RESEARCH ALERT
Some vapes use added chemicals to create a cold or icy feeling. New research has raised concerns about three of them: WS-23, WS-3 and WS-5. We do not yet know how common they are in Wales.
Information / Laws in Wales
Smoking laws in Wales: smoking ban, vaping & nicotine rules
The rules for tobacco, vapes and nicotine products are changing in stages. This guide separates what applies now from changes starting on 29 October 2026 and 1 January 2027, and from measures that are planned or still being consulted on.
Last checked against current government guidance: 5 October 2026.
Track the next changes: Tobacco & Vapes Act 2026 – live Wales timetable.
Last reviewed: 5 October 2026
QUICK ANSWER
Not every new rule starts on the same day.
Single-use vapes are already banned from supply in Wales. Wider vape and nicotine-product age rules begin on 29 October 2026. The new tobacco age-of-sale system begins on 1 January 2027.
The key dates
Now
Single-use vapes cannot be supplied or offered for supply in Wales. Smoke-free law covers enclosed public places and workplaces, plus specified outdoor settings such as school grounds, hospital grounds and public playgrounds.
29 October 2026
Age 18 becomes the legal minimum for all vaping and nicotine products. Proxy purchasing and promotional giveaways or substantial promotional discounts for vaping and nicotine products become offences. The vending-machine ban also covers tobacco products, herbal smoking products and cigarette papers, as well as vaping and nicotine products.
1 January 2027
Tobacco products, herbal smoking products and cigarette papers cannot be sold to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009. The same birth-date rule applies to proxy purchasing.
1 June 2027 - intended
The UK Government says it intends to bring the Tobacco and Vapes Act advertising and sponsorship restrictions into force from 1 June 2027. Secondary legislation is still needed to commence those measures, so this is a planned date rather than a rule applying today.
What applies in Wales now
Single-use vapes: since 1 June 2025, it has been a criminal offence in Wales to supply or offer to supply a single-use vape to a consumer, including giving one away for free. The rule covers products with or without nicotine. Reusable vapes can still be sold where they meet the relevant rules.
Smoke-free places: smoking is prohibited in enclosed or substantially enclosed public places and workplaces. Welsh law also makes school grounds, hospital grounds, public playgrounds and outdoor areas of day-care and child-minding settings smoke-free.
When did the smoking ban start in Wales?
2 April 2007: Wales made enclosed and substantially enclosed public places and workplaces smoke-free.
1 October 2015: the law was extended to private vehicles when someone under 18 is present.
1 March 2021: smoke-free law was extended to school grounds, hospital grounds, public playgrounds and outdoor areas of registered day-care and child-minding settings.
These rules remain part of the current smoke-free regime in Wales. The newer Tobacco and Vapes Act changes shown below add product, age-of-sale and promotion rules; they do not replace the existing smoke-free-place rules.
A ban on sale is not the same as a ban on possession
The single-use vape rules prohibit supply and offers to supply to consumers. The Welsh Government guidance does not describe simple possession by an individual as the offence created by these regulations.
If you see products being sold that you think may be illegal, you do not need to investigate or confront the seller.
What changes on 29 October 2026?
Age of sale: retailers, including online retailers, must not sell any vaping product or nicotine product to anyone under 18. This extends the age restriction beyond nicotine-containing vapes to cover non-nicotine vapes and other nicotine products.
Proxy purchasing: an adult must not buy, or try to buy, a vaping or nicotine product on behalf of someone under 18.
Promotions: giving away vaping or nicotine products for free, or selling them at a substantial promotional discount, becomes an offence where the purpose or effect is to promote the product.
Vending machines: customers must not be able to buy or be dispensed tobacco products, herbal smoking products, cigarette papers, vaping products or nicotine products from vending machines. In England and Wales, there is a limited exemption for vape vending machines in areas of mental health hospitals intended wholly or mainly for adult inpatients.
What products are covered?
The 29 October rules cover vaping products and nicotine products. Welsh Government guidance states that the age-of-sale rule will apply to nicotine and non-nicotine vapes and to other nicotine products, with medicinal products and medical devices treated separately.
What changes on 1 January 2027?
The tobacco age-of-sale system changes from an age threshold to a fixed birth-date rule.
Who can be sold tobacco?
From 1 January 2027, retailers must not sell tobacco products, herbal smoking products or cigarette papers to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009.
Buying for someone else
An adult must not buy, or try to buy, tobacco products, herbal smoking products or cigarette papers for someone born on or after 1 January 2009.
Retail signs change too
From 1 January 2027, tobacco retailers in Wales must display the new age-of-sale notice. Welsh Government guidance says the notice must include both English and Welsh wording.
Concerned about illegal or underage sales?
You do not need proof and you should not confront a seller. You can share a shop name, location, online account, product, price, pattern or concern through No Ifs. No Butts.
Reports help build the local picture for enforcement partners. A report does not guarantee a specific enforcement action.
Not law yet: packaging, appearance and shop display
The Tobacco and Vapes Act gives governments powers to make further regulations on packaging, device appearance and the display of tobacco, vaping and nicotine products. Those proposals are not yet the law currently applying in shops.
A UK-wide consultation covering packaging and appearance, alongside Welsh proposals on retail display, is open until 2nd October 2026. Final rules, dates and detailed requirements will depend on regulations made after consultation.
NEW RESEARCH • 2026
What people in Wales think about the new measures
The published 2026 ASH Wales/YouGov report found 63% support for progressively raising the tobacco age of sale, 86% support for tobacco retailer licensing and 80% support for banning point-of-sale vape advertising and promotion.
These figures describe public attitudes. They do not determine what the law requires or when provisions come into force.
Official sources & further reading
Welsh Government: smoke-free law guidance for Wales
Welsh Government: tobacco, vaping and nicotine products guidance
UK Government: selling vaping and nicotine products from 29 October 2026
UK Government: tobacco and vaping product vending machine ban
Welsh Government: selling tobacco, herbal smoking products and cigarette papers
Welsh Government: single-use vapes ban
Welsh Government: smoke-free law
Welsh Government: packaging, appearance and display consultation
Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026