If you have landed on this page, you may be in a similar position to me when I first started vaping. I was happy to have discovered a viable way to quit smoking, but the 0% nicotine e-liquid available in my local store didn’t fully satisfy my cravings.
I knew other vapers were buying nicotine juice from overseas but was it legal? And could it be a reliable way to prevent relapse into smoking?.
Here’s what I learned about importing nicotine liquid into Australia…
Is It Legal To Import Nicotine Into Australia?
Yes. According to Australian law, it is legal to use, purchase, or possess liquid nicotine if you have a valid prescription.
This means that a medical practitioner needs to say there is a medical reason that you should use liquid nicotine instead of more traditional therapy for quitting smoking.
This is because nicotine is classified as a Schedule 7 substance. Under Australian law, poisons and medicines are given a designation, or Schedule, based on the Poisons Standard‘s classification.
The classification of nicotine as a Schedule 7 dictates that it is a substance that constitutes a “dangerous poison,” such as strychnine and arsenic.
There are exceptions to the classification of nicotine as Schedule 7 medicine, such as nicotine addiction recovery products (patches, gums & sprays) for medicinal purposes and the nicotine in some smoking tobacco.
However, liquid nicotine is also exempt (schedule 4) if a prescription is issued to help patients reduce their reliance on tobacco or quit smoking altogether.
When you have a valid prescription for liquid nicotine, importing the Schedule 7 substance is legal under the Therapeutic Good Administration (TGA) Personal Importation Scheme. Under this law, importing up to three months’ supply worth of liquid nicotine is permitted.
The Department of Health’s website states it is –
“lawful for people to import nicotine for use in e-cigarettes with a prescription for up to three months of personal therapeutic use under the TGA’s Personal Importation Scheme (PIS). Under this scheme an importer must hold a prescription from a registered Australian medical practitioner”
http://www.health.gov.au
Upcoming Nicotine E-Liquid Importation Ban
From 1 October 2021, Australia will prohibit the sale and import of nicotine e-cigarettes without a valid doctor’s prescription. These changes reinforce the need to have a doctor’s prescription before purchasing such products.
The government has for some time wanted to make the regulations covering the importation of nicotine vaping products consistent with current state and territory laws. The federal parliament has passed a law prohibiting the sale of nicotine e-liquid anywhere in Australia without a doctor’s prescription.
If you have a valid prescription from your doctor for nicotine, you can import nicotine liquid and nicotine vape juice through the TGA’s Personal Importation Scheme.
When importing nicotine products, you will need to have the overseas vape store include a copy of your prescription. Many stores, such as Caktus Vape, are preparing for this and will allow customers to securely upload their prescription once and have it automatically included in future shipments.
Stores will still ship items without a prescription. Still, we highly recommend having it included, as Australian Border Force (ABF) officials have the right to stop items if a prescription does not accompany them. If you import a prescription medicine without legal authority, the import can be forfeited or destroyed.
In a more welcome change in October 2021, child-resistant closures for nicotine vaping products will become mandatory to reduce the risk to children of accidental ingestion.
Related Articles
What Is A Three-Month Supply Of E-Liquid Nicotine?
The amount of nicotine liquid necessary to last for three months will depend on the type of liquid.
What Types Of E-Liquid Are There?
Nicotine liquids are classified by their concentration, ranging from 3 mg/ml to 24 mg/ml (milligrams per millilitre).
While many users begin with a concentration of between 6 to 18 mg/ml, heavy smokers may be better served by the maximum concentration of 24 mg/ml.
A properly licensed doctor can prescribe a three-month supply plus three repeats.
Once you have an e-liquid prescription, there are different varieties to choose from.
Ready To Vape E-Liquids
One type of nicotine liquid to choose from is “pre-mixed.” This variety is ready to be used, with the nicotine combined with vegetable glycerine, propylene glycol, and any added flavouring.
Typical use is 3-5ml daily, although some vapers use a lot more.
If a person uses 5 ml per day of premixed vape liquid with a concentration of 12 mg/ml, the prescription for a three-month supply would be 500 ml of premixed 12 mg/ml vape liquid.
*Note: Pre-mixed E-juice is usually sold in the following range of strengths:
- 3mg (low)
- 6mg (medium-low)
- 12mg (medium)
- 18mg (medium-high)
- 24mg (high)
Some companies represent this as a per cent per solution. For example, 1.2% instead of 12mg/ml. The amounts are the same, just displayed differently.
Mix Your Own E-Liquids
Another way a patient may consume liquid nicotine is through a “mix your own” method.
In these cases, the individual will have undiluted nicotine liquid imported, which is then mixed with non-nicotine e-liquid that can be easily purchased locally in Australia.
If a person uses 5 ml per day of liquid, mixed to an ultimate concentration of about 12mg/ml, then the three-month supply for the prescription would be 20 ml of liquid nicotine at a concentration of 100mg/ml.
*NOTE: Making your own e-liquids an advanced process. Read our full nicotine mixing guide here
Pre-Filled Pods & Cartridges
In instances where the individual uses pre-filled cartridges or pods containing premixed nicotine liquid, the prescription will stipulate the concentration of the nicotine and the number of days.
For example, for an individual who requires a concentration of 12mg/ml liquid nicotine a day, divided into four doses a day, one pod would be needed for three days.
