Taiwan Warns Visitors of Fines for HnB Products

Individuals visiting Taiwan who bring heated tobacco products into the country could be subject to a maximum fine of NT$5 million ($161,186), the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) warned Tuesday.

The fine will be imposed whether the products are brought in for the traveler’s own recreational use or were bought on behalf of somebody else, the HPA said in a statement.

Under a revision of the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act that took effect in March, new tobacco products, such as heat-not-burn (HnB) or heated tobacco products (HTPs), and the components necessary for their use, are banned in Taiwan unless they have been approved after a health risk assessment by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW), according to Focus Taiwan.

Only if they are approved can they be manufactured or imported, the HPA said. To date, no HTP has been approved by the MOHW, according to the health promotion body.

Liu Chia-hsiu, an official with the HPA’s Tobacco Control Division, said the manufacture, import, sale, supply, display, advertising and use of designated tobacco products that have not been approved could be subject to a fine of up to NT$50 million.

The fine for bringing heated tobacco products into the country is between NT$50,000 and NT$5 million, Liu said, while the penalty for those caught using them is NT$2,000 to NT$10,000.

While vaping products are banned, lawmakers said HnB products would be regulated.