Unit packets of products referred to in the Tobacco Act
The Tobacco Act strictly regulates the labelling of the unit packets of products subject to the Tobacco Act. With municipalities, Valvira monitors the compliance of the labelling of the unit packets of products subject to the Tobacco Act on the market with the law.
Tobacco products, electronic cigarettes, refill containers, herbal products for smoking, nicotine-containing liquids, nicotine-free liquids intended for vaporisation and smokeless nicotine products may be sold and otherwise supplied to consumers only in unit packets that comply with the Tobacco Act and the provisions issued based on it, as well as with relevant EU legislation.
Cigars may be handed over loose if they are accompanied by health warnings and warning pictures required by the Tobacco Act.
According to the Tobacco Act, the health warning labels of unit packets must be drawn up in Finnish and Swedish, with the exception of products sold on board a vessel or aircraft in professional international traffic or in a tax-free shop at an airport.
Further information about and instructions for the labelling of unit packets can be found at the end of this page.
Tobacco products
The minimum size of a unit packet of a tobacco product is:
- 20 cigarettes
- 30 grams of roll-your-own or pipe tobacco, or
- 10 cigarillos
Except for cigars, tobacco products may not be sold or otherwise supplied to consumers in unit packets that contain smaller packets, or that can be divided into smaller packets.
Sizes of electronic cigarettes and refill containers
The maximum volume of the electronic cigarette tank and disposable nicotine cartridge is 2 millilitres.
The volume of the refill container containing nicotine-containing liquid, for example, the refill bottle, may not exceed 10 ml.
Smokeless nicotine products
The minimum size of a unit packet of a smokeless nicotine product is:
- 20 units or
- 30 grams of loose product
A unit of dose refers to, for example, a pouch or a pouch resembling chewing tobacco, in which a single dose intended for use by the consumer is already in the package.
Smokeless nicotine products may not be sold or otherwise handed over to consumers in retail packages that contain smaller packages or that can be divided into smaller packages.
Due to the transitional provisions of the amendment to the Tobacco Act, the requirements concerning the package size of retail packages will be applied as of 1 February 2026.
Frequently asked questions about unit packets
Waterpipe tobacco is a tobacco product that is subject to regulation on the unit packet of tobacco products. Tobacco product packets must include warning texts in Finnish and Swedish about the health hazards caused by tobacco products. In addition, the packet must contain warning pictures on the health hazards caused by tobacco products, a notice text on the harmfulness of tobacco smoke and information about giving up smoking in Finnish and Swedish.
Yes, it does. As part of the self-monitoring of sales, the retailer and wholesaler must ensure that the unit packets of the products comply with the requirements laid down in the Tobacco Act.
Valvira has prepared a “unit packet” checklist to support the self-monitoring of retail businesses, which contains indicative illustrations of unit packets. The checklist can be found at the end of this page under Files.