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Can you take a vape on a plane?

In Japan vapes and e-cigarettes are carry-on only and cannot go in checked bags. Carry-on: Yes. Electronic cigarettes travel in the cabin only; the list has this one entry and does not name vapes or heated tobacco devices separately. Do not charge them on board, and protect spare batteries against short circuits. Checked baggage: No. They cannot go in checked baggage.

Updated

YesCarry-on in Japan
NoChecked bag in Japan
9countries compared

Carry-on: yesChecked bag: no

Vapes and e-cigarettes on flights in and from Japan

The rule for vapes and e-cigarettes comes from the Civil Aviation Bureau's list of restricted items and is the same on domestic and international flights.

E-cigarettes and heated tobacco: carry-on and checked baggage in Japan
WhereAllowed?What applies
In the cabinYesYes. Electronic cigarettes travel in the cabin only; the list has this one entry and does not name vapes or heated tobacco devices separately. Do not charge them on board, and protect spare batteries against short circuits. The battery must be lithium-ion of 100Wh or less, or lithium metal of 2g or less.
In checked baggageNoNo. They cannot go in checked baggage.

Heated tobacco sticks count towards the duty-free tobacco allowance when you enter Japan: up to 10 individual packages. Travellers under 20 get no tobacco allowance.

Vapes: the heating element, Hong Kong's ban and Japan's customs

The device, its liquid and the tobacco sticks each answer to a different rule, and Hong Kong adds a ban at the border.

Read under its own row, not the battery row
Japan's list tells readers that an e-cigarette with a built-in lithium-ion battery is covered by its own row under daily goods, not by the row for portable electronic devices. Taiwan's CAA makes the same point in a note: an e-cigarette has to meet the limits of the electronic smoking device entry. That is why a vape may not be checked even when it is switched off.
The heating element must not switch on by accident
The TSA requires effective measures to stop the heating element being activated by accident while the device is carried. Taiwan's CAA and Hong Kong's CAD set the same condition for the time on board. Japan's row is worded differently: no charging on board, spare batteries protected against short circuits, and a battery inside the lithium limits.
Hong Kong: fine on the aircraft, banned at the border
Hong Kong's CAD marks electronic smoking devices as carry-on items with a footnote. Since 30 April 2022 the Smoking (Public Health) (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 has banned what it calls alternative smoking products: passengers may not carry them into Hong Kong in any quantity, even for personal use. Transit passengers at Hong Kong International Airport are the stated exception.
Heated tobacco sticks at Japan's customs
Japan Customs counts heat-not-burn tobacco in its own unit: 10 individual packages duty-free, each package being the equivalent of 20 cigarettes. Its examples are 200 pieces for IQOS or glo and 50 capsules for Ploom TECH. Persons under 20 years old are not granted a tobacco allowance.
Cannabis and CBD cartridges are a drugs question
Japan Customs lists cannabis among the drugs prohibited from entry. For CBD products, the Narcotics Control Department's guide places e-cigarette products in its Others class, where the limit for residual Δ9-THC is 1ppm, and the health ministry states that a product above the limit counts as a narcotic.

Vapes and e-cigarettes: the rule country by country

Extra conditions apply in the United States, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

