Yes, you can smoke at Viru Viru International Airport (VVI) — outdoors, on the landside areas outside the terminal buildings, before security. Both the domestic and international terminals are smoke-free inside, and NAABOL, the state agency that operates Bolivia’s international airports, does not publish a smoking room in either one.
Viru Viru sits about 17 kilometres north of Santa Cruz de la Sierra and is Bolivia’s busiest airport, handling roughly 4.1 million passengers a year — more than La Paz’s El Alto International, where smoking is also outdoor-only. It runs separate terminals for domestic and international traffic, connected by the wider airport site.
Outside the Terminals: The Only Option
Smoking at VVI happens outdoors, at the landside areas outside either terminal building. Step out before check-in or after clearing arrivals, and move clear of the doors. Bolivia’s Ley 1280 (2020) keeps indoor public places smoke-free nationwide, which covers both of Viru Viru’s terminal buildings.
After Security: Nothing Confirmed
Neither terminal publishes a smoking room past the checkpoint. The international terminal’s airside VIP lounge runs 24 hours; its own facility list does not include a smoking area, and no other airside space at VVI is set aside for smokers. Plan on a smoke-free wait once you clear security, and see our guide to airports with smoking areas after security for connections where that isn’t the case.
Vaping
The airport publishes no separate rule for e-cigarettes. NAABOL does not address vaping on its passenger pages, so the open-air landside option outside the terminal — the same areas used for cigarettes — is what applies in practice.
Summary
| Area | Smoking | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor (terminal) | No | Both domestic and international terminals smoke-free |
| After security / airside | No | 24-hour international VIP lounge does not list a smoking room |
| Outdoor (landside) | Yes | Outside either terminal building, before security |
| Vaping | No separate rule published | Open-air landside areas are the practical option |
For Bolivia’s airport smoking rules and El Alto’s facilities, see our Bolivia airport guide.