Brit Warns Tourists Over Thailand Vape Fines

5 hours ago, baansgr said:

All that smoking vape caused her to need new teeth...another dimwit influencer grifting

She's 'thrilled' about a new set of teeth at her age. What a hideous thought. I'm absolutely thrilled that I've still got my first adult set and in reasonable shape for a 70 year old.

7 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

They let you in.

And, I will never leave.

Two reasons.

1. Protect Govt. tobacco monopoly.

2. Income stream from enforcement instead of concentrating on reducing road collision deaths.

I know Thia security guy that vapes about once an hour or two or three Royal Police come by and ask him do they ever say anything and he said yeah one time they told me just not to do it in front of them but there’s no 40,000 fine or anything like TIT

More examples of pure bull<deleted> fines. You think that at the border entry that customs would request before they do a bag search they state are you carrying vapes for personal use and if so you do not get a massive fine if you declare it now to me.

It's not like it's a life threatening product. What a cotton ball world we live in.

Thank God I was a born in the Baby-boomer era.

5 hours ago, khunjeff said:

And she kept doing it after the first time the police told her to stop?

I guess she didn't notice the police station right behind her the first time...

Kamala Police Station has an ocean view, if I recall correctly.

2 hours ago, Blueman1 said:

he eventually paid a 40,000 Thai Baht fine instead”...It's what is Known as " A Shakedown " Must've been a MUG To pay it IMHO !!

2 hours ago, Blueman1 said:

he eventually paid a 40,000 Thai Baht fine instead”...It's what is Known as " A Shakedown " Must've been a MUG To pay it IMHO !!

2 hours ago, Blueman1 said:

he eventually paid a 40,000 Thai Baht fine instead”...It's what is Known as " A Shakedown " Must've been a MUG To pay it IMHO !!

I guess he didn’t want a night in the monkey house, what with 3 kids and a wife waiting outside

Targeting tourists for substantial tea money. Ridiculous law with equally ridiculous fines.

2 hours ago, klaikangwon said:

"on the spot fine" sometimes used by policy to speed release of accused... it not "court fine" and "spot" may be anywhere but... it can help speed the release...

Thats an interesting way of describing a bribe.

So , say, a taxi driver assaults youand he gets a 1,000 Baht fine. Seem fair?

BTW why the hysterics from the Thais on vaping and e-cigs?

he eventually paid a 40,000 Thai Baht fine instead”...It's what is Known as " A Shakedown " Must've been a MUG To pay it IMHO !!

They could have sentenced him (them, actually) to a year or more in a Thai prison. If anyone has a choice between a $1,200 (+/-) USD fine and even the risk of a year in a Thai prison, only a MUG would cheap that one out. A year of fish head soup and sleeping on concrete is a long time to regret being cheap.

And I don't know about you, but I'd be smiling and very polite and apologetic paying the fine. Then chalk it up to a learning lump, as they apparently have. And wisely. As I said above. Good cautionary tale.

13 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

Targeting tourists for substantial tea money. Ridiculous law with equally ridiculous fines.

Indeed - there seems to be an awful lot of schadenfreude in this thread.

Given the realities of life here - dangerous roads, reckless driving, daily accidents all primarily due to poor and ineffective policing - vaping is an insignificant issue in the grand scheme of things.

And yes, personally, I don’t believe smoking or vaping should be permitted freely in public spaces. Laws are laws, and people should follow them. But the severity of these vaping fines, and the amounts being demanded, are completely disproportionate.

A father gets hit with a 40,000 baht “fine” (yep we know it was a bribe) for vaping on a beach, right alongside a jet-ski scammer, numerous unlicensed bars, unlicessnced tuk-tuk drivers and win riders ripping off tourists on a daily basis.

What shocks isn’t just the fine itself - it’s the blatant disparity in how tourists are being targeted, particularly in places like Patong and Pattaya. The police are constantly chasing the low-hanging fruit: motorcyclists, tourists, anyone likely to pay quickly and quietly. And let’s be honest - how many of these are legitimate fines, and how many are simply tea money disappearing into someone’s pocket?

Let’s stop pretending otherwise. We all know what this was really about.

1 hour ago, BusyB said:

She's 'thrilled' about a new set of teeth at her age. What a hideous thought. I'm absolutely thrilled that I've still got my first adult set and in reasonable shape for a 70 year old.

I'm 81 yo I still have all my teeth except for my upper front ones, which were knocked around playing sports. There was no such thing as mouth guards 60 years ago.

We wouldn't want to disturb the government monopoly on tobacco products, would we?

