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As the question states, is it allowed to bring snus (the Swedish tobacco pouches) into Saudi Arabia for own use when flying in? Note that I am not interested in knowing if it is possible, but only if it is allowed.

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    Comment only as I don't want to be responsible for you getting jailed if I'm wrong: as IATA rules, it seems you are allowed to import in Saudi Arabia "600 cigarettes or 100 cigars or 500 grams of tobacco", so you should be safe from that point of view. Then, considering that smoking is allowed (with the usual limitations) and that you can order snus online and get it legally delivered to Saudi Arabia...I think you should be totally safe.
    – motoDrizzt
    Oct 13, 2016 at 16:01
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    @pnuts: again, I honestly don't want to be responsible for someone else being jailed, but as snus is directly sold in Saudi Arabia I see no reasons for it to be banned, flavoured or not. Just as a reference, snus is banned in Europe (because EUrotfl scope is to ease trading, yes...lol) and as snusdirect.com correctly follow that legislation, I'm prone to think that if they ship to Saudi Arabia, they do it because they know they can...
    – motoDrizzt
    Oct 15, 2016 at 10:36
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    What I learned is that if you simply explain it as smokeless tobacco, there usually isn't any problem. I still haven't got any answer to whether it is legal or not, and different customs employees may interpret it differently.
    – Enlund
    Oct 20, 2016 at 18:51
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    @pnuts in a question I subsequently deleted about importing risque playing cards into mainland China, some people said that declaring an item when going through customs and immigration may not be sufficient to save you. In the case of Saudi Arabia, are you sure that declaring is sufficient?
    – Andrew Grimm
    Nov 6, 2016 at 8:58

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As stated by the IATA travel centre, which gets its information directly from local authorities:

Import regulations:

Free import of:

  1. (irrespective of age) 600 cigarettes or 100 cigars or 500 grams of tobacco (any excess prohibited);

  2. a reasonable quantity of perfume or Eau de Cologne, for personal use;

  3. a reasonable amount of cultured pearls, for personal use

So unless you exceed 500 grammes, you will be fine

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According to my experience it is no problem to import snus, I use Siberia Snus myself, and it works very well! Sometimes they want me to pay VAT, sometimes not.

As someone else wrote above, it differs between officials when you ask. I also buy LYFT nicotine pouches in Saudi Arabia and sometimes also in Dubai, never any issue of those tobacco free products either.

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