Nicotine Pouches in Italy: 2026 Rules, 16.6 mg Limit and Distance Selling

Italy set specific rules for nicotine pouches in its 2026 budget law (Legge 30 dicembre 2025, n. 199). The law caps nicotine at 16.6 mg per pouch, bans sales to people under 18 and bans distance selling, including cross-border distance selling, to consumers in Italy. This guide summarises those rules and explains what they mean for online orders.

Legal Status and Regulation in Italy

The nicotine products covered by Article 62-quater.1 of the Italian excise code are taxed and supervised by the Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM). The 2026 budget law (Legge 30 dicembre 2025, n. 199, Article 1) added these rules:

• Paragraph 121: products may only be sold with child-resistant, tamper-evident closures (ISO 8317) and if the nicotine content per pouch does not exceed 16.6 mg.
• Paragraph 120: packs must show ingredients, the nicotine dose per pouch, usage warnings and set health warnings.
• Paragraph 122: sale to people under 18 is banned.
• Paragraph 119: a new paragraph 13-bis.1 of Article 62-quater.1 bans distance selling, including cross-border distance selling, of these products to consumers buying in Italy.

Snus and other tobacco for oral use remain banned under EU tobacco law.

This section summarises the official texts linked above as of November 2026. Rules change, so check the linked source for the current wording.

Nicotine Strength and Product Standards

The Italian limit is 16.6 mg of nicotine per pouch. JetSnus product pages list nicotine in mg/g and, where the supplier gives it, in mg per pouch. Our mg per pouch vs mg/g guide explains the difference between the two numbers.

Online Orders and Distance Selling

Paragraph 119 of the 2026 budget law adds paragraph 13-bis.1 to Article 62-quater.1 of the excise code. It bans distance selling, including cross-border distance selling, of these products to consumers buying in Italy. That covers online orders from sellers in other EU countries as well as from Italian sellers. The full text is in Legge 30 dicembre 2025, n. 199.

Brands in the Italian Market

Internationally recognised brands with broad distribution, including Velo and ZYN, have a presence in the Italian market. Central and Eastern European brands such as Pablo, Killa, Cuba and Iceberg are also known in the category, but many of their products list nicotine in mg/g, and the Italian limit is set per pouch.

Mint, citrus and fruit flavours such as mint, mango, watermelon and cherry are common across brands.