Is Nicotine legal in Portugal?
- Legal status
- Not a controlled substance under Decreto-Lei n.º 15/93. Nicotine is not in tables I to IV and Portugal's drug consumption regime does not reach it.
- Consequences if caught
- Nicotine is not named in any table of Decreto-Lei n.º 15/93. The administrative offence created by Lei n.º 30/2000 and amended by Lei n.º 55/2023 applies to plants, substances and preparations in the tables, so it does not reach nicotine, and neither the ten day quantity nor the commissions for the dissuasion of drug addiction have anything to do with it. Nicotine products are governed by tobacco control and product law, including age limits and restrictions on where smoking and vaping are permitted. The tables were read in the INFARMED compilation, whose own footnotes carry amendments up to Lei n.º 77/2014, de 11 de novembro, so this absence is established against the tables as amended to 11 November 2014 and any later amending instrument was not available here.
- If prescribed or medical
- Nicotine replacement products are sold under medicines and consumer product rules, not under the drug tables.
- Documentation
- No drug licence or certificate is required for nicotine products. Age limits and place restrictions apply under tobacco control law.
- Decreto-Lei n.º 15/93, de 22 de janeiro, tables I to IV
- Lei n.º 30/2000, de 29 de novembro, art. 2.º
- Lei n.º 55/2023, de 8 de setembro, arts. 2.º and 3.º
- diariodarepublica.pt
- sicad.pt
Court records
We have not yet assessed whether court records are publicly available for this jurisdiction.
Nicotine in related jurisdictions
Other substances confirmed in Portugal
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Portugal’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
Before you travel
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If you’re detained or arrested abroad
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