Market & legal data in the tobacco alternatives sector in Saudi Arabia

19th March 2025: Saudi Arabia: Yesterday (18th March), the Saudi Council of Ministers decided to include the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority; the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO); the Public Health Authority; and the Coordinating Committee of Tobacco Products Protection Associations as members of the National Committee for Tobacco Control. Saudi Arabia established the National Committee for Tobacco Control in 2007 by virtue of council decision 5797/B, which is chaired by the minister of health, with the membership of representatives from nine government agencies, including the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education. The committee has several tasks, including drawing a comprehensive national strategy to raise awareness about combating smoking and address its effects. The inclusion of these agencies is indicative of the country’s commitment to tobacco control within a comprehensive framework that involves technical agencies and bodies in the committee. For instance, the inclusion of the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority would contribute to an increased oversight on tobacco imports, ensuring their compliance with regulations and specifications. The inclusion of the SASO might suggest that the organisation could impose strict standards and specifications for tobacco and nicotine products.
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.
18th February 2025: Gulf Cooperation Council: The Technical Committee for Tobacco Products of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Standardization Organization (GSO) has preliminarily approved a standard introducing flavour restrictions, additional requirements for devices and batteries, common health warnings, and standardised packaging regulations across all GCC countries – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – for both vaping and heated tobacco products (HTPs). The standard still requires final approval, and the text of the proposed regulation is currently unavailable. We are actively engaging with the relevant authorities to obtain more detailed information.
15th January 2025: Saudi Arabia: The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing has launched a public consultation, running until 28th January, on additional requirements for tobacco shops. The proposal aims to introduce new licensing requirements, architectural restrictions for the premises, security measures, product display limitations, and facility maintenance standards.
5th November 2024: Kuwait: The International Conference on Tobacco Control organised by the Ministry of Health has recommended that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries establish national observatories to monitor tobacco industry activities and align with the World Health Organization (WHO) standards on tobacco control. Additionally, the conference advocated for regulating novel emerging products in the region, such as nicotine pouches, and recommended increasing excise taxes on tobacco.
14th October 2024: Saudi Arabia: Turki Al-Sheikh, adviser at the Royal Court under the rank of minister and the chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, tweeted in support of the nicotine pouch product DZRT, describing it as a smoking cessation tool that promotes “a healthy future”.
29th August 2024: Saudi Arabia: The Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority has proposed amendments to decree 3839 (14/12/1438H) on the executive regulations of the value-added tax (VAT). Among them is a proposal that tobacco products, derivatives and substitutes are not considered goods eligible for tax refunds under any circumstance. The proposal will be under consideration until 17th September. Heated tobacco products are subject a 100% excise tax, a customs duty of 100%, and 15% VAT.
30th January 2024: Saudi Arabia: The Saudi Health Council, a Ministry of Health-affiliated institution, has issued a warning on social media against using tobacco products due to nicotine negatively affecting adolescent brain development.
14th August 2023: Saudi Arabia: On 11th August, the Ministry of Municipal Rural Affairs and Housing passed Decision No. 4400984351/2023 amending the regulation on Tobacco Licence Fees. The decision levies an additional tax for selling or serving tobacco products in hospitality premises at a rate of 100% of the retail selling price (for each unit) provided that the value of the fee is not less than SAR25 ($6.66) per unit. Each month, the premises must submit an account of its sales to its municipality, including the amount of the 100% fee in a separate item, and pay the fee within 15 days.
29th May 2023: Saudi Arabia: The country's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), has announced the establishment of a nicotine products company called Badeal. The company will support the country's Tobacco Endgame 2030 strategy, which aims to halve the current smoking rates, by developing and distributing tobacco-free nicotine products.
3rd May 2023: Saudi Arabia: The Ministry of Rural Affairs and Housing has introduced an initial draft through the public consultation platform on the requirements for offering tobacco and e-cigarettes on hospitality premises. The proposal prohibits signs advertising the use of tobacco and requires any premises selling tobacco to post a price list. It also requires health warning signs and a warning against providing tobacco to minors. The proposal will be under consideration until 10th May.

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