Madrid, July 22, 2026 — Spain has taken a major step toward broadening its national restrictions on smoking and vaping after the Council of Ministers approved a tobacco bill on July 21, 2026, and sent it to the Cortes Generales for parliamentary processing. The proposal would update Law 28/2005 and mark one of the most significant changes to spain smoking laws in more than a decade, according to Spain’s Ministry of Health.

The bill would extend the spain smoking ban to more outdoor and shared public areas, including bar and restaurant terraces, beaches, collective-use swimming pools, sports facilities, national parks, outdoor public events, and certain work vehicles. It would also apply many of the same restrictions to e-cigarettes and other tobacco-related products, meaning vaping would be treated like smoking in places covered by the ban.

What the proposed smoking ban in Spain would cover

If approved by parliament, the reform would make smoking and vaping off-limits in a wider list of public and semi-public spaces. Health officials say the measure is designed to protect public health, reduce secondhand exposure, and adapt national rules to newer products that have become more common among young people.

The expanded smoke-free areas would include:

• Bar, café, and restaurant terraces

• Maritime and river beaches

• Collective-use swimming pools

• Sports facilities

• National parks

• Venues hosting public shows, including concerts, theatres, cinemas, and other events, even when outdoors

• Work vehicles, except when used exclusively for personal purposes

• Transport-related areas such as platforms, shelters, and stations, as reported by RTVE

The draft also creates reinforced protection zones around sensitive spaces. Smoking would be prohibited within less than 15 metres of entrances to public buildings, public and private health centres, social centres, schools, universities, research centres, museums, libraries, cultural centres, sports centres, and children’s parks or playgrounds.

Vapes and related products face tighter rules

A central feature of the reform is the legal alignment of e-cigarettes with traditional tobacco in smoke-free areas. Under the proposal, electronic cigarettes with or without nicotine, herbal products used for smoking or inhaling, shisha-style products, and other products that imitate or are socially linked to smoking would be restricted in the same places where smoking is banned.

That change directly targets a fast-growing category of nicotine and inhalation products. The Ministry of Health cited ESTUDES 2025 data showing that 49.5% of people aged 14 to 18 in Spain had tried e-cigarettes, while past-month use rose from 14.9% in 2019 to 27.1% in 2025.

Nicotine pouches are treated differently in one part of the bill: they are not included in the same smoke-free-space equivalence as vapes, but the proposal would still ban their use by minors.

Minors would be banned from consuming tobacco

The proposed smoking ban spain update also includes a notable change for under-18s. Spanish law already prohibited the sale or supply of tobacco to minors, but the new bill would expressly ban tobacco consumption by people under 18.

The government says the measure is part of a broader prevention strategy aimed at reducing early initiation and limiting the visibility of smoking and vaping among adolescents. According to the Ministry of Health, daily smoking among 14- to 18-year-olds stood at 4.3% in ESTUDES 2025, the lowest level in the survey series since 1994, although 15.5% reported tobacco use in the previous month.

Advertising, sales, and visible promotion would be restricted

The bill would also tighten advertising, promotion, and sponsorship rules for tobacco products, devices used to consume them, and related products. The Ministry says the restrictions would apply across media and formats, including vending machines, the internet, and direct or indirect promotional activity.

At the retail level, sales and supply of tobacco-related products would be limited to specialised shops. Those shops would not be allowed to display advertising or signage visible from outside, a measure intended to reduce exposure and promotional appeal in public-facing spaces.

The proposal would also limit tobacco-related visibility in audiovisual media. According to the Ministry, programmes, videos, or images would not be able to show presenters, contributors, or guests smoking, consuming, displaying, or indirectly promoting tobacco products, consumption devices, or related brands.

Part of Spain’s 2024–2027 tobacco prevention plan

The reform sits within Spain’s Comprehensive Plan for the Prevention and Control of Tobacco 2024–2027, approved by the Council of Ministers on April 30, 2024. That plan aims to reduce consumption of tobacco and related products, minimise environmental exposure to emissions, expand smoke-free spaces, and bring regulation of e-cigarettes and related products closer to the rules for conventional tobacco.

Health officials have framed the update as a response to changing consumption patterns. While conventional smoking has declined among teenagers, vaping and related products have gained visibility, especially through retail displays, online promotion, and social media.

What changes for residents, businesses, and visitors

For residents and tourists, the practical effect of the proposed law would be a wider expectation of smoke-free shared spaces. Dining outdoors, visiting beaches, attending concerts, using public transport stops, or spending time near schools and health centres could come with stricter smoking and vaping limits if the bill passes.

For hospitality businesses, the most visible change would be the inclusion of terraces, a major part of Spanish bar and restaurant culture. Operators may need to update signage, staff guidance, and customer communication once the final law is approved and implementation rules are confirmed.

For retailers, the impact would focus on where tobacco-related products can be sold and how they can be displayed or promoted. The current proposal points to a more controlled sales environment, especially for e-cigarettes and other products associated with vaping or inhalation.

The bill is not yet fully in force

Although the Council of Ministers has approved the project, it must still pass through the Cortes Generales before becoming law. That means final wording, implementation dates, enforcement details, and any amendments could still change during parliamentary debate.

For now, the development signals a clear direction in spain smoking laws: broader smoke-free public areas, tighter vape regulation, stronger protections for minors, and reduced public promotion of tobacco-related products.