is a particularly clear example: domestically authorised pouches are available, while importing foreign products is much more restricted.

The position below was reviewed on 31 July 2026.

Middle East Quick-Reference Table

These ratings concern tobacco-free nicotine pouches, not traditional tobacco-containing snus, chewing tobacco, naswar or other oral products. Those products may be subject to completely different customs and public-health rules.

The Gulf States

United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates has one of the clearest nicotine pouch regimes in the region.

Cabinet Resolution No. 2 of 2025 made a dedicated technical regulation for tobacco-free nicotine pouches mandatory. The resolution was issued in January 2025 and took effect on 29 July 2025. It formally recognises tobacco-free pouches as a regulated product category rather than leaving them within a legal grey area.

Products supplied commercially in the UAE must comply with the national technical standard, including applicable requirements concerning ingredients, product construction, packaging, warnings and conformity assessment. This means that a pouch legally sold in Britain is not automatically compliant with UAE rules.

Can visitors take nicotine pouches into the UAE?

Current sources indicate that nicotine pouches are legal in the UAE, but personal importation remains subject to customs control. Travellers should distinguish tobacco-free pouches from snus: tobacco-containing oral snus may be prohibited even though compliant tobacco-free pouches have a legal route to market.

A modest personal quantity in original packaging is less likely to look commercial than rolls intended for distribution. Nevertheless, visitors should check the product through the relevant customs authority, particularly when entering through Dubai or Abu Dhabi, because restricted-goods classifications and technical compliance may affect admission. Dubai Customs provides an integrated tariff service for checking whether a commodity is prohibited, restricted or subject to specific conditions.

Can you buy pouches locally?

Yes. The UAE has an increasingly visible legal pouch market. Availability is strongest in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and other major urban areas, including some specialist tobacco retailers, convenience outlets and duty-free or travel-retail environments.

However, the legal selection may differ from the UK range. Products must be intended and approved for the UAE market, so a traveller should not assume that a preferred European brand, flavour or strength will be stocked.

Travel advice: The simplest strategy is normally to buy a compliant product after arrival. Do not take tobacco snus or large quantities of foreign nicotine pouches on the assumption that all oral products are treated alike.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has one of the region’s most important nicotine pouch markets, but its rules are unusual.

Nicotine pouches do not fall neatly within the Saudi Anti-Smoking Law’s definition of tobacco because they contain no tobacco leaf. They have instead been treated through a medicinal or pharmaceutical route. A domestic manufacturer, Badael, received market access for its DZRT nicotine pouches, creating a widely available local supply.

This means it is inaccurate to say that nicotine pouches are generally banned in Saudi Arabia. Adults can legally buy locally authorised products, and the domestic brand is available through recognised retail channels.

Can visitors bring foreign pouches into Saudi Arabia?

This is the difficult part. Current regulatory reporting states that the importation of nicotine pouches is banned while local production is allowed. That restriction appears directed particularly at commercial importation and foreign market access, but it means travellers should not assume that a personal quantity of UK products is automatically exempt.

Saudi customs guidance sets out personal allowances for tobacco products, but nicotine pouches may not fall within those tobacco allowances because of their different classification. The Saudi Food and Drug Authority also operates separate clearance systems for regulated tobacco and health-related products.

Retailer claims that overseas pouches can be posted successfully to Saudi Arabia should not be used as legal authority. A parcel having previously passed through customs does not prove that every brand or personal import is permitted.

Travel advice: Do not stock up on overseas brands for a trip to Saudi Arabia unless ZATCA or the SFDA confirms that your specific quantity is acceptable. Locally authorised pouches can be purchased after arrival, making importation unnecessary for most visitors.

Iraq

Iraq has rules affecting tobacco and oral nicotine products, but detailed traveller-facing information is limited. Current industry regulatory services maintain a dedicated Iraqi nicotine pouch report, indicating that the category is recognised by regulators, but there isn't a simple blanket answer covering tourist possession and personal imports.

Rules and enforcement may also differ in practice between federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. Product availability in Baghdad, Erbil or other cities does not prove that every foreign brand is lawfully registered.

Travel advice: Ask the customs authority responsible for your specific port of entry. Do not infer permission from a retailer’s willingness to sell or ship the product.

