New smoking-prohibited zones will be introduced for areas within three metres of doorways to schools, hospitals and childcare centres.
Smoking while queuing for public transport or entry to places with high pedestrian flows, including theme parks, museums or clinics, will also be banned.
The ban only applies when there are two or more people in the queue, including the smoker.
To deter offending, the fixed penalty for lighting up in no-smoking areas will be doubled to HK$3,000.
The sale of alternative smoking products, such as electronic and heated cigarettes, to underaged persons will also be banned, with penalties of up to HK$50,000 fine and six months’ imprisonment.
These changes are set to take effect from January 1.
The administration also unveiled plans to make it mandatory for specified tobacco products to have a validated duty stamp on retail packaging to prove payments have been made.
The sale of tobacco products that come without such stamps or with counterfeit stamps will be criminalised and offenders could face up to a HK$2 million fine and seven years’ imprisonment.
While there’s no official start date for full implementation, a pilot scheme is set to be launched in third quarter of this year.
There will also be stricter penalties for duty evasion with immediate effect.
For offenses like possession of untaxed tobacco, penalties rise to HK$2 million and seven years’ imprisonment.
The administration also outlined plans to ban the sale of tobacco products containing gin additives or menthol and vitamins or caffeine.
The first phase of the ban is to be in place from the second quarter of 2027.
