Yes, you can vape in Canada, but the country regulates vaping more tightly than most. Federal law under the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act controls nicotine strength, packaging, advertising, and the minimum age for sales, while every province and territory adds its own rules about where you can vape and who can buy. If you live here or you’re visiting, the practical answer depends on your age, your province, and whether you’re bringing product across the border.
How Old You Have to Be
The federal minimum age to be sold vaping products is 18.1Department of Justice. Tobacco and Vaping Products Act That’s the floor. Most provinces and territories have raised it to 19, and retailers in those jurisdictions have to follow the provincial number.
Prince Edward Island is the strictest in the country. You have to be 21 to buy tobacco or nicotine vaping products there.2Government of Prince Edward Island. Vaping Laws If you’re moving between provinces, check the local age before you try to buy anything.
Where You Can and Can’t Vape
The Non-smokers’ Health Act, amended to cover vaping, bans vaping in every federally regulated workplace. That includes indoor and enclosed work spaces, hallways, lobbies, elevators, and cafeterias, plus aircraft, trains, and vessels traveling between Canada and other countries.3Department of Justice. Non-smokers Health Act
Everything else is set provincially. Every province and territory in Canada bans vaping in enclosed public places and workplaces, mirroring their tobacco smoking bans. Restaurants, bars, shopping centres, and government buildings are all off-limits. Many jurisdictions also prohibit vaping within a set distance of building entrances, windows, and air intakes, and some municipalities extend the ban to parks, playgrounds, and school grounds. When in doubt, treat vaping the way you’d treat smoking a cigarette.
Vaping in a Car with a Minor
Every province and territory prohibits vaping in a vehicle when a minor is present. The definition of “minor” for this purpose is either under 16 or under 19 depending on where you are, and fines vary. If a young passenger is in the car, put the vape away.
What Products Are Legal to Buy
Canada caps nicotine concentration at 20 mg/mL. The Nicotine Concentration in Vaping Products Regulations apply to every product manufactured in or imported for sale here, and it’s also illegal to sell a product whose label shows a concentration above that limit.4Government of Canada. Nicotine Concentration in Vaping Products Regulations, SOR 2021-123 Many disposable vapes sold in the United States run at 50 mg/mL, more than twice what’s allowed in Canada.
Every product sold here has to display a health warning, show its nicotine concentration, and list all its ingredients, in both English and French.5Canada Gazette. Vaping Products Labelling and Packaging Regulations, SOR 2019-353 Containers of vaping liquid also have to be child-resistant.6Government of Canada. Regulating Tobacco and Vaping Products – Vaping Products Regulations
Flavours are a partial restriction, not a total ban. Under Schedule 3 of the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act, it’s illegal to promote vaping products using flavour descriptions tied to cannabis, confectionery, dessert, soft drinks, or energy drinks.7Canada Gazette. Order Amending Schedules 2 and 3 to the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act (Flavours) These rules target how flavours are marketed rather than the flavouring ingredients themselves. A broader federal proposal to ban most flavouring ingredients outright was suspended in February 2025, so for now the wider ban is not in effect.
Bringing Vaping Products into Canada
You can bring vaping products into Canada for personal use, but you have to declare them to border services officers when you arrive.8Canada Border Services Agency. What Visitors Can Bring into Canada The personal limit is five units. One unit equals 120 mL of vaping liquid, in any combination of up to 12 devices or containers, for a maximum of 600 mL total.9Canada Border Services Agency. Memorandum D18-3-2 – Excise Duty Framework for Vaping Products
The first 120 mL comes in duty-free. Vaping duty and additional vaping duty apply above that. Anything beyond five units requires a vaping product licence under the Excise Act.9Canada Border Services Agency. Memorandum D18-3-2 – Excise Duty Framework for Vaping Products
The 20 mg/mL nicotine cap is written to apply to products “manufactured or imported for sale” in Canada.4Government of Canada. Nicotine Concentration in Vaping Products Regulations, SOR 2021-123 The regulations don’t explicitly address personal-use imports at higher concentrations, and border officers have discretion. There’s no guarantee a higher-strength product won’t be seized, so the safe move is to stick to 20 mg/mL or below.
Flying with a Vape
Vaping devices and spare lithium batteries must go in your carry-on, never in checked luggage. Transport Canada cites the fire risk of lithium batteries overheating in cargo holds. Each spare battery has to be individually protected against short circuits, either in its original packaging or with tape over the terminals. You also can’t charge your device or batteries on the aircraft.10Transport Canada. Fire Risk of Electronic Cigarettes in Checked Baggage on Board an Aircraft
What Happens If You Break the Rules
Penalties under the federal act depend on who commits the offence. Retailers who sell to someone under 18 face fines up to $3,000 for a first offence, rising to $50,000 for subsequent violations.1Department of Justice. Tobacco and Vaping Products Act
Manufacturers and importers face much heavier consequences. Selling a product above the 20 mg/mL cap, or breaking the advertising rules, can bring fines up to $500,000 and one year of imprisonment on summary conviction, or up to $1,000,000 and two years by indictment. Ingredient and additive violations carry fines up to $300,000 and two years’ imprisonment.1Department of Justice. Tobacco and Vaping Products Act
Retailers who break labelling or display rules can be fined up to $50,000, and violations of the youth-visibility promotion rules can bring fines up to $500,000 and up to two years’ imprisonment.11Canada Gazette. Vaping Products Promotion Regulations, SOR 2020-143 Provincial penalties for selling to minors under provincial age limits or vaping in prohibited places are set separately by each province and vary across the country.