30 minutes ago, Rams86 said:

I'm 81 yo I still have all my teeth except for my upper front ones, which were knocked around playing sports. There was no such thing as mouth guards 60 years ago.

Hope the dentists did a good job on you.

A good dentist is worth their weight in gold.

3 hours ago, NedR69 said:

It’s illegal here, but why do Thai authorities have such a hard on for vapes? I don’t use or know anyone that uses vapes, but what is the big deal for not wanting them here?

It is the amount of vapour released from vapes. As you know the cloud is massive from one hit. In tightly packed cities like Bangkok, when sometimes you can be shoulder to shoulder people walking down a sidewalk the last thing you need is a big waft of vapour hitting everyone - and this is what was happening.

Irony being if you go to Phuket or Pattaya you have trash tourists openly smoking marijuana, even around families visibly upset near children.

Further irony is that the public red busses are still operating in Bangkok blowing dangerous black emissions out onto the public that is a literal killer.

14 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

A British tourist has warned travellers heading to Thailand not to pack vapes in their luggage after her partner was fined 40,000 Thai Baht, during a family holiday. Sara shared her experience on TikTok after she and her partner were stopped twice by Thai police within three days for using electronic cigarettes on a beach.

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Thailand welcomed more than 1 million British visitors in 2025 for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, with many tourists drawn by the country’s warm climate, street food and beaches. However, Thai law bans all e-cigarettes and vaping products, including nicotine-free devices, and authorities can impose heavy penalties on those caught possessing or using them.

Sara said police approached the couple while they were vaping on sunbeds at the beach. She claimed officers confiscated the devices, they had brought with them for the holiday and ordered them to accompany police for questioning.

She said: “I’m in Thailand, and in the past three days, I’ve had two run-ins with the police. If you’re thinking about vaping in Thailand, just don’t do it. It’s not worth it. We didn’t realise how strict it was on vaping out here.”

According to Sara, her partner was taken to a police station while she remained outside with their three children. She alleged officers intended to hold him overnight before taking him to court the next morning, but he eventually paid a 40,000 Thai Baht fine instead.

Thailand has outlawed all e-cigarettes since 2014. The ban covers refillable pod kits, disposable vapes, e-liquids, heated tobacco products and accessories, with no exemption for tourists or personal use.

Authorities can impose fines of up to 30,000 Thai Baht and prison sentences of up to one year for possession or use. Selling or dealing in vaping products carries penalties of up to 600,000 Thai Baht and prison terms of up to three years.

Importing vaping products into Thailand can result in fines worth up to four times the value of the goods in addition to a 30,000 Thai Baht penalty. Offenders could also face prison sentences of up to 10 years.

The Daily Mirror reported that the warning comes as increasing numbers of British tourists prepare for summer holidays abroad. Thai authorities have repeatedly enforced vaping laws against both residents and visitors, with confiscation, fines and arrests possible even for first-time offenders.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now Mirror 13 May 2026

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so she ran into the police TWICE... second time fined....haha...serves her well... stupid is as stupid does...

9 hours ago, emptypockets said:

They let you in.

Exactly , som nom nar retards after being told twice , stay back in the uk in ya council house . Most prop paid for on benifits

Nobody should be smoking that poison.

Ban it worldwide.

17 hours ago, Legal Lifeline said:

If idiots were banned a lot of Brits would have to go to Benidorm

Yes, we would get more from Oz were it not for Bali!

18 hours ago, NedR69 said:

It’s illegal here, but why do Thai authorities have such a hard on for vapes? I don’t use or know anyone that uses vapes, but what is the big deal for not wanting them here?

Something to do with Tax,

19 hours ago, impulse said:

They could have sentenced him (them, actually) to a year or more in a Thai prison. If anyone has a choice between a $1,200 (+/-) USD fine and even the risk of a year in a Thai prison, only a MUG would cheap that one out. A year of fish head soup and sleeping on concrete is a long time to regret being cheap.

And I don't know about you, but I'd be smiling and very polite and apologetic paying the fine. Then chalk it up to a learning lump, as they apparently have. And wisely. As I said above. Good cautionary tale.

Police cannot sentence people.

They can begin long process to maybe result in sentence from court in months etc. This not good or interesting for them. And court fine usually not maximum allowed, unless crime also unsual and very bad.

So discount on formal maximum fine should be large.

I guess he didn’t want a night in the monkey house, what with 3 kids and a wife waiting outside

Nor risk spending several months with their passports being held, pending a trial.

Would it happen? I have no clue. But I'd pay $1200 before I'd risk it. And be polite and contrite.

