Here is the short answer smokers actually need. Inside the terminals of Berlin Brandenburg Airport smoking is banned, and that includes e-cigarettes and heated tobacco. The exception is a set of five enclosed smoking cabins after security in Terminal 1, listed in the airport's own service directory: at Gate A02, Gate A38, Gate B02 and Gate B30/31 on departure level E1, and at Gate C01 one floor up on level E2. Two of them, A38 and B30/31, are listed as open around the clock. Before security your options are the designated open-air zones right next to the terminal entrances: three at Terminal 1 (levels E1, E0 and U1) and one outside Terminal 2 (level E0). Terminal 2 has no smoking room after security at all, so if you fly from T2, plan your last cigarette outside before screening.
After security: five cabins in Terminal 1
Terminal 1 keeps five official smoking cabins in the gate areas, so a smoke between security and boarding is possible on both sides of passport control:
- Gate A02, level E1. At the start of the A pier, the closest cabin to the central security lanes. Time-restricted hours.
- Gate A38, level E1. At the far end of the A pier, useful if you board from the lower-numbered B walkway nearby. Open around the clock.
- Gate B02, level E1. In the B gates area, behind passport control, which matters for non-Schengen departures. Time-restricted hours.
- Gate B30/31, level E1. At the far end of the B pier, the second option behind passport control, and like A38 it is listed as open around the clock.
- Gate C01, level E2. One level up, serving the C gates. Time-restricted hours.
The airport's directory also flags opening hours: only A38 and B30/31 are marked as round-the-clock, so for a late-night or very early departure head for one of those two. These are cabins, not lounges: small ventilated boxes marked with smoking pictograms, free to use, no armchairs and no coffee. They move or close occasionally during terminal works, so treat the pictogram signage on site as the final word. Travelers also mention a larger smoking room near Gate D1; it is not in the airport's official directory, so do not build your connection around it.
Before security: outdoor zones by the entrances
Landside, the rule is simple: smoke only in the designated outdoor areas, marked with pictograms and equipped with ashtrays. The airport lists four of them. At Terminal 1 they sit by the entrances on level E1 (departures and check-in), on level E0 (arrivals) and at level U1 below. At Terminal 2 the smoking zone is outside on level E0, by the entrance. They are open-air, available around the clock and free. Lighting up directly at the terminal doors outside the marked zones is the classic mistake: step over to the ashtrays.
At a glance: where you can smoke at BER
| Spot | Where exactly | Security status | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gate A02 cabin | Terminal 1, level E1 | After security | Enclosed cabin |
| Gate A38 cabin | Terminal 1, level E1 | After security | Enclosed cabin |
| Gate B02 cabin | Terminal 1, level E1, behind passport control | After security | Enclosed cabin |
| Gate B30/31 cabin | Terminal 1, level E1, behind passport control, 24/7 | After security | Enclosed cabin |
| Gate C01 cabin | Terminal 1, level E2 | After security | Enclosed cabin |
| T1 entrances | Levels E1, E0 and U1, outside | Before security | Open-air zone |
| T2 entrance | Level E0, outside | Before security | Open-air zone |
| Everywhere else, incl. vapes | All indoor areas, gates, lounges, toilets | Both | Prohibited |
E-cigarettes and heated tobacco
BER treats vaping like smoking, and this is written into the airport's terminal regulations: smoking, explicitly including electronic cigarettes, is permitted only in the designated smoking areas. In practice that means the same five cabins and the outdoor zones, and a vape at the gate or in a toilet can bring the same trouble as a lit cigarette. For the flight itself, remember the battery rule that catches people out: e-cigarettes and spare batteries belong in your cabin baggage, never in checked luggage, and using or charging them on board is forbidden on all airlines flying from BER.
Taking a vape abroad? Check the destination first
The rules that really hurt are at the other end of the flight. A growing list of destinations bans e-cigarettes outright, including the device sitting in your luggage, not just using it:
- Thailand. Import, sale, possession and use are all banned. The German Foreign Office warns of heavy fines and prison sentences of up to five years, and tourists have actually been prosecuted.
- Singapore. Possession alone is an offence, with fines that run into the thousands of Singapore dollars.
- India. Import, production and sale have been banned nationwide since 2019.
Other countries sit in between: legal to use but restricted to import, or taxed heavily. The list keeps changing as more governments tighten up, so before you pack a vape, check the official travel advice for your destination country (for travelers from Germany, the Auswärtiges Amt country pages) or ask your airline. When in doubt, leave the device at home: a replacement is cheap, a court date abroad is not.
Smoking on a layover at BER
Connections through Terminal 1 are comfortable for smokers by modern European standards: with cabins at A02, A38, B02, B30/31 and C01 you can usually reach one within a few minutes of your gate, on either side of passport control, without leaving the secure area. Two situations still require planning. If your connection involves Terminal 2, there is no airside option there, so you would need to exit, smoke outside and clear security again; budget 45 to 60 minutes for that round trip, more at peak times. And if you want a proper break in the open air anyway, the same math applies. Our guide on leaving the airport during a Berlin layover covers the timing in detail, and the arrivals walkthrough shows how long the exit actually takes.
If the timing is against you, nicotine pouches or gum from the landside shops are the boring but reliable fallback: they are legal to use anywhere in the terminal.
Frequently asked questions
Can I smoke after security at Berlin Airport?
Are e-cigarettes allowed inside the terminal?
Is there a smoking area in the non-Schengen zone?
Where do I smoke before a flight from Terminal 2?
Is a smoke break realistic during a short layover?
Can I take my vape on holiday from BER?
Sources
- BER official page: Rauchen am BER (all smoking areas and hours)
- BER service directory: smoking cabin, T1 Gate B30/31
- BER terminal regulations, §4: smoking incl. e-cigarettes only in designated areas
- German Foreign Office travel advice: Thailand (e-cigarette ban)
- Lufthansa: electronic devices and batteries (e-cigarettes in cabin baggage only)
Locations re-checked in July 2026 against the airport's official service directory (nine listed smoking spots, including the newer Gate B30/31 cabin). Facilities can move during construction; the pictogram signage on site is the final word. This is an independent guide and is not affiliated with the airport. Photo: Arne Müseler / arne-mueseler.com, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE, via Wikimedia Commons.
