Cigar Shop Johor Bahru: Lounges, Rules and the Singapore Crossing

A search for a cigar shop Johor Bahru can offer usually starts with one question: is it worth crossing from Singapore? The honest answer is about rules more than shops. JB has a small cigar scene and one verified lounge. More importantly, both countries tax cigars at the border. This guide covers what we found, where you can and cannot smoke, and the customs rules on each side of the Causeway.

The cigar shop Johor Bahru scene today

JB’s cigar life is modest compared with Kuala Lumpur. Most of what exists sits in the newer waterfront districts of Iskandar Puteri, rather than in the old city centre around Jalan Wong Ah Fook.

The one venue we could verify is the Trinidad Cigar Club at Puteri Harbour. The Trinidad Cigar Company, which also organises Malaysia’s leg of the Cigar Smoking World Championship, opened it inside Trinidad Suites Johor in April 2025. According to Cigar Inspector, it carries cigars from Cuba, Nicaragua, Honduras and the Dominican Republic.

Other names appear on a distributor’s outlet list, including bars at Puteri Cove, Taman Pelangi and Permas Jaya. However, that list is the only source we found. So we treat them as reported, not confirmed. Ask before you travel, since venues in JB open and close often.

Smoking rules in Johor

Act 852 applies across Malaysia. Its Non-Smoking Order bans smoking in eating places, air-conditioned shops, shopping complexes and workplaces. An eating place includes any spot within 3 m of a food table or chair, inside or outside.

Johor also has its own whole-zone bans in the same Order. These cover the Hutan Bandar urban forest at Mutiara Rini and several national parks, such as Gunung Ledang, Endau Rompin, Pulau Kukup and Tanjung Piai. Two town parks in Taman Seri Austin are listed too, and here the ban includes their car parks.

The Order has no exemption for cigar lounges. Lounges operate as private or members’ venues, so check the house rules with the venue. For the full picture, read our guides to where to smoke cigars in Malaysia and cigar laws in Malaysia.

Crossing to Singapore with cigars

This is the part that catches day-trippers. Singapore Customs states plainly that there is no duty-free concession or GST import relief for cigarettes and tobacco products. That holds even for a single cigar.

So every cigar you carry into Singapore must be declared, and duty and GST paid. Singapore also requires tobacco products to meet its standardised packaging rules. Products that do not comply are not allowed in, and Customs disposes of them at the checkpoint. Failing to declare at the Red Channel can lead to fines or prosecution.

Crossing into Malaysia with cigars

The rule runs the other way too. The Royal Malaysian Customs traveller guide excludes tobacco products from every exemption. That applies whether you arrive by air or by land at the Causeway or the Second Link. In short, Malaysia has no duty-free cigar allowance for anyone.

If you bring cigars from Singapore, use the Red Lane and declare them. There is a second issue as well. Malaysian rules ban possessing tobacco packs that lack the prescribed Malaysian health warnings. How this applies to a traveller’s personal box is unclear, so treat it as a legal risk. Our guide to bringing cigars into Malaysia explains the process.

Stulang Laut and the end of duty-free tobacco

Older travel guides describe Stulang Laut, the ferry terminal area near JB’s city centre, as a duty-free zone for tobacco. That is out of date. Royal Malaysian Customs ended the duty exemption on cigarettes and tobacco products at all retail free zones and duty-free islands on 1 January 2021, as Bernama reported.

As a result, any cigar sold at Stulang Laut is duty-paid at mainland rates. Our guide to cigar prices in Malaysia explains how excise duty and approved retail prices work.

Climate and storage in JB

JB sits at the tip of the peninsula, so it is hot and humid all year. Daily maximum humidity often tops 94%, well above the 65–72% cigars prefer. By contrast, a car’s air-con on a long Causeway queue can dry them out, while a parked car in the sun bakes them.

Therefore, carry cigars in a sealed case with a two-way humidity pack, and never leave them in the boot. Our guide on how to store cigars covers the basics.

Etiquette in Johor

Most people in Johor do not smoke, so be discreet. Ask before lighting up at someone’s home, and keep well away from children. During Ramadan, avoid smoking where people who are fasting can see you.

Lastly, keep the health picture in mind. Cigars are not a safe alternative to cigarettes, and the smoke harms your mouth and throat even if you do not inhale. Read our page on cigar health risks for the evidence.