--- title: "Smoking at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol – AMS" canonical: "https://www.airportsmokingzones.com/netherlands/ams-smoking-at-amsterdam-airport/" language: "en-us" description: "Smoke at Amsterdam Schiphol at the outdoor Jan Dellaertplein smoking zone between Doors D and E, before security. No airside smoking since 2020." lastmod: "2026-10-03T00:00:00Z" --- # Smoking at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol – AMS Yes, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) has a designated outdoor smoking area before security: Jan Dellaertplein, the square outside Schiphol Plaza, between Doors D and E. Schiphol closed its indoor smoking cabins on 1 April 2020 to comply with Dutch tobacco law, so there is no smoking past the security checkpoint anywhere in the airport. ## Before Security (Outdoor Only) The one legal place to smoke at Schiphol is outdoors and landside, with ashtrays provided; there is no roofed lounge or heated shelter. **Jan Dellaertplein — between Doors D and E** - The large square directly in front of Schiphol Plaza at the main terminal entrance, reached from Arrivals level 1 or by stepping outside from the plaza; the designated zone sits between Doors D and E. - It is a short walk from the train station, bus stops and taxi rank, so it works for departing passengers, arriving passengers and anyone dropping off. - Schiphol has said it is considering moving the smoking zone, so follow the on-site signage if the marked area has shifted. **Arrivals** - On arrival, follow the exit signs down to ground level and use the marked zone between Doors D and E on Jan Dellaertplein. ## After Security (Airside) There is no smoking area anywhere past the checkpoint. All three departure halls, the gate piers (B through H), the lounges, and Holland Boulevard between the Schengen and non-Schengen zones are completely smoke-free. Schiphol’s terminal is fully connected airside, so no gate or lounge sits closer to a smoking area than any other — the only option is to leave the secure zone entirely. ## Smoking on a Layover or Transfer Schiphol is one of Europe’s largest transfer hubs, and this is where most smokers get caught out: **you cannot smoke without leaving airside.** To reach the outdoor areas you exit past security to Schiphol Plaza, smoke on Jan Dellaertplein, then rejoin the security queue for your onward flight. - **Schengen-to-Schengen connections:** you can walk out to the plaza without passport control; you still re-clear the central security screening on the way back in. - **Non-Schengen connections:** exiting to the landside plaza means clearing Dutch passport control (a border into the Schengen Area), so you need a valid passport and, for many nationalities, a Schengen visa. Without the right documents you stay airside and cannot smoke. Either way, budget well over an hour and factor in security waits before deciding a smoke break is worth it on a tight connection. ## Vaping at Schiphol E-cigarettes and heated-tobacco devices are treated exactly like cigarettes: banned throughout the terminal, allowed only in the outdoor areas before security. Vape on Jan Dellaertplein alongside the smokers, not in the halls, lounges or restrooms. For Netherlands airport smoking rules, vaping rules, and other general info, see our [Netherlands smoking guide](https://www.airportsmokingzones.com/netherlands/). ## Useful Links [Schiphol Airport (AMS) Official Website](https://www.schiphol.nl/en/) ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Can I smoke inside Amsterdam Schiphol Airport? Smoking at Schiphol is outdoors only, before security — on Jan Dellaertplein, the square in front of Schiphol Plaza, between Doors D and E. The indoor smoking cabins were all closed in April 2020\. ### Where are the smoking areas at Schiphol Airport? Schiphol’s only designated smoking area is outdoors on Jan Dellaertplein, directly outside Schiphol Plaza between Doors D and E. There are no smoking areas past the security checkpoint, and the airport has said the zone may move in future, so follow the signage. ### Is there a smoking area after security at Schiphol? The only smoking area is the landside zone at Jan Dellaertplein — Schiphol has had no post-security smoking since the indoor cabins were removed in 2020\. To smoke on a layover you exit the secure area back to Schiphol Plaza, then re-clear security afterwards. Passengers connecting from a non-Schengen flight also clear passport control to reach the outdoor zone, so a valid Schengen visa may be needed. ### Can I smoke on a layover at Schiphol? Yes — at the landside smoking area on Jan Dellaertplein: you exit past security, smoke, then queue for security again, so allow well over an hour. From a non-Schengen flight you also pass Dutch passport control on the way out, so you need travel documents that let you enter the Schengen area; without them you stay airside, where there is nowhere to smoke. ### Can I vape at Schiphol Airport? Vape outdoors before security, on Jan Dellaertplein. E-cigarettes are treated the same as tobacco at Schiphol and are not allowed anywhere inside the terminal. ### What happened to the Schiphol smoking lounges? Schiphol removed its indoor smoking cabins between 2019 and 2020 after a 2019 Dutch Supreme Court ruling ended designated smoking areas in hospitality venues. The last cabins closed on 1 April 2020 and there are no plans to reintroduce them.