---
title: "Smoking at Viru Viru International Airport – VVI"
canonical: "https://www.airportsmokingzones.com/bolivia/vvi-smoking-at-santa-cruz-viru-viru-airport/"
language: "en-us"
description: "Smoke outdoors at Viru Viru International Airport (VVI), Santa Cruz — outside the terminal, landside, before security. The terminals and lounges are smoke-free."
lastmod: "2026-09-25T00:00:00Z"
---

<!-- asz-markdown:5f7cdf5d7e0c84e67fb86d6e27033622e697a93e494362789597e54d287bfebd -->

# Smoking at Viru Viru International Airport – VVI

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](https://www.airportsmokingzones.com/bolivia/lpb-smoking-at-la-paz-el-alto-airport/). 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](https://www.airportsmokingzones.com/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](https://www.airportsmokingzones.com/bolivia/).

## Useful Links

[Viru Viru International Airport (NAABOL, official)](https://naabol.gob.bo/aeropuerto-internacional-de-viru-viru/)

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Can you smoke at Viru Viru International Airport (VVI)?

Yes, outdoors. Smoking is allowed outside the terminal buildings, landside, before security. NAABOL, the airport operator, does not publish a smoking room inside either the domestic or the international terminal.

### Is there a smoking area after security at Santa Cruz Airport?

VVI’s international terminal keeps a 24-hour airside VIP lounge; it does not list a smoking room among its amenities, and no other airside space is published as a smoking area — the gate side stays smoke-free.

### Where can I smoke at Viru Viru Airport?

Outside the terminal building, landside, before check-in and security. VVI runs separate domestic and international terminals about 17 kilometres north of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, and the outdoor kerb outside either one is where smokers go.

### Can I smoke inside the terminal at Viru Viru Airport?

Both terminals are smoke-free indoors, and none of the airport’s three VIP lounges — domestic, international airside, or the general Santa Cruz VIP lounge — lists a smoking room. The outdoor areas outside the buildings are the only option.

### Can you vape at Viru Viru International Airport?

The airport publishes no separate rule for e-cigarettes; the open-air landside option outside the terminal applies, the same areas used for cigarettes.

### Is Viru Viru Bolivia's busiest airport?

Yes — Viru Viru handles around 4.1 million passengers a year, ahead of La Paz’s El Alto, and is Bolivia’s main hub for international connections into and out of the eastern lowlands.