E-cigarettes and heated tobacco: carry-on and checked baggage rules by country
Flying fromCarry-onChecked bagWhat the authority says
JapanCivil Aviation BureauYesNoElectronic cigarettes travel in the cabin only; the list has this one entry and does not name vapes or heated tobacco devices separately. Source
United StatesTSAWith limitsNoAllowed only in carry-on baggage, with measures to prevent accidental activation of the heating element. Each lithium ion battery must not exceed 100 Wh (lithium metal: 2 grams). Check with your airline on how many devices you may carry.TSA entry: Electronic Cigarettes and Vaping Devices Source
European UnionEuropean Commission, EASAYesNoE-cigarettes must always be in hand baggage: they can only be carried in the cabin, never in checked baggage. It is forbidden to recharge them on board. Source
United KingdomUK GovernmentYesNoE-cigarettes are allowed in hand luggage but not in hold luggage. Source
South KoreaMOLIT Aviation Security 365YesNoE-cigarettes go in carry-on or on your person, not in checked baggage. Battery limits: lithium metal 2g or less, lithium-ion 100Wh or less. Spare batteries need short-circuit protection (taped terminals or separate plastic bags). Source
TaiwanCivil Aviation AdministrationWith limitsNoBattery-powered e-cigarettes and similar electronic smoking devices are allowed in hand baggage only, not in checked baggage. The device and its batteries may not be charged on board. Source
Hong KongCivil Aviation DepartmentWith limitsNoOn aircraft: carry-on only, never checked, no recharging on board. But bringing electronic smoking products into Hong Kong is prohibited, in any quantity, even for personal use; only transit passengers at the airport are excepted. Source
Mainland ChinaCAACYesNoE-cigarettes and other portable electronic smoking devices with a lithium battery can be carried on but cannot be checked. The battery follows the lithium battery rules and the e-liquid follows the liquids rules. Source
AustraliaHome Affairs, CASAYesNoE-cigarettes and vapes: carry-on only, not in checked baggage. Recharging them in the cabin is prohibited. Spare batteries must be individually protected to prevent short circuits and carried in carry-on baggage only.CASA Pack Right entry: E-cigarettes and electronic cigarettes Source

Each row comes from that authority's own page. Airlines can be stricter, and the screening officer has the final say.

Vapes and e-cigarettes in a checked bag

Before you check your bag
Take vapes and e-cigarettes out and carry them with you into the cabin. They are not accepted in checked baggage on flights in or from Japan.

Buying vapes and e-cigarettes in Japan

Where to buy
Convenience stores sell IQOS, glo and Ploom, and the tobacco sticks for them.

Frequently asked questions

Can you take a vape on a plane?

On flights in and from Japan: Yes. Electronic cigarettes travel in the cabin only; the list has this one entry and does not name vapes or heated tobacco devices separately. Do not charge them on board, and protect spare batteries against short circuits. The battery must be lithium-ion of 100Wh or less, or lithium metal of 2g or less. In checked baggage: No. They cannot go in checked baggage.

Can I bring a vape to Japan?

Yes for the device, in carry-on baggage. Japan's list allows e-cigarettes in the cabin only, with no charging on board and a lithium-ion battery of 100Wh or less. At customs, heat-not-burn tobacco has a duty-free allowance of 10 individual packages. Cannabis is on Japan Customs' list of drugs prohibited from entry, whatever device it is carried in.

Can you bring vape liquid on a plane?

Yes, as a liquid. The TSA lists e-liquids apart from the device: 3.4oz/100 ml or less in carry-on, and allowed in checked bags. CAAC says the e-liquid follows its liquids rules and the battery its lithium battery rules. On international flights from Japan, Narita states the general limit: liquids in containers over 100 ml (g) cannot be brought on board.

Does the TSA allow a vape in carry-on bags?

Allowed only in carry-on baggage, with measures to prevent accidental activation of the heating element. Each lithium ion battery must not exceed 100 Wh (lithium metal: 2 grams). Check with your airline on how many devices you may carry.

Can you take a vape in hand luggage in the UK or Europe?

The United Kingdom: E-cigarettes are allowed in hand luggage but not in hold luggage. The European Union: E-cigarettes must always be in hand baggage: they can only be carried in the cabin, never in checked baggage. It is forbidden to recharge them on board.

Can you put a vape in checked luggage?

Not on flights in or from Japan. No. They cannot go in checked baggage.

What is the rule for vapes and e-cigarettes on flights from Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea?

Taiwan: Battery-powered e-cigarettes and similar electronic smoking devices are allowed in hand baggage only, not in checked baggage. The device and its batteries may not be charged on board. Hong Kong: On aircraft: carry-on only, never checked, no recharging on board. But bringing electronic smoking products into Hong Kong is prohibited, in any quantity, even for personal use; only transit passengers at the airport are excepted. South Korea: E-cigarettes go in carry-on or on your person, not in checked baggage. Battery limits: lithium metal 2g or less, lithium-ion 100Wh or less. Spare batteries need short-circuit protection (taped terminals or separate plastic bags).

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Compiled by Japan Japan !! · Updated October 2, 2026