Market & legal data in the tobacco alternatives sector in Egypt

12th March 2025: Middle East: The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean published a post on 11th March on the social media platform X that called on smokers to quit smoking, highlighting that smoking might decrease life expectancy by ten years.
28th February 2025: Middle East: The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean posted that while smoking rates in the region are declining, there is still significant room for improvement. The WHO urged its Eastern Mediterranean Region member states to strengthen tobacco control measures, including smoking bans in public places, prominent health warnings, and enhanced support services for smoking cessation. Notably, the thread makes no reference to novel tobacco products such as e-cigarettes or heated tobacco products.
16th January 2025: Egypt: The Ministry of Health plans to establish a committee to ensure the enforcement of the Prevention of Smoking Law. This law prohibits smoking, vaping and heated tobacco use in government departments, educational facilities and clubs, and imposes fines of up to EGP20,000 ($400).
18th October 2024: Egypt: The Ministry of Health has issued a warning against electronic smoking, saying it increases the risk of heart attacks and lung infections within 24 hours of usage.
7th October 2024: Egypt: The Ministry of Health has released a series of warnings about the dangers of tobacco use, saying that the use of inhalable tobacco products and chewing tobacco can harm dental health. The ministry also highlighted that exposure to tobacco smoke poses severe risks to children, including childhood cancer, reduced physical growth, pneumonia, bronchitis, increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome, and chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma, ear infections, and decreased lung function.
27th August 2024: Egypt: The Customs Authority has released circular 47/2024, clarifying that the health insurance tax is paid to the Customs Authority for imported tobacco products and to the Large Tax Payer Center of the Tax Authority for local products. According to law 2/2018, a health insurance fee of 10% of the retail selling price is levied on heated tobacco.
19th February 2024: Egypt: Following the Ministry of Trade and Industry decision 503/2023, the Egyptian Organization for Standards and Quality (EOS) has published the Procedural and Financial Regulations for registering companies producing and importing hardware. Importers and producers of heated tobacco hardware are subject to a fee of EGP20,000 ($647) for file opening and EGP15,000 ($485) for trade name registration.
8th February 2024: Egypt: During a TV interview, Mahmoud Shalabi, secretary of fatwa at the Egyptian Fatwa House, addressed the religious perspective on heated tobacco and e-cigarettes, stating that individuals should refrain from using such products unless they are recommended as smoking-cessation tools. Fatwa House is a government body that offers religious rulings (fatwa), guidance and advice on matters of daily life.
30th January 2024: Egypt: In a TV interview, Ibrahim El Imbabi, head of the Tobacco Division at the Federation of Egyptian Industries, said that the division is considering obliging tobacco companies to notify the Consumer Protection Agency with a detailed monthly statement of their sales to each wholesaler, retailer and distributor, indicating the name, address and quantities sold. This would tighten control over the black market and prevent price manipulation by retailers.
8th January 2024: Egypt: The Ministry of Trade and Industry has issued decision 498/2023 and decision 503/2023, approving two standards proposed originally by the Egyptian Organization for Standards and Quality. The first sets retail restrictions for shops and premises selling, serving or storing heated tobacco products, and the second addresses safety requirements for devices. More information about the new standards can be found in our latest regulatory report on Egypt.
8th January 2024: Egypt: The Supreme Council of Universities has decided to ban the use of heated tobacco and e-cigarettes on university campuses, press reports. The ban means vaping and heated tobacco use will be prohibited in enclosed spaces, terraces, study halls, and bathrooms of public, private or technological universities. The penalty is EGP50 ($1.62) per violation.
20th November 2023: Egypt: Eastern Company, Egypt's largest tobacco producer and a former holder of a monopoly for the production of tobacco products in the country, announced it has completed the sale of a 30% stake of its shares to Global Investments Holding, a company based in the United Arab Emirates. The state-owned stake in Eastern Company is now 20% and belongs to the Holding Company for Chemical Industries.

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Alternative tobacco and nicotine products in Egypt

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