Australian Importation Law Update January 2024

Australian Importation Law Update January 2024

Australian Importation Law Update January 2024

Updated 19/02/2024.

In anticipation of Australia’s upcoming vape restrictions, taking effect from March 1st 2024, below you will find our available shipping services and their corresponding cutoff dates to ensure that your vape products are dispatched and arrive to you in-time before restrictions are enforced. 

Please note that the restrictions apply to all vape products; products intended for nicotine consumption, including vape kits, pods, or nicotine-vapes of any nature. The restrictions apply to nicotine-free vaping products, as well as alternative use vaping products and accessories.

 

NZ Post Tracked Economy

VAPELAB is no longer able to dispatch nicotine vaping products to Australia on our New Zealand Post Tracked Economy Shipping service. This service remains available for all dry herb vaping products. 

 

NZ Post Express / eParcel

We are currently still dispatching orders on our New Zealand Post / eParcel service. Our last dispatch date on this service will be Thursday 22 February. Please ensure your order is placed prior to 11.00 am NZDT to guarantee dispatch on this date. 

We cannot be confident that any orders dispatched after this date will be cleared through Australian customs prior to importation restrictions being enforced on March 1. 

 

DHL Express

DHL Express remains our faster freight option for all Australian customers. We will continue to dispatch all Australian orders with a valid nicotine prescription on this service until Friday 23 February. Please ensure your order is placed prior to 11.00 am NZDT on Friday to guarantee dispatch on this date.

If an order intended for Australia is placed after these cutoff dates, and contains restricted products, we will be in touch via email to advise and find a resolution.



VAPELAB would like to thank all of its Australian customers for their patronage over the years. We’ve been honoured to be Australia’s #1 choice for the importation of vape products, and hope that we’ll be able to recommence with providing smoke-free alternatives to our friends over the ditch some day in the future. 

Until then, our premium range of dry herb products will remain available to Australian customers past the above-mentioned cutoff dates. Our free shipping options extend to Australian customers for orders $60 and above; further shipping information can be found here.

Until next time,
VAPELAB

 

Originally Posted 01/01/2024.
VAPELAB shoppers hailing from Australia may have come across news that they will no-longer be able to import their favourite vape products from 1 January 2024. This is in accordance with the regulatory amendments made to Australia’s Customs and Therapeutic Goods Legislation, with some regulations set to take effect on 1 January and others set to come into effect from 1 March 2024. 

1 January 2024:
January's regulatory changes will see an all-out ban on the importation of disposable/single-use vape devices into Australia. This ban covers the importation of all disposable vape products, whether they contain nicotine or not. 

Australian law defines that a disposable/single-use vape product contains the following;

a) fully assembled with all the constituent components fixed permanently in place and that is not designed or intended to be disassembled; and

b) that:
(i)  is pre‑filled with a vape substance; or
(ii)  is designed or intended to be supplied pre‑filled with a vape substance; and
c) that is not designed or intended to be refilled.

Australian vapers are still able to purchase and import Pre-filled Vape Devices or Pre-filled Replacement Pods until March 1st, as these products do not fall under the disposable vape category outlined above.

1 March 2024
March’s regulatory changes will see all other nicotine vaping products banned for importation into Australia, including Vape Devices, Vape Accessories & Vaping substances. 

A Vape Device is defined as:

(a) a device (whether or not filled with a vape substance) that generates or releases, or is designed or intended to generate or release, using a heating element and by electronic means, an aerosol, vapour or mist for direct inhalation by its user; or

(b) a device to which paragraph (a) would apply were the device not incomplete, damaged, temporarily or permanently inoperable, or unfinished; or
(c) a device the presentation of which includes an express or implied representation that the device is a device of the kind referred to in paragraph (a) or (b).

A Vape Accessory is defined as:

(a) a cartridge, capsule, pod, vial, dropper bottle, drip bottle or other vessel:
             (i) that contains, or that is designed or intended to contain, a vape
                  substance; and
             (ii) whether or not integrated with other components of a vape; or

(b) a vessel the presentation of which includes an express or implied representation that the vessel is a vessel of the kind referred to in paragraph (a).

A Vape Substance is defined as:

(a) a liquid or other substance designed or intended for use in a vape; or

(b) nicotine in solution in any concentration, including in salt or base form; or

(c) a substance the presentation of which includes an express or implied representation that the substance is a substance of the kind referred to in paragraph (a).

 

Traveler's Exempt

International visitors are permitted to bring their personal vape products with them when visiting Australia, though these are limited to the following per person;

  • 2 devices
  • 20 replacement pods 
  • 200mL of e-liquid

 

If you intend to order nicotine vaping products before the March cutoff; we recommend doing this as soon as possible with either NZ Post's Express/eParcel service, or with DHL's Express service. Learn more about our available shipping services here.