Bahrain

Bahrain’s position changed materially in 2025.

The country adopted Technical Regulation BH 6:2025 specifically for nicotine pouches, approved in June 2025 and implemented through Ministerial Decision No. 54 of 2025. Bahrain Customs and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce now list the regulation as part of the country’s active product-control framework.

The Ministry of Health also provides a service for matching the packaging and health-warning labels of tobacco and nicotine products before importation. Commercial importers must submit samples displaying the packaging dimensions, health warnings and product information.

Older travel guides may still describe pouches as banned in Bahrain, but the dedicated 2025 regulation establishes a legal route for compliant nicotine pouch products. This illustrates why recently issued national legislation should take priority over general travel summaries.

Can travellers bring their own?

A legal retail category does not mean that any foreign pouch can enter Bahrain. Imported products may be expected to satisfy the Bahraini standard, particularly where the quantity or packaging suggests commercial supply.

Travel advice: Buy a compliant local product where possible. Before travelling with UK pouches, ask Bahrain Customs whether the personal-use quantity is exempt from commercial product-approval procedures.

Kuwait

Kuwait did not have legislation specifically regulating nicotine pouches as of July 2026, according to current regulatory analysis. The products therefore fall within broader consumer-goods and general product-safety rules rather than a dedicated pouch regime.

That does not make Kuwait an unrestricted market. Customs, health and consumer-protection authorities may still object to products on the basis of nicotine content, labelling, medicinal claims or lack of authorisation.

Pouches may be obtainable through some local sellers and overseas websites, but there is less assurance that every product has entered through a clearly established regulatory process.

Travel advice: Treat personal importation as uncertain. Contact Kuwait Customs before departure and carry an authorised nicotine-replacement option in case your usual pouches cannot be admitted or bought locally.

Oman

Oman’s pouch-specific legal position remains insufficiently clear in publicly accessible traveller guidance.

The country has customs, product-conformity and excise systems that can apply to tobacco and nicotine-related products. Oman’s tax-mark rules also refer to products sold in pouches and tins, although those provisions do not by themselves establish that tobacco-free nicotine pouches are freely marketable.

Available country assessments classify both possession and commercial status as unclear rather than clearly legal or expressly prohibited.

Products may be found through specialist sellers, but demand and lawful retail supply are less developed than in the UAE or Saudi Arabia.

Travel advice: Ask Oman Customs whether tobacco-free nicotine pouches may be carried for personal use. Do not rely on tobacco duty allowances because the pouches may fall under a different product classification.

Qatar

Travellers should adopt a cautious approach to Qatar.

Current specialist country assessments classify nicotine pouches as prohibited, including their importation and sale. Although some overseas retailers claim to deliver pouches to Qatari customers, those commercial claims conflict with stricter legal summaries and should not be taken as evidence that importation is lawful.

Qatar already applies stringent controls to several newer nicotine and tobacco products. In the absence of clear official permission for personal pouch imports, a visitor should not test the distinction at the border.

This is especially important for passengers using Doha as a connection. Remaining airside may mean that a traveller does not formally import the product, but disruption, hotel accommodation or baggage collection can unexpectedly require entry into Qatar.

Travel advice: Do not carry nicotine pouches into Qatar unless Qatari customs has expressly confirmed in writing that your circumstances are permitted. For a holiday in Qatar, arrange nicotine gum, patches or lozenges before travelling.

Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey

Jordan

Jordan does not have a clearly documented, dedicated nicotine pouch framework in the publicly available sources reviewed. Current country assessments therefore describe the position as unclear.

Imported products may potentially be assessed under:

• Tobacco and nicotine-control rules.
• Pharmaceutical legislation.
• Consumer-product standards.
• Customs restrictions.
• General rules applying to products containing nicotine.

Practical availability is limited. Some products may be advertised through specialist shops or social media, especially in Amman, but an informal seller cannot provide reliable proof of legal market status.

Travel advice: Do not assume that a small personal supply is allowed. Obtain confirmation from Jordan Customs or the Jordan Food and Drug Administration before departure.

Lebanon

Current specialist assessments describe nicotine pouches as legal in Lebanon. The country has a more visible alternative-nicotine market than some neighbouring states, and products can be found in Beirut and other larger urban areas.

