Taiwan’s Health Promotion Administration said authorities have imposed NT$880 million ($28 million) in fines over the past three years for illegal e-cigarettes and unapproved heated tobacco products, following amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act that took effect in March 2023. As of the end of January, officials had conducted more than 970,000 on-site and online inspections, issuing 10,084 penalties — 3,266 related to e-cigarettes and 6,818 to heated tobacco products — including 204 cases tied to online platforms and 2,033 involving illegal use. The agency reiterated that e-cigarettes remain illegal in Taiwan and warned of health risks.
Tag: Taiwan
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Taiwan Island Rewarding Tourists for Cleaning Up Butts
Authorities on Taiwan’s Xiaoliuqiu island have launched a cigarette-butt cleanup incentive program aimed at promoting responsible tourism and reducing marine pollution, according to reports by CNA and other local media. The Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area Administration, working with Haiyong Studio, is encouraging visitors to collect discarded cigarette butts—often overlooked litter that can be washed into the ocean—by offering postcards and small rewards in exchange.
Officials said the initiative builds on earlier beach cleanups and targets cigarette filters specifically because their plastic fibers do not biodegrade and pose long-term environmental risks. Cleanup tools are available at three locations on the island, and the program also includes stamp-based rewards for completing additional eco-friendly activities, with organizers saying the effort is designed to engage families and raise awareness among smokers about the impact of improper disposal.
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Taiwan Allows Travelers HTPs Only if Bought Locally
Taiwan announced revised customs rules that will allow visitors to possess up to 200 heated tobacco product sticks from February 1, but only if the products are purchased in duty-free shops at Taiwan’s airports or outlying islands. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said the change reflects the fact that the only heated tobacco products currently approved for sale in Taiwan are not available overseas, meaning travelers cannot legally import foreign products even within the new allowance.
Lo Su-ying, head of the Tobacco Control Division at the Health Promotion Administration (HPA), said only two companies have approved heated tobacco products and component combinations in Taiwan. Health authorities warned that travelers attempting to bring in unapproved heated tobacco sticks bought abroad will still be in violation of the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act and face fines ranging from NT$50,000 to NT$5 million ($1,600 to $ 160,000). The HPA said it will step up public communication to ensure travelers understand the rules and avoid penalties.
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$3.2M Illicit Vape Ring Using Fishing Boats Busted in Taiwan
Prosecutors in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, indicted five suspects over a major tobacco smuggling operation uncovered in August, involving contraband cigarettes and heated tobacco products transported by fishing vessels. Authorities seized more than one million packages of undeclared tobacco products worth an estimated NT$100 million ($3.2 million), marking one of the largest busts in the city’s history.
The operation followed months of surveillance by a joint task force comprising police, coast guard personnel, and prosecutors, who tracked three fishing boats suspected of collecting illicit cargo from foreign vessels outside Taiwan’s territorial waters before docking at Singda Harbor.
All seized products were confiscated, and the suspects—three boat captains and two truck drivers—were indicted for violating the Tobacco and Alcohol Administration Act, prosecutors said.
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Taiwan Allows Display of Legal Heated-Tobacco Devices
Today (October 24), Taiwan’s Health Minister Shih Chung-liang said that licensed retailers may display legal heated tobacco devices to help consumers distinguish them from illegal products. The clarification follows earlier confusion from last week when the HPA incorrectly announced all displays were banned. Shih noted that the approved devices have passed safety and design reviews to avoid enticing youth, and retailers are allowed to use displays that show the brand and prices, but should not “promote” them. The ministry is also considering requiring warning labels on heating device packaging.
Taiwan legalized heated tobacco in March 2023, with the first batch of 14 products and four component devices approved for sale in October 2025.
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Taiwan Pulls Legal Heated Products on Day They are Launched
Taiwan’s first legally approved heated tobacco products were removed from stores on October 17, the same day they launched, after inspectors found packaging failed to comply with nicotine-content labeling regulations. Vice Minister Chuang Jen-hsiang said health risk assessments were prioritized during product reviews, and manufacturers were aware that all legal requirements, including accurate labeling, must be met.
Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang confirmed that the recall had been completed, and products can return to stores once packaging issues are corrected. Importers face fines of up to NT$5 million (US$163,400) for violations, while retailers may be fined up to NT$50,000. Heated tobacco products are regulated under the 2023 amendment to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act, which bans e-cigarettes while allowing approved heated tobacco following a thorough health risk assessment.
Since July 29, the Health Promotion Administration has approved 14 products from U.S. and Japanese companies.
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Taiwan FDA Developing Tests for 27 Additives for Flavorings
Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) is developing testing methods for 27 additives that will soon be banned from flavored nicotine products, Health Promotion Administration (HPA) Director-General Shen Ching-fen said last week. The move follows amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act, announced in March, which aim to strengthen oversight of tobacco ingredients and restrict products that appeal to young people. Shen said the FDA’s detection methods would apply to both traditional and electronic cigarettes once post-market regulatory systems are ready.
The HPA said 14 flavored cigarette products that previously received conditional approval would soon enter the market, while all others remain illegal.
To enforce the new rules, authorities have launched nationwide inspection campaigns with local health bureaus to monitor physical stores and online platforms. Inspections will target underage sales and illegal advertising, including social media promotions and “unboxing” videos. Shen said the decision to regulate by listed additives—rather than by flavor—was made to simplify testing procedures, with related regulations expected to be finalized and implemented next year.
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Taiwan Groups Accuse HPA of Undermining Tobacco Control
The Alliance of Banning Cigarettes Taiwan and parent groups accused the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) of undermining tobacco control by greenlighting 14 products recently without disclosing details on brands, devices, or flavor additives, despite Taiwan’s flavored tobacco ban.
Warning that illegal online ads for newly approved heated tobacco products threaten students’ health, parents cited dozens of websites and social media channels openly promoting flavors, fast delivery, and new models.
The HPA defended its approvals as based on risk assessments and promised stricter enforcement, including fines up to NT$25M ($766,000) for illegal online sales and penalties for retailers selling to underage patrons.
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Taiwan: 25% of Cigarettes Become Litter
About 25% of the cigarettes sold in Taiwan are improperly discarded, according to Environmental Management Administration Director-General Yen Hsu-ming, resulting in about 9 billion butts on the streets that could fall into gutters and flow into the ocean.
The government is looking to combat the environmental issue in numerous ways, including education, fining litterers, monitoring popular smoking points such as convenience stores, distributing 1,800 cigarette snuffers across the city, and launching a clean-up event named “Team Planet,” where 50,000 volunteers picked up litter from the streets.
Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming attended the event in Taipei’s Ximending shopping area, saying that maintaining clean streets, keeping cigarette butts of the ground, and preventing dengue fever are the three goals for this year to echo Earth Day.
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Taiwan Checks ID Checkers
An undercover survey in Taiwan showed that 26.9% of tobacco retailers did not check ID cards for buyers in school uniforms, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said. From May to November last year, the Consumers’ Foundation conducted its annual inspection by sending 20-year-old volunteers in high-school uniforms to buy cigarettes at 854 retailers across the nation.
Officials said that 38.6% of betel nut vendors, 26.9% of general stores, 23.4% of franchised supermarkets and hypermarkets, and 21.5% of franchised convenience stores failed to check buyer ID. From 2023, noncompliance decreased 4.6% for betel nut vendors, 5.7% for general stores, and 1.4% for franchised convenience stores, but increased 4.3% for supermarket and hypermarket franchises, they said.
The nation’s retailers were insufficiently vigilant in ensuring that clerks know and follow the law, foundation secretary-general Chen Ya-ping said. Although the noncompliance figures were down, 15% of the clerks interviewed reported not knowing that the smoking age had been raised to 20 years. High turnover in venues and inadequate employee training appeared to be the main cause of the failure to check IDs, she added.
Last year, retailers were fined a combined NT$1.15 million ($34,846) for 134 tobacco buyer ID citations, HPA Deputy Director-General Chia Shu-li said.