Cheapism / Sergii Gnatiuk/istockphoto / PeopleImages/istockphoto
It’s not uncommon when traveling to seem like an idiot by doing something that is strictly off-limits in the country you are visiting. But the thing is, some countries place bans on such seemingly normal things that there’s no way you can know what's illegal unless you do extensive research on the country’s legal regulations. Even the most well-meaning tourist can end up in hot water without realizing the rules.
Here are 23 bizarre things that are illegal around the world.
Spit it out! Since 1992, chewing gum — unless it’s medicinal — has been banned in Singapore, the city-state that’s sort of known as a neat freak and not a stranger to quirky laws. The ban was placed to keep the streets clean and litter-free. As Singapore grew into a global trading hub, people would litter and stick gum between train doors.
This no-gum rule isn’t just a slap on the wrist — if you’re caught importing gum, you’ll face a fine of up to S$10,000 Singaporean dollars ($7,677.41 USD) and a prison sentence.
Jeans might be your wardrobe staple around the world, but in North Korea, they’re seen as a "symbol of rebellion" associated with Western culture and US imperialism and are strictly off-limits. The totalitarian regime enforced this odd ban since the 1990s to maintain control, as jeans have long been a “uniform” of resistance and counterculture. To make sure everybody follows the dress code, there’s a “fashion police” unit that patrols the streets, checking if everyone’s dressed by the rules. If you're caught in jeans, expect fines, public shaming, or even prison time.
People smuggle all sorts of things into the U.S., but you wouldn’t expect Kinder Surprise Eggs to be one of them. Yet, they are. This popular European candy is banned in the U.S. because of a 1938 law that forbids non-edible objects inside food. The chocolate egg comes with a surprise toy, which is seen as a choking hazard here. There’s an American version called Kinder Joy, where the toy and the candy are kept separate.
Scrabble is a beloved pastime in the U.S. and around the world, but for a certain period of time, it was an illegal activity in Romania. Former president and dictator of the southeastern European country Nicolae Ceausescu banned the word game, deeming it “overly intellectual” and “subversive evil.” The ban was lifted soon after Ceausescu’s downfall, and Romania today has its own Scrabble federation.
On Feb. 14, you’ll see store windows packed with heart-shaped everything and people buying flowers around the world, but in Saudi Arabia, it’s just another day — just like Feb. 13. In 2008, the Islamic country banned Valentine's Day, calling it a Christian holiday that violated traditional customs and propriety. The government even deployed “religious police” to crack down on anyone exchanging lovey-dovey gifts. But in 2019, love (or capitalism) won, and the ban was lifted.
While baby walkers are falling out of fashion, with many studies suggesting their benefits are dubious compared to the risks — like delayed motor skills, increased injury risk, and even developmental issues — they’re still available worldwide. Except in Canada. Canadian toddlers will have to stick to crawling until they’re ready to walk on their own, as baby walkers have been illegal there since 2004. The country has deemed the baby gadget unsafe, and if you're caught with or selling one, you could face a fine of up to $100,000 CAD.
Men with ponytails or mullets might be seen as hip and artistic around the world but in Iran, they would be deemed 'devil worshipers' and be fined for it. In 2010, the country officially banned ponytails, mullets, and long, gelled hair for men, labeling them as Western hairstyles that go against Islamic culture. The ban was part of a larger "moral security" initiative to preserve traditional values. Hair salons nationwide were given an approved list of acceptable cuts for men.
In 2015, then-Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak, faced growing pressure from the Bersih movement, which was pushing for electoral reforms and transparency amid a major corruption scandal. The movement chose the color yellow as its official color, and during massive protests, the streets of Kuala Lumpur were filled with protesters wearing yellow shirts.
Unable to stop them, the government banned the color yellow (as one does), by invoking the Printing Presses and Publications Act, claiming that wearing yellow threatened public order.
Here’s a ban that actually makes sense. In Rome, you can keep goldfish as a pet, but you should keep them in an aquarium instead of a round glass bowl. The Eternal City bans keeping a goldfish pet in a small bowl, considering it cruel and depriving the animal of oxygen.
Italy has had enough of tourists clomping around in squeaky summer footwear, so they’ve banned flip-flops. But it’s not because of their questionable fashion sense — it’s for safety reasons. In the popular hilly seaside region of Cinque Terre, flip-flop-wearing tourists frequently required rescue from hiking trails. In 2019, a law was passed imposing fines for wearing flip-flops, with penalties reaching up to $2,600.
It seems Russia has a say in its citizens' underwear choices. Back in 2014, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus started enforcing a regulation that required underwear to contain at least 6% cotton for health reasons. Lace, being mostly synthetic, didn’t make the cut.
