Tobacco — Uruguay
What travelers need to know about tobacco in Uruguay. What is legal at home can be a serious crime here — each rule links to its official source.
Tobacco in Uruguay: restricted — there are real limits travelers must follow.
Uruguay bans smoking, or keeping any tobacco product lit, in every enclosed space used by the public and every enclosed workplace, which takes in bars, restaurants, hotels, shops and offices, and in every area, indoor or outdoor, of hospitals and other health facilities and of schools and other teaching institutions. Unroofed spaces inside the built area of a building, such as interior patios, count as enclosed. Venues must post signs reading "Prohibido fumar, ambiente 100% libre de humo de tabaco" and may not keep ashtrays inside. Tobacco may not be sold to anyone under 18, cigarettes may not be sold singly or in packs of fewer than 10, and tobacco may not be sold from vending machines.
Ley 18.256 art. 16: warning, a fine of 10,000 to 100,000 indexed units (UI), or temporary closure; art. 21 also allows tobacco products to be sealed, held or seized. Art. 18 names the owner or operator of the space as the party responsible for smoke-free violations, and the law sets no separate fine amount for the individual smoker. Smoking in places habitually frequented by children, pregnant women or people at high risk from tobacco smoke is an aggravating circumstance (art. 19(C)).
§ IMPO - Centro de Información Oficial (Uruguay): Ley N.º 18.256 de Control del Tabaquismo, texto vigente, arts. 3, 4, 11, 16, 18, 19 y 21Verified Sep 21, 2026