Belgium: smoking products can no longer be visible in shops from April 2025!

Announced a little over a year ago, the Belgian law banning the display of smoking products in shops is now in force. What does it change for tobacconists and for the shops concerned? Here is an overview.

No more prominent display of tobacco products

Belgium is tightening the rules around tobacco products. From 1 April 2025, newsagents, tobacconists and specialist shops are no longer allowed to display their smoking products where customers can see them. The reasoning behind the law is straightforward: to make tobacco less appealing and less easy to obtain, particularly for young people.

For the past year, the trade had benefited from a period of tolerance in order to comply and adapt to the new legal obligation. That period ended on 31 March, the day before the law took effect. Belgian retailers concerned must now do everything necessary to keep cigarettes, tobacco, rolling papers, cigars, e-cigarettes, filters and other items out of sight. They must no longer be visible in the window, in the shop itself or behind the counter.

Heavy penalties in prospect

Since 1 April, the government having judged the time allowed for compliance more than sufficient, no departure from the rules is tolerated. For those who fail to comply, the law is particularly severe, since it provides for prison sentences of between one month and one year. Businesses breaking the rules also face a fine of between 2,000 and 800,000 euros, according to the Belgian federal public health service (SPF Santé Publique).

Repeat offences are treated more harshly still, as the amount of the fine will systematically be higher. Belgian law enforcement has been instructed to remain uncompromising on this type of penalty. The prison sentences, on the other hand, are unlikely to be handed down in practice. They act more as a deterrent than as a genuine punishment for tobacconists and other businesses in the trade.