The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has confirmed that, from 24 July 2026, “there is no longer a lawful pathway for consumers to buy or import nicotine pouches” into Australia. The rule change – published after midnight Canberra time – closes the remaining Personal Importation and Traveller Exemption schemes and empowers Australian Border Force officers to confiscate and destroy any nicotine pouches found in luggage, mail or cargo. Nicotine pouches, small flavoured sachets often marketed as smoke-free alternatives to cigarettes or vapes, have surged in popularity among international travellers. Until now, arriving passengers could bring a three-month personal supply with a medical prescription. The loophole fuelled a grey market that public-health advocates said was reaching students and temporary visa-holders. Under the new regime medical practitioners can no longer prescribe the product and pharmacies cannot dispense it. Importers and sponsors may only bring shipments into the country if the goods are first listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods, something no brand has yet achieved. Penalties for unlawful importation or advertising run to five years’ imprisonment or fines of up to AU$18.2 million for corporations. For global mobility managers the change introduces an additional compliance checkpoint: transferees, short-term business visitors and fly-in-fly-out workers must now ensure nicotine pouches are removed from hand luggage before departure to Australia. Employers have been advised to update pre-departure briefings and relocation handbooks immediately; customs declarations that fail to list restricted items can lead to visa delays or, in serious cases, refusal of entry. Travel-risk consultancies are circulating template communications to help HR teams alert staff. ABF spokesperson Superintendent Carla Nguyen said officers at Sydney, Melbourne and Perth international airports had already intercepted multiple courier parcels and passenger consignments this morning. “Travellers should be under no illusion – anything we detect will be seized and destroyed,” she said.
Source: Therapeutic Goods Administration
