{
  "id": "legal/e-cigarette-total-ban",
  "signature": "AI treats vaping in India as legal or merely age-restricted",
  "signature_zh": "",
  "regex": "(india|indian).{0,40}(vap(e|ing)|e-?cigarette|juul|elf ?bar|nicotine pod)",
  "domain": "legal",
  "category": "legal_prohibition",
  "subcategory": null,
  "root_cause": "The Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2019 bans production, import, transport, sale, storage and advertisement of all e-cigarettes in India - including nicotine-free devices. Travellers' devices can be seized at customs and violations carry up to 1 year imprisonment for a first offence.",
  "root_cause_type": "generic",
  "root_cause_zh": "",
  "versions": [
    {
      "version": "any",
      "introduced": null,
      "deprecated": null,
      "removed": null,
      "behavior_change": null,
      "status": "active"
    }
  ],
  "os_specific": {},
  "dead_ends": [
    {
      "action": "Pack a vape or nicotine pods for a trip to India assuming personal use is tolerated",
      "why_fails": "Import and even storage are offences under the 2019 Act regardless of nicotine content; customs can seize devices and first-offence penalties reach 1 year imprisonment and/or a 100,000 INR fine.",
      "fail_rate": 0.6,
      "condition": "",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.indiacode.nic.in/handle/123456789/13078",
        "https://ntcp.mohfw.gov.in/assets/document/The-Prohibition-of-Electronic-Cigarettes-Production-Manufacture-Import-Export-Transport-Sale-Distribution-Storage-and-Advertisement)-Act-2019.pdf"
      ]
    },
    {
      "action": "Assume nicotine-free or 'herbal' devices are exempt",
      "why_fails": "The Act defines electronic cigarettes by the device and aerosol mechanism, not nicotine content, so zero-nicotine devices are equally banned.",
      "fail_rate": 0.55,
      "condition": "",
      "sources": [
        "https://www.indiacode.nic.in/handle/123456789/13078"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "workarounds": [
    {
      "action": "Leave all vaping devices at home; conventional cigarettes remain legal for adults",
      "success_rate": 0.9,
      "how": "Do not carry devices, pods, or e-liquid into India at all. Adult tobacco smoking is regulated (public smoking bans, 18+) but legal, and nicotine gum/patches are available in pharmacies as cessation aids.",
      "condition": "",
      "sources": [
        "https://ntcp.mohfw.gov.in/assets/document/The-Prohibition-of-Electronic-Cigarettes-Production-Manufacture-Import-Export-Transport-Sale-Distribution-Storage-and-Advertisement)-Act-2019.pdf"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "workarounds_zh": [],
  "transition_graph": {
    "leads_to": [],
    "preceded_by": [],
    "frequently_confused_with": []
  },
  "official_doc_url": null,
  "official_doc_section": null,
  "error_code": null,
  "verification_tier": "ai_generated",
  "confidence": 0.7,
  "fix_success_rate": 0.5,
  "resolvable": "partial",
  "first_seen": "2026-07-02",
  "last_confirmed": "2026-07-02",
  "last_updated": "2026-07-02",
  "evidence_count": 4,
  "tags": [],
  "locale": "en",
  "aliases": [
    "legal/e-cigarette-total-ban/in"
  ]
}