That is ten pods for a month (at 120mg/ml) per month and would require 30 pods for three months (at 360 mg/ml)
Where To Source Nicotine E-Liquids
Patients can order e-liquid from overseas websites in the US, UK, or NZ when looking where to source nicotine under the TGA Personal Importation Scheme.
Up to three months’ supply of nicotine at a time can be imported for a therapeutic purpose, such as smoking cessation.
The nicotine prescription is retained by the user in case authorities request it.
Alternatively, they can purchase liquid nicotine from an authorised Australian compounding pharmacy, such as Nicopharm. This is made possible through the “compounding exemption” in item 6 of Schedule 5 of the Australian Therapeutic Goods Regulations.
Our No.1 Recommended Store For E-Liquids
“Caktus Vape is my go-to store. Friendly, helpful and well-priced”
Jim Lawson, Editor
Nicotine E-Liquid Prescriptions
Australian doctors only can prescribe liquid nicotine under particular circumstances. For example, a doctor can prescribe for liquid nicotine to help a person quit smoking.
This is because there is enough scientific evidence to convince legislators that vaping can help people quit smoking cigarettes, even when other methods of quitting have not been successful.
Where there is a therapeutic benefit for the patient, doctors can prescribe a three-month supply of liquid nicotine, as long as the doctor fulfils their responsibility to inform the individual who will receive the prescription of the risks associated with the use of liquid nicotine.
There are some safe practices if you have a nicotine e-liquid prescription, including In instances like this, the prescription must be written by a registered Australian doctor.
You should also keep the hard copy in a safe place, such as a locked file cabinet.
Lastly, you should take a photo of the prescription and save it to your cell phone’s memory.
Here is a list of doctors currently issuing prescriptions – Link. Also, see our guide on how to get a nicotine prescription here.
How Does The Department Of Health View E-Cigarettes?
The Australian Department of Health has issued guidelines for liquid nicotine through the Ministerial Drug and Alcohol Forum.
This Forum is comprised of territory, state, and Commonwealth Ministers. The Department of Health’s official stance is that it does not consider e-cigarettes free from detrimental effects.
The Forum relied on the scheduling legislation provided by the TGA, which classified liquid nicotine as a Schedule 7 substance.
Nevertheless, the Department of Health acknowledges the positive effect of liquid nicotine, which is preferable to smoking traditional cigarettes.
As a result, while the sale of liquid nicotine without a prescription is not permitted due to the associated health risks, the Department of Health approves using liquid nicotine for therapeutic purposes when properly prescribed for addiction to smoking cigarettes or other nicotine-containing products.
Read the Australian Government’s position on e-cigarettes document here.
Importation Misinformation
Do your own research. Protect your rights. Queensland Health admitted that it once held that importing liquid nicotine into Queensland was illegal even when citizens had a right to do so.
Queensland Health incorrectly stated that the state law (HDPR 1966) superseded the Commonwealth legislation TGA Personal Importation Scheme.
Other examples of misinformation (Link & Link) and intimidation tactics include threats issued by Queensland Health to doctors, intimidation from Queensland Police toward those who used liquid nicotine for therapeutic purposes, and on one occasion in 2016, the cancellation of a meeting related to vaping.
The consequences of these false claims regarding the legality of vaping and liquid nicotine can be quite serious.
In some instances, a person who has had their therapeutic liquid nicotine supply confiscated may start smoking tobacco again despite any risks to their health, including death.
Despite the claims previously made by Queensland Health, the TGA Personal Importation Scheme applies to every territory and state in Australia and always has.
Dr Colin Mendelsohn, chairman of the Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association, received further clarification from the Tasmanian Department of Health, posted on Twitter.
Can Tourists Bring Nicotine E-Liquid To Australia?
A tourist can bring nicotine e-liquid into Australia under the TGA’s Traveller exemption policy.
Under the exemption, tourists need to hold a valid prescription from a doctor in their home country.
Tourists have no restrictions regarding bringing a vape device into the country.
Thus, when a tourist arrives in Australia, it is only necessary to follow airline regulations regarding the transportation of the device, batteries, and vape tools.
When going through customs, it will be necessary to complete the “incoming passenger card” you are given, on which you must declare any tobacco, food, or nicotine e-liquid you may have on your person. A tourist doesn’t need to cite their vaping device.
However, immigration officers are familiar with these devices and should recognise them immediately.
When vaping in Australia, it is best to only use your device in areas you might otherwise consider smoking appropriate. In other words, you might want to step outside to vape, and you wouldn’t want to vape on school property or the like.
Since many laws consider vaping analogous to smoking when it comes to smoke-free areas, you’ll want to be careful where you vape.
As a Schedule 7 substance, liquid nicotine is illegal in Australia.
However, under the TGA Personal Importation Scheme, people in Australia are permitted to import a three-month supply of liquid nicotine when they have a prescription from a registered medical practitioner (the prescription makes it a Schedule 4 medicine).
A doctor may prescribe liquid nicotine for therapeutic purposes, such as smoking cessation or not returning to smoking.
While the Australian Department of Health recognises that liquid nicotine may not be harmless, it nevertheless realises that vaping is less harmful than smoking and is a good public health policy.
In the past, misinformation in certain areas claimed that liquid nicotine was still illegal, but these claims were false. Under the TGA Personal Importation Scheme, every citizen in Australia can import nicotine liquid into Australia if they have a proper prescription.
Tourists can also bring their vaping equipment and supplies when visiting Australia.
Read our complete guide on – Flying to Australia with Vape Gear & Nicotine E-Liquids.
