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Since 1 July 2024, the former maximum of 25 grams per pack of waterpipe tobacco no longer applies in Germany. The repeal concerns pack size. Rules on packaging, taxation and sale remain separate from it.
| Date | Rule |
|---|---|
| 1 July 2022 | The maximum of 25 grams for a pack of waterpipe tobacco comes into force. |
| 30 June 2023 | The sell-off period for corresponding older packs over 25 grams ends. |
| 21 June 2024 | The repeal ordinance is published in the Federal Law Gazette (Bundesgesetzblatt). |
| 1 July 2024 | The repeal comes into force. The previous maximum pack size no longer applies. |
Introduction and the end of the sell-off period are two different points in time. That is why the 25-gram limit was already part of the ordinance from July 2022, while larger old packs could still be sold off under the transitional conditions until the end of June 2023.
The ordinance of 17 June 2024 deleted § 31 para. 4 sentence 4 of the German Tobacco Tax Ordinance (Tabaksteuerverordnung). It was published on 21 June 2024 as Federal Law Gazette 2024 Part I No. 204. Article 2 sets 1 July 2024 as the date it comes into force.
The 25-gram limit was thus repealed without replacement. No new maximum of 200 grams was introduced. The common term “200-gram rule” therefore does not describe a new upper limit set by law.
The change concerns waterpipe tobacco under German tobacco tax law. A pack has not been inadmissible since then merely because it contains more than 25 grams. That applies to the 200 g tin just as to the kilo tin. The 25 g pack was not banned.
The other requirements remain. § 31 para. 4 of the German Tobacco Tax Ordinance still requires pack contents of whole grams for smoking tobacco. § 16 of the Tobacco Tax Act governs the closed, ready-for-sale retail pack. This means the pack for end consumers, not automatically a 25 g pack.
Small packs like MOE'S Exotic Sun are still around. The repeal did not abolish them.
Banger Zwei Optionen comes as a 25 g pack in a folding carton with a pictorial health warning.
A 200 g tin like Savu Bananoz has been allowed again in Germany as a pack for end consumers since 1 July 2024. Al Fakher also offers the large tin: Al Fakher flavours in 200 g.
In Germany, tax stamps and health warnings apply to the 200 g tin Argileh White King just as they do to the small pack.
Kilo tins like Nameless #40 Black Nana are also allowed. There is no new upper limit.
Even in a hookah bar in Germany, pack size and sale are two separate questions. The repeal does not leave a remaining 25 gram maximum just for hookah bars. The customs leaflet on trading in waterpipe tobacco, July 2024 edition, however, still requires the sale of the original, closed retail pack with an undamaged tax stamp.
The leaflet expressly prohibits opening a pack and dividing its contents among the waterpipes of different end customers. The repealed quantity limit therefore does not imply permission for this portion-by-portion sale. Which additional rules apply in a specific business has to be clarified separately.
How hookah tobacco is currently taxed and labelled in Germany is covered in the article Hookah Tobacco: Tobacco Tax and Labelling. How much tax is in a tin is shown by the tobacco tax calculator. You can find all tin sizes under Hookah tobacco.
We only sell hookah tobacco to customers aged 18 or over. Age is checked when you order and on delivery; more under Youth protection.
Source status: 16 October 2026. The basis is the amending ordinance, the currently retrieved wording of the Tobacco Tax Ordinance and the customs information cited. This article gives a general overview of the German pack size rule and does not replace individual legal or tax advice.
The German ordinance was published on 21 June. The repeal only took effect on 1 July 2024. An earlier announcement and the entry into force are two different things.
No. The provision with the maximum quantity was deleted. Neither 200 grams nor one kilogram became the prescribed pack size.
No. The permitted pack size does not remove the packaging requirement or the tax stamp rules in Germany. The customs leaflet distinguishes the closed end-customer pack from the prohibited dividing of contents among different end customers.
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Julian
Hookah expert
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