Amsterdam has long had a relaxed, well-informed cigar retail scene, with specialist "sigarenwinkels" scattered through the canal-ring neighbourhoods. That scene changed for online buyers in the summer of 2023, when the Netherlands became one of the first EU countries to ban internet tobacco sales entirely — not just restrict them. Here is what happened and why it now sits alongside France and Italy as a market we cannot serve.
A Newer, Broader Ban Than Its Neighbours
Unlike France’s and Italy’s longstanding monopoly systems, the Dutch approach is recent and was built specifically to close the online channel. Since 1 July 2023, the online sale of tobacco products and e-cigarettes has been prohibited in the Netherlands. Crucially, the ban is written to cover both directions of cross-border e-commerce at once: Dutch businesses may no longer sell tobacco online to Dutch consumers, and foreign businesses may no longer sell tobacco online into the Netherlands either.
Part of a Wider, Fast-Moving Policy Shift
The online sales ban did not arrive in isolation. It sits inside a broader Dutch tobacco-control programme under the National Prevention Agreement, which has also removed tobacco from supermarkets, hotels, restaurants and bars (from 1 July 2024) and is progressively narrowing where tobacco can be sold in person at all, with the stated goal of a "tobacco-free generation" by 2040. In that context, closing the online channel first was a deliberate and early move, not an afterthought.
The Netherlands at a Glance
The regulatory and tax picture for anyone researching cigar purchases connected to Amsterdam or the Netherlands.
| Factor | Netherlands |
|---|---|
| Legal purchase age | 18 |
| Online / distance sale | Banned nationwide since 1 July 2023 — domestic and cross-border alike |
| Retail model | In-person sale only, through a shrinking list of permitted outlet types |
| Standard VAT rate | 21% |
| EU tobacco excise floor | 5% of retail price or €12 per 1,000 items/kg, whichever is higher |
| Duty-free travel allowance (arriving from outside the EU) | 50 cigars, or a proportional combination with other tobacco products |
| Can we ship here? | No — this is a legal restriction, not a service limitation |
Figures reflect Dutch and EU law as of 2026. Sources: Rijksoverheid (Government of the Netherlands); National Prevention Agreement.
Where Amsterdammers Can Legally Buy
In-person purchase from a licensed Dutch tobacco retailer remains legal and is now, following the 2023 ban, the only route available — online ordering for delivery to a Dutch address is not, from any retailer anywhere. If you are travelling into the Netherlands from outside the EU, the standard duty-free allowance of up to 50 cigars for personal use still applies on arrival; it is a separate legal question from the online-sale ban.