Yes, vaping of nicotine pods or e-liquid is legal in Australia if you have a nicotine prescription. You do not need a nicotine prescription for vaping products containing no nicotine.
From 1 October 2021 personal imports of nicotine e-liquid and/or nicotine pods will require a valid prescription. For more information on the Australian vaping laws please visit the ATHRA website here or the TGA website here.
To get a nicotine prescription, you'll need to talk to an authorised and registered prescriber. Not all GPs or Australian doctors are registered to prescribe nicotine.
Quit Clinics is an online medical clinic offering a fast and easy service for Australians who use nicotine vaping products for smoking cessation and need to obtain a prescription. Visit their website here for more information Quit Clinics Nicotine Prescription.
1. Medical and Smoking History: Complete their (5 minute) online questionnaire and a registered Australian doctor will review your form within one business day.
2. Age Verification: Quit Clinics is only available to current or ex-smokers 18 years or over. You will need to provide details to confirm your age (2 minutes).
3. Doctor Review: A registered Australian doctor will review your case and if suitable, you will be emailed your prescription within 24 hours. If Quit Clinic doctors are unable to assist, their reasons will be clearly explained to you and you will receive a full refund. Quit Clinics also offer ongoing support for 12 months following your online consult. They will touch base with you every three months to check in and ask you a few short questions about how your smoke free journey is going.
The cost varies and will depend on the doctor you consult with. Online services vary. For example, online provider, Quit Clinics currently charge A$85 for a doctor review, treatment plan and 12 month prescription.
You can continue to place orders as you have always done with Vape Merchant before 29 September 2021. The only difference is that from 29 September 2021 we will require you to send us a valid prescription for us to ship your order.
In Australia pharmacies may sell nicotine vaping products to patients who have a medical prescription. It is illegal for any other Australian retailers to sell nicotine vaping products.
Yes, it is legal to import up to three months supply of nicotine at one time into Australia but to do this legally you require a prescription from an Australian registered doctor.
When travelling into Australia by plane or ship you may bring your nicotine vaping products if you have a prescription. You will need to have a copy of the prescription with you.
Under the Australian Personal Importation Scheme, you can order up to 3 months supply of nicotine vaping products at any one time and a maximum of 15 months supply in a 12 month period. You must have a prescription.
For more information visit the TGA website here.
Australian vape product orders under A$1,000 are not subject to tax or duty.
We must supply DHL (our delivery partner) with your prescription in order to ship your order.
The Australian Border Force (ABF) can stop your import at the Australian border if they suspect that it is unlawful.
If there is no prescription enclosed in the package, the ABF will refer the import to the TGA for assessment. The TGA will then contact you to ask for a copy of your prescription. If you do not provide a copy of your prescription, the TGA can request that the ABF seize and forfeit (destroy) the goods. You may also face penalties (including a $222,000 fine) for importing a prescription medicine without legal authority.
For more information visit the TGA website here.
For more information on vaping in general we recommend visiting - https://vapingfacts.health.nz/ and https://www.athra.org.au/vaping/