Naturally, this didn’t go over well. Protests popped up as people were not too happy about the government getting involved in their underwear choices.
In Japan, where Sumo wrestling is a popular sport, staying slim is a legal requirement. Back in 2008, the government introduced the Metabo Law as part of an initiative to tackle rising obesity rates and lifestyle-related diseases. The law sets waistline limits for citizens aged 40 to 74: 33.5 inches for men and 35.4 inches for women. If you exceed those limits, it’s not like the police are coming after you with a tape measure, but you might have to attend counseling or lifestyle improvement programs. Employers and local governments are also held accountable for ensuring their employees and residents meet these standards, which makes weight loss a group project in Japan.
It’s worth noting that Japan doesn’t have nearly the obesity rates seen in other parts of the world—less than 5% of the population is considered obese compared to the 42% of obese people in the U.S.
You’d better leave your Louboutins at home when visiting Greece. Since 2009, the ancient country has banned wearing high heels at its historical sites, such as the Acropolis. The ban is based on the logic that high heels put too much pressure on a small area, potentially damaging the ancient stone or causing erosion over time. Anyone caught wearing shoes that could harm these ancient sites may face fines of up to $1000.
The word “Jasmine” might not seem problematic to you, but at one point in China, it was a political landmine. After the 2011 Arab Spring, which included a "Jasmine Revolution" in Tunisia, Chinese authorities got spooked and banned any public mention of the word. The government blocked the word "molihua," which means jasmine, from Chinese search engines out of fear that it might spark similar revolutionary ideas in China.
Dressing up as Adolf Hitler is bad taste, that’s for sure, but it’s also illegal in Germany and Austria. These countries, dealing with the bad rep of World War II, passed strict anti-Nazi laws to prevent any glorification of Hitler or Nazi symbols. This means no mustaches, no stiff-armed salutes, and definitely no acting like the Führer. Germany takes this so seriously that even performances or comedy sketches featuring Hitler impersonations can land you in serious trouble. In 2017, a man dressedlike the infamous dictator in front of the house in Braunau am Inn in which Adolf Hitler was born was arrested in Austria.
In 2014, Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza decided that large groups running together looked too much like, well, political dissent, so he outlawed it. Group sweat sessions, according to the government, are just a little too suspicious as jogging could be used as a cover for organizing anti-government movements. You can still lace up your sneakers and go for a solo run.
In Turkmenistan, don’t even think about faking it. Lip-syncing has been banned by the government, and we’re not talking just about national events—this ban extends to all public performances. Former President Saparmurat Niyazov thought lip-syncing was bad for the culture, so he made sure everyone was actually singing live, whether it was in the shower or on stage. The idea was to preserve the “true Turkmen artistic spirit,” though it sounds more like a bad day for talentless pop stars.
In Tajikistan, facial hair is a political statement. For the past decade or so, the government has cracked down on beards, seeing them as a symbol of Islamic extremism. Men with long beards have faced police questioning and even had their whiskers forcibly trimmed in public. The beard ban is part of a broader effort to curb what the government sees as the rise of radical Islam.
If you’re heading to the Spanish seaside, maybe just stick to sunbathing or swimming and leave the sandcastle-building for another country. In some parts of Spain, particularly on the Balearic Islands, there’s a ban on constructing your dream sand palace. Local authorities argue that big sand sculptures obstruct the natural landscape and create safety hazards for beachgoers. Plus, some argue that too many sandcastles ruin the beauty of the coastlines.
When in Venice, please don’t feed the pigeons. Venetian authorities have had it with cleaning bird poop out of the city’s popular St. Mark’s Square, where tourists once loved tossing bird feed and snapping photos with a flock of feathered friends. In 2008, the city banned feeding the pigeons, and anyone caught doing so could face a fine of up to $775.
Great Scott! It turns out you are not allowed to watch "Back To The Future" in China. In 2011, the Chinese government decided that too many TV shows and films about time travel were getting a little out of hand and placed a ban on it. According to China’s media authorities, these fictional tales “disrespect history” by rewriting it, and they typically show characters zipping back to alter historical events, often tweaking Chinese history for the sake of plot twists.
If you’re a Tibetan monk and want another round on Earth, China wants you to fill out the paperwork first. In 2007, China passed a law requiring Tibetan monks to get government permission before reincarnating. The idea was to control the succession of religious leaders, particularly the next Dalai Lama, to curb the influence of Tibetan Buddhism and prevent political unrest.
France is a country associated with couture cuisine and countless Michelin-starred restaurants, so it's only appropriate that it decided the "peasant condiment" like ketchup didn't belong on school lunch trays. In 2011, the French government banned the tangy red sauce from school cafeterias out of worry that it would mask traditional Gallic cuisine's flavors.
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