Are Nicotine Pouches Legal in Qatar? (Gray Area: Tobacco Pouches Banned)

By PouchGuide Editorial Team · Published October 26, 2026

It’s a gray area, and we’d treat it as risky. Qatar’s Law No. 10 of 2016 on the control of tobacco and its derivatives bans chewing tobacco and oral tobacco (“sweika”) in any form and under any name. That means snus and other pouches containing tobacco are illegal. The law doesn’t mention tobacco-free nicotine pouches, and we found no official ruling on whether they fall under the ban. At least one tracker lists them as banned.

This is general information, not legal advice. Check official sources before you buy or travel.

What does Qatar’s tobacco law ban?

Article 7 of Law No. 10 of 2016 says:

“Importing, circulating, displaying, selling, distributing or manufacturing chewing tobacco, in any form and under any name, shall be prohibited. Importing, circulating, displaying, selling, distributing or manufacturing electronic cigarette, shisha or simulators of smoking tools shall be prohibited. Importing, circulating, displaying, selling, distributing or manufacturing Sweika, in any form or under any name, shall also be prohibited.”

The law defines sweika (dipping tobacco) as “any substance made of tobacco derivatives, which is usually stored in the mouth[,] sniffed nasally, or used in any other way”. Tobacco derivatives include “any other substances of which tobacco is a component”.

Are tobacco-free nicotine pouches covered?

The law doesn’t say. Modern nicotine pouches contain nicotine but no tobacco leaf, so they don’t clearly match the law’s definitions of chewing tobacco or sweika. On the other hand, the ban applies “in any form and under any name”, and most pouches use nicotine extracted from tobacco. We found no ministry decision, court ruling or customs notice that settles the question.

The Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction tracker, updated in April 2025, lists nicotine pouches as banned by law in Qatar. It cites an anti-smoking index rather than a Qatari legal text, and we found no Qatari law or decision that names pouches.

What are the penalties?

Breaking Article 7 can bring up to six months in prison and a fine of up to QR 100,000, or either penalty (Article 16). Companies can be fined up to QR 100,000. Courts can also order the products to be confiscated, re-exported or destroyed, whatever the quantity, and can close the shop for one to three months (Article 20).

Can you buy nicotine pouches online in Qatar?

We wouldn’t count on it. The law doesn’t address pouches or online sales directly. Online orders shipped from abroad go through customs, where officers decide whether a product counts as banned oral tobacco.

Can travelers bring nicotine pouches to Qatar?

Never bring snus or any pouch that contains tobacco. It’s clearly banned under Article 7. For tobacco-free pouches, there’s no clear rule, so customs may confiscate them. The safest option is not to bring them. If you do, carry only a small amount in the original packaging that shows it’s tobacco-free. See our travel guide.

How Qatar compares

Qatar’s Gulf neighbors have taken clearer positions. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain allow tobacco-free pouches if they meet a national standard. Kuwait will ban pouches not registered as a medicine from January 2027. Of the Gulf states we cover, Qatar is the only one without a clear rule for tobacco-free pouches.

Bottom line

In Qatar, pouches containing tobacco are banned under Law No. 10 of 2016. Tobacco-free nicotine pouches are a gray area: the law doesn’t name them, and we found no official ruling. Penalties for banned oral tobacco reach six months in prison and QR 100,000, so be careful. See our legal status overview for other countries.