The General Prosecutor’s Office of Kazakhstan and representatives of financial monitoring agencies held a cross-departmental meeting to discuss liability issues regarding the illegal import of vape products. The bill passed on April 19, 2024, added Article 301-1, stipulating that importing vapes is a criminal offense, with a maximum sentence of two years in prison. Since the beginning of 2025, 16 cases of vape smuggling have been recorded, and 9 of them have entered the judicial process. The General Prosecutor’s Office has conducted extensive legal interpretation activities at airports, stations, and customs, reminding the public to be aware of the ban on importing vapes.
Key points:
- The General Prosecutor’s Office of Kazakhstan and the financial monitoring agency held a meeting to discuss responsibility for smuggling vape products.
- In the 2024 legal revision, importing vapes is a criminal offense, with a maximum sentence of two years in prison.
- Since the beginning of 2025, 16 cases of vape smuggling have been recorded, and some have entered the judicial process.
- The General Prosecutor’s Office has carried out legal publicity to remind the public to pay attention to the ban on vape imports.
The Prosecutor General’s Office of Kazakhstan: Illegally importing vapes is a criminal offense, and the maximum penalty can be up to two years in prison.
According to Zakon.Kz’s report on July 23. The Supreme Prosecutor’s Office of Kazakhstan held a cross-departmental meeting with representatives of the financial monitoring agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan to discuss the issue of liability for illegal import of vape.
The “Amendments and Supplements to Certain Laws on Health Issues of the Republic of Kazakhstan” passed on April 19, 2024, revised the “Kazakhstan Criminal Code”, adding Article 301-1, which stipulates the legal responsibilities for the circulation of smokeless tobacco products, vape, their fragrances and tobacco oils.
Since the beginning of 2025, 16 cases of vape smuggling have been recorded, and some have entered the judicial process
According to the second part of this clause, regardless of the quantity, importing vapes into the territory of Kazakhstan is a criminal offense and can result in a maximum imprisonment of two years. The press office of the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan issued a notice on July 23, 2025, urging citizens to pay attention to this legal change.
Since the beginning of 2025, 16 cases of e-cigarette smuggling have been recorded. Among them, 9 cases have entered the judicial process, and the remaining cases are under investigation. In particular, a 24-year-old Kazakh woman was accused of illegally bringing 5 e-cigarettes into the country and was sentenced to one year of restricted freedom by the district court.
However, the supervisory authorities pointed out that the public has very little knowledge about the criminal responsibility for the illegal import of vape. In response to this, the Supreme Procuratorate ordered extensive legal interpretation activities at airports, stations and customs, including the placement of banners and video clips, and the establishment of facilities for voluntary submission of vape.
On July 21, 2025, the General Prosecutor’s Office once again reminded the citizens and enterprises of Kazakhstan to pay attention to this significant legal change. Which is the prohibition of the import, production and sale of vape.
