Belgium has announced that from April 1, 2025, all stores will ban the public display of cigarette merchandise to reduce smoking rates. The ban applies to retailers but not wholesalers. Violators will be severely penalized.
As reported by The Mayor.EU on July 11, the Belgian Federal Public Health Service (FPS) announced that as of April 1, 2025, all stores across the country will not be allowed to publicly display the tobacco products they sell. This means that we will not only have to hide the brand logo but also the actual item.
This restriction is aimed at reducing smoking rates in the country by reducing the visibility of cigarette products.
The measure was supposed to go into effect on January 1 but has been delayed by three months. All types of cigarettes and smoking-related products such as tobacco, cigars, vapes, filters, and cigarette papers are banned.
In addition, the Belgian government has now raised the price of tobacco through taxes and has pledged to increase the number of non-smoking public places.
The ban applies to all Belgian retailers, but not to wholesalers. If you don’t comply with the restriction, you could face a year in jail and a fine of 20 million to 800,000 euros.
VapeBel, the Belgian e-cigarette retail and distribution coalition, expressed disappointment, according to the Belgian news agency Belga. The alliance said that specialty stores play an important role in validating age verification and introducing e-cigarette brands to adult smokers as a tool for quitting.
VapeBel called for an exception for specialty stores.
As for how customers will know which cigarette products are offered in stores. The government says retailers should prepare price lists that include product names and brands. However, these price lists must not include any brand logos.
