<P> The smoking age is the minimum legal age required to purchase or smoke tobacco products . In almost all countries citizens are eligible to buy tobacco products when they turn 18 . Most countries have laws that restrict those below a minimum age from legally purchasing tobacco products . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th> Country </Th> <Th_colspan="2"> De jure </Th> <Th> Notes </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Smoking age </Th> <Th> Purchase age </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Algeria </Td> <Td> None </Td> <Td> 19 </Td> <Td> It is illegal to sell tobacco products to minors under the age of 19 years . (Chapitre IV sur les problèmes de santé l'article 93: "la vente de tabac ou produits du tabac aux mineurs est interdite".) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Angola </Td> <Td> None </Td> <Td> 18 </Td> <Td> It is illegal to sell tobacco to minors under the age of 18 . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Benin </Td> <Td> None </Td> <Td> 18 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Botswana </Td> <Td> None </Td> <Td> 18 </Td> <Td> It is illegal to sell tobacco to minors under the age of 18 Any person who sells, by retail, any tobacco product, shall display clearly, for the public, a notice to the effect that the sale of any tobacco product to a person under the age of 18 years is prohibited . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Burkina Faso </Td> <Td> None </Td> <Td> 18 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Burundi </Td> <Td> None </Td> <Td> 18 </Td> <Td> It is illegal to sell cigarettes to anyone under the age of 18 . Other tobacco products are not regulated . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Cameroon </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 15 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Cape Verde </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 15 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Central African Republic </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 14 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Chad </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 18 </Td> <Td> It is illegal to sell tobacco to a minor . Minors and pregnant women may not smoke in public . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Comoros </Td> <Td> None </Td> <Td> 18 </Td> <Td> The sale of tobacco products to minors is prohibited . Vendors of tobacco products must visibly and prominently display at their point of sale a notice of prohibition of the sale of tobacco to minors and by minors . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Republic of the Congo </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 18 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Democratic Republic of the Congo </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 18 </Td> <Td> It is illegal for minors to smoke in public, and for anyone to give or sell tobacco to a minor . (ARRETE MINISTERIEL Article 1: L'usage, la vente, l'achat et la consommation du tabac, de ses produits et de ses dérivés sont strictement interdits aux mineurs .) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Djibouti </Td> <Td> None </Td> <Td> 16 </Td> <Td> It is illegal to sell tobacco products to a minor under the age of 16 years . A notice with the sale restrictions has to be placed at point of sale . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Egypt </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 18 </Td> <Td> A person must be eighteen years or over to legally purchase and consume tobacco products in Egypt . The smoking age however isn't strictly enforced, and IDs are barely requested . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Equatorial Guinea </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 18 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Eritrea </Td> <Td> None </Td> <Td> 18 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Ethiopia </Td> <Td> None </Td> <Td> 18 </Td> <Td> ("No person may directly or indirectly give, provide or sell any tobacco product to a person under the age of 18 .") </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Gabon </Td> <Td> None </Td> <Td> 18 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Gambia </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> None </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Ghana </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 18 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Guinea - Bissau </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 15 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Kenya </Td> <Td> None </Td> <Td> 18 </Td> <Td> It is illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of 18 years . There is no minimum age to possess tobacco or smoke in public . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Lesotho </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 14 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Liberia </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 18 </Td> <Td> It is illegal to sell or supply tobacco to a minor . Minors may not consume tobacco at any public place . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Libya </Td> <Td> None </Td> <Td> 18 </Td> <Td> It is strictly prohibited to sell any tobacco product to a person under the age of 18 years . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Madagascar </Td> <Td> None </Td> <Td> 18 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Malawi </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 14 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Mali </Td> <Td> None </Td> <Td> 18 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Mauritius </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 18 </Td> <Td> A person must be 18 years old to purchase or to smoke cigarettes including any tobacco products as is indicated in Public Health (Restrictions on Tobacco Products) Regulations 1999, Sec. 2 (e) (i)). </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Morocco </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 16 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Mozambique </Td> <Td> None </Td> <Td> 18 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Namibia </Td> <Td> None </Td> <Td> 18 </Td> <Td> It is illegal to sell or supply tobacco to a minor . No minimum age prior to April 14th 2010 . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Niger </Td> <Td> None 18 (to enter smoking room or facility) </Td> <Td> 18 </Td> <Td> It is illegal to sell tobacco products to a minor . Minors may not enter any smoking room or facility where smoking is permitted by law . No minimum age prior to July 17th 2008 . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Nigeria </Td> <Td> None </Td> <Td> 18 </Td> <Td> It is illegal to sell, give or otherwise supply tobacco products to a minor . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Republic of the Congo </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 14 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Rwanda </Td> <Td> None </Td> <Td> 18 </Td> <Td> It is prohibited to involve a person under 18 in, buying, selling and exchanging of tobacco and tobacco products . It is also prohibited for the seller to sell tobacco and tobacco products to a person under 18 . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> São Tomé and Príncipe </Td> <Td> None </Td> <Td> 16 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Senegal </Td> <Td> None </Td> <Td> 18 </Td> <Td> It is illegal to sell or give tobacco to a person under the age of 18 years . (Chapitre III. - Il est interdit de vendre ou d'offrir aux mineurs ou de faire vendre ou de faire offrir par les mineurs du tabac ou tout produit du tabac .) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Seychelles </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 18 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Somalia </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 15 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> South Africa </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 18 </Td> <Td> It is illegal to sell or supply any tobacco product to a person under the age of 18 . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> South Sudan </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 15 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Swaziland </Td> <Td> None </Td> <Td> 18 </Td> <Td> It is illegal to sell and give tobacco to anyone under the age of 18 years . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Sudan </Td> <Td> None 18 (to enter smoking room or facility) </Td> <Td> 18 </Td> <Td> It is illegal to sell or give tobacco to a minor . Anyone under the age of 18 may also not handle, store, work or produce with tobacco or within such a facility . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Tanzania </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 18 </Td> <Td> It is unlawful to sell or give tobacco products to a minor, and to smoke such tobacco products if the individual is younger than 18 years . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Togo </Td> <Td> None </Td> <Td> 18 </Td> <Td> It is illegal to sell or give any tobacco product to a minor . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Tunisia </Td> <Td> None </Td> <Td> 18 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Uganda </Td> <Td> None </Td> <Td> 21 </Td> <Td> It is now illegal for a person below the age of 21 to access cigarettes </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Zambia </Td> <Td> None </Td> <Td> 16 </Td> <Td> It is illegal to sell tobacco to anyone under the age of 16 years . No minimum age for consumption and possession in public . No minimum age prior to January 1st 1993 . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Zimbabwe </Td> <Td> None </Td> <Td> 18 </Td> <Td> It is illegal to sell or give tobacco products to anyone under the age of 18 . Minors may not sell tobacco . </Td> </Tr> </Table>

How old do you have to be to buy tobacco in the us