Vapes on Planes and When Travelling in Canada

Airlines and airport security do not agree on everything, but the national rules cover most of what a traveller needs. They come from two places: Transport Canada, which sets the safety rule for the aircraft, and the screening authority, which tells you how to pack for the checkpoint. Your airline can add stricter rules of its own, so look at its page too.

Pack it in your carry-on

Transport Canada’s safety advisory puts it in one sentence: e-cigarettes must be carried in the cabin, where an incident can be dealt with immediately, and not in checked baggage. The concern is fire risk in the hold.

Two more points come from the same advisory.

• Spare batteries. They are allowed, but they too must stay in carry-on baggage.
• No charging on board. E-cigarettes and their batteries must not be recharged on the aircraft.

The advisory page shows a last-modified date of 25 February 2026.

Liquids and screening

The screening authority’s entry for e-cigarettes shows carry-on as permitted, marked for liquids of 100 ml or less, and shows “check with carrier” for checked baggage. Liquid to refill an electronic cigarette is permitted in quantities of 100 ml (3.4 oz.) or less. Devices do not need to be removed from cases or bags to be screened.

For batteries, the screening authority’s guidelines say spare lithium batteries rated 100 Wh or less may go in carry-on, and in checked baggage only with air carrier approval. It also says to consult your airline, because not every carrier allows lithium batteries in checked luggage even when they sit inside a device.

Using a vape on board

Don’t. The federal Non-smokers’ Health Act defines “smoke” to include vaping with a vaping product, and the Act applies to certain Canadian-operated aircraft, trains, motor vehicles and vessels. A person who smokes in contravention of section 4(1) or section 5(3) can be fined up to $50 for a first offence and up to $100 for a later one. The workplace and transport context for the Act is in federal smoking and vaping laws.

Coming back to Canada

Travellers who are 18 or older can bring in stamped vaping products within the personal exemption if they have been away from Canada for 48 hours or more. The Canada Border Services Agency sets the limit at 120 mL of liquid or 120 grams of solid, using any combination of not more than 12 vaping devices and immediate containers. Packages must carry the “duty paid Canada” stamp. Anything over the exemption is subject to regular duty and taxes, stamped or not.

The cigarette and tobacco allowance, and how duty is calculated, is in how much tobacco you can bring into Canada. Visitors arriving from abroad should read bringing cigarettes and vapes across the border.

Within Canada

Provincial vaping laws still apply once you land, including where you can vape and who can buy. The minimum ages are in legal vaping age by province, and the rules on buses and taxis are in smoking and vaping on public transit.