On 5/12/2026 at 11:14 PM, Georgealbert said:

A British tourist has warned travellers heading to Thailand not to pack vapes in their luggage after her partner was fined 40,000 Thai Baht, during a family holiday. Sara shared her experience on TikTok after she and her partner were stopped twice by Thai police within three days for using electronic cigarettes on a beach.

Get today's headlines by email

Thailand welcomed more than 1 million British visitors in 2025 for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, with many tourists drawn by the country’s warm climate, street food and beaches. However, Thai law bans all e-cigarettes and vaping products, including nicotine-free devices, and authorities can impose heavy penalties on those caught possessing or using them.

Sara said police approached the couple while they were vaping on sunbeds at the beach. She claimed officers confiscated the devices, they had brought with them for the holiday and ordered them to accompany police for questioning.

She said: “I’m in Thailand, and in the past three days, I’ve had two run-ins with the police. If you’re thinking about vaping in Thailand, just don’t do it. It’s not worth it. We didn’t realise how strict it was on vaping out here.”

According to Sara, her partner was taken to a police station while she remained outside with their three children. She alleged officers intended to hold him overnight before taking him to court the next morning, but he eventually paid a 40,000 Thai Baht fine instead.

Thailand has outlawed all e-cigarettes since 2014. The ban covers refillable pod kits, disposable vapes, e-liquids, heated tobacco products and accessories, with no exemption for tourists or personal use.

Authorities can impose fines of up to 30,000 Thai Baht and prison sentences of up to one year for possession or use. Selling or dealing in vaping products carries penalties of up to 600,000 Thai Baht and prison terms of up to three years.

Importing vaping products into Thailand can result in fines worth up to four times the value of the goods in addition to a 30,000 Thai Baht penalty. Offenders could also face prison sentences of up to 10 years.

The Daily Mirror reported that the warning comes as increasing numbers of British tourists prepare for summer holidays abroad. Thai authorities have repeatedly enforced vaping laws against both residents and visitors, with confiscation, fines and arrests possible even for first-time offenders.

Join the discussion?

Already a member?

Adapted by ASEAN Now Mirror 13 May 2026

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I've been stopped with my girlfriend and a mate travelling in a taxi and searched for vapes non of us even vape or smoke, you have to be very careful as the policeman just put his hands in my pockets without warning, where he should've asked me to empty them first, my girlfriend had no pockets and said what you want my nickers he also searched the back of the taxi twice with a torch, we had no idea what was going on until we were told later that they search for vapes.

1 hour ago, Tim Othy said:

I've been stopped with my girlfriend and a mate travelling in a taxi and searched for vapes non of us even vape or smoke, you have to be very careful as the policeman just put his hands in my pockets without warning, where he should've asked me to empty them first, my girlfriend had no pockets and said what you want my nickers he also searched the back of the taxi twice with a torch, we had no idea what was going on until we were told later that they search for vapes.

Many years ago when I lived in Bangkok, I lived in Sukhumvit Soi 2, around Tonglor the police were famous for stopping and searching Farang walking along the road at night, He tried to put his hands in my pocket, hey <deleted> off, lets go to the police station and you can search me there, they declined, I used to hear lots of stories were they would stop taxi's at night and drag Farangs out to search them.

To all Farangs, stop being a Dick and Behave yourselves,

On 5/13/2026 at 8:38 AM, Rams86 said:

I gave up smoking cigarettes going on 50 years ago, so I don't care what any one smokes as long as it's not in a confined area.The way the government carries on you would think that vaping and weed are bad for your health but smoking cigarettes is ok or is that a " smoke " screen to protect the tobacco industry that has a fair say in politics all around the World,

They're just protecting the monopoly at the same time discouraging smoking in general.

Smoking is bad for health... tobacco, vapes, weed whatever.

On 5/13/2026 at 6:46 PM, BusyB said:

Hope the dentists did a good job on you.

A good dentist is worth their weight in gold.

And dentists her in Oz charge that weight in gold times four fold. That's why we go to Thailand in many cases for dental repairs.

On 5/14/2026 at 10:35 AM, ChipButty said:

Many years ago when I lived in Bangkok, I lived in Sukhumvit Soi 2, around Tonglor the police were famous for stopping and searching Farang walking along the road at night, He tried to put his hands in my pocket, hey <deleted> off, lets go to the police station and you can search me there, they declined, I used to hear lots of stories were they would stop taxi's at night and drag Farangs out to search them.

Thong Lor was notorious. Gone quiet since Covid I think.