However, Lebanon does not appear to have the same detailed, product-specific technical regime as the UAE or Bahrain. Imported brands may consequently circulate within a less clearly defined framework.

Availability can also be disrupted by economic conditions, import difficulties and local supply problems. A legal market does not guarantee that a traveller’s preferred product will be in stock.

Travel advice: A reasonable personal quantity may be possible, but check customs before travelling. Do not carry large multipacks or products in unlabelled containers.

Turkey

Turkey is a popular destination for British holidaymakers and one of the countries where travellers should be most cautious.

Current travel-regulation assessments classify nicotine pouches as banned in Turkey and state that personal importation of oral snus is prohibited. Although tobacco-free pouches and snus are technically different products, neither has an established lawful mainstream retail route comparable with the UK, Sweden or the UAE.

Products may be advertised by unofficial sellers or found in isolated shops, but this does not establish legal sale. Conflicting websites sometimes describe ZYN or other pouches as legal, illustrating the danger of relying on generic commercial articles rather than customs guidance.

Can you take pouches on a package holiday to Turkey?

Travellers should not assume that a few cans will be overlooked. Even where personal possession is not prosecuted in the same way as possession of a controlled drug, customs may confiscate products that cannot legally be imported.

This applies when arriving through airports serving Antalya, Dalaman, Bodrum, Izmir or Istanbul, as well as at land and cruise borders.

Travel advice: Leave ordinary consumer nicotine pouches at home unless Turkish customs provides explicit permission. Licensed nicotine gum and patches are safer alternatives and can be discussed with a pharmacist before travelling.

Taking Nicotine Pouches Through a Middle Eastern Hub

Many travellers pass through Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Riyadh, Jeddah, Istanbul or another regional hub while travelling onwards.

Transit creates three different situations:

Remaining airside with checked baggage

A passenger who remains in the international transit zone may not formally clear customs. However, the product is still being transported through a jurisdiction whose aviation, security and prohibited-goods rules may apply.

Collecting and rechecking baggage

Where separate tickets require baggage collection, the passenger usually clears immigration and customs. The nicotine pouches must then be legal to import into the transit country, even if the stay lasts only a few hours.

An unexpected overnight stop

A cancellation or missed connection may require entry into the country and accommodation in a hotel. A pouch that presented no practical issue while sealed in checked luggage may become an import once the passenger clears the border.

For travel through Qatar or Turkey , do not assume that a short connection removes all risk. Check with the airline and national customs authority before departure.

Alternatives Where Nicotine Pouches Cannot Be Taken

Many Middle Eastern countries permit conventional nicotine-replacement products even where consumer pouches are banned, restricted or legally unclear.

Possible alternatives include:

• Nicotine gum.
• Nicotine patches.
• Nicotine lozenges.
• Nicotine mouth sprays.
• Other licensed smoking-cessation products supplied by a pharmacy.

These products should remain in their original packaging. Where a product is prescription-only at the destination, carry the prescription and a doctor’s letter stating the generic name, dosage and purpose.

Do not conceal consumer nicotine pouches inside medicine packaging or describe them as prescribed treatment when they are not. Misrepresenting a product to customs can create a more serious problem than declaring it accurately.

The Practical Verdict for Middle Eastern Holidays

For the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, nicotine pouches have dedicated legal product standards. Travellers should usually be able to purchase compliant products locally, particularly in major cities, rather than carrying a large UK supply.

For Saudi Arabia, legal locally manufactured pouches are widely available, but foreign imports are restricted. Buy after arrival unless the authorities confirm that your personal supply may enter.

For Kuwait, Oman, Jordan and Iraq, the position is not sufficiently clear to promise that an overseas pouch can be imported. Obtain direct customs confirmation and do not treat online availability as proof of legality.

For Lebanon, pouches are generally reported as legal and commercially available, although the market is less formally structured than those in the UAE and Bahrain.

For Qatar and Turkey, the prudent advice is to leave nicotine pouches at home. Available sources indicate bans or a lack of any lawful route for ordinary consumer imports and retail sales.

Across the region, travellers should avoid carrying large quantities, keep permitted products in their original cans and check every transit country as well as the final destination. Where written permission cannot be obtained, licensed nicotine gum, patches or lozenges are the safer holiday option.