Yes, you can smoke at Puerto Vallarta International Airport (PVR) — at designated outdoor areas outside the terminal, landside. The halls and VIP lounges are smoke-free under Mexico’s national tobacco law, so plan to smoke at the curb before you clear security.
Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport is the gateway to Puerto Vallarta and Banderas Bay, operated by Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP) and handling around seven million passengers a year, most of them US and Canadian holiday travellers. Because the passenger halls are enclosed public spaces, smoking indoors and airside is not permitted anywhere on site; the practical option for smokers is the open-air area outside the terminal.
Where to Smoke
Smoking at PVR is outdoors only, landside, at the designated areas by the terminal entrances. Step outside the departures or arrivals doors, move clear of the doorways, and use a marked spot to light up. There is no indoor or airside smoking facility anywhere at the airport.
Because the walk from security out to the gates is long — especially on the international side — the sensible plan is to have your last cigarette outside before you go through screening.
Domestic Departures
Domestic flights use the older part of the terminal, with carriers such as Volaris, VivaAerobús and Aeroméxico Connect. Smoke outdoors at the departures and arrivals curbs before you enter the building. Once you are past the domestic security filter there is no smoking area, so finish outside first.
International Departures and the New Terminal 2
International flights — the bulk of PVR’s traffic, with American, United, Delta, WestJet, Air Canada and others — run from the international hall, and GAP’s new Terminal 2 is taking over these departures as it phases in through 2025 and into full operation in 2026. Terminal 2 is a larger, more modern building, and it is smoke-free indoors exactly like the existing halls. Whether you fly from the current international gates or the new terminal, smoke at the outdoor areas landside before you check in and clear security.
After Security
Neither the domestic nor the international side has a smoking area past security. PVR is well known for its long corridor out to the international gates, and there is nowhere to smoke along it or at the gates. If you are connecting or have already cleared screening and need to smoke, you will have to exit the building to the landside curb and then re-clear security to reach your flight — budget time for the walk and the queue.
The VIP lounges after security in both terminals are non-smoking, and vaping is not allowed inside them, so lounge access does not change the outdoor-only rule.
Vaping
Mexico bans the sale, import and distribution of e-cigarettes, though personal use is not criminalised. Treat vaping the same as smoking at PVR: not inside the terminal or lounges, only at the outdoor areas landside. Because bringing a vape into the country is restricted, a device may be confiscated at customs.
Summary
| Area | Smoking | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor terminal halls | No | Smoke-free under Mexican law |
| After security / airside | No | No airside area; long walk to the gates |
| VIP lounges | No | Non-smoking in both terminals |
| Terminal 2 (new) | No | Smoke-free indoors as it phases in 2025–2026 |
| Outdoor (landside) | Yes | Designated areas by the terminal entrances |
For Mexico’s airport smoking rules and vaping law, see our Mexico airport guide.