By Azabache Producciones on
Smoke-free signs in Colombia now cover vaping: the deadline to replace old ones ended in October 2025
It has an official design, a white background, and a size from A5 to A1 depending on distance; it is printed on polyethylene, PVC, or polystyrene.
Since April 2025, the sign that marks a smoke-free space in Colombia no longer refers only to cigarettes. The official sign declares the place free of tobacco smoke and of the aerosols from vapes and e-cigarettes. Its design, size, and material are set out in the manual adopted by Resolution 624 of 2025 from Colombia’s Ministry of Health.
Places that already displayed a sign had six months from the resolution’s issue date, April 8, 2025, to update it. That deadline ended in October 2025, so a sign that does not follow the manual is now out of compliance. Departmental, district, and municipal health offices are responsible for checking it.
The change comes from Law 2354 of 2024, which extended tobacco rules to vapes, heated tobacco, and other products that substitute or imitate it. Under that law, “smoke-free” in Colombia means free of smoke and aerosols.
What signage is mandatory for restaurants?
It is the official sign for spaces 100% free of tobacco smoke and aerosols, in a vertical or horizontal version. It carries the title “Respire con tranquilidad” (Breathe easy), the green silhouette of a face with four leaves, the statement that the space is free of smoke and aerosols, a citation of both laws, and the Ministry of Health logo.
The obligation falls on owners, employers, and managers of places where smoking and vaping are banned. Besides restaurants, the list includes bars, cafés, hotels, shops, shopping malls, health facilities, schools, and the customer service areas of any business.
Friends laugh on a restaurant terrace; behind them, a white sign with a green border on a column. Illustrative image generated with artificial intelligence.
The design is not improvised. The background is always white, and the manual allows no changes or adaptations to its colors. It also sets the ink codes for each green, the Nunito Sans typeface, and the position of the Ministry logo at the top; the business’s own logo can go to its right, at the same proportion.
The text is in Spanish. The manual only provides for adapting it to the languages of ethnic groups or to another writing system, without changing the message.
How large must the sign be?
Size depends on the maximum distance from which someone must read the sign, and the manual translates it into paper formats, from A5 to A1. It relies on Colombian Technical Standard 1461, which covers safety colors and signs, and uses 5 meters as the minimum reference distance.
- Under 5 meters, and in vehicles: A5, 14.8 × 21 cm, with a 0.25 cm green border.
- Between 5 and 10 meters: A4, 21 × 29.7 cm, with a 0.5 cm border.
- Between 10 and 15 meters: A3, 29.7 × 42 cm, with a 1 cm border.
- Between 15 and 20 meters: A2, 42 × 59.4 cm, with a 2 cm border.
- Over 20 meters: A1, 59.4 × 84.1 cm, with a 4 cm border.
That is why a single size rarely works for an entire venue. A dining room viewed from 12 meters calls for an A3, while the inside of an elevator takes an A5.
What material is it printed on?
The manual calls for materials such as 40-gauge or 1 mm polyethylene, 1 mm PVC, or polystyrene. As the manual itself explains, they resist water and wear and are easy to clean and disinfect.
A print shop worker compares three white signs with green borders in different sizes. Illustrative image generated with artificial intelligence.
The manual does not require photoluminescent material, the kind that glows in the dark after absorbing light. Nor does it set a price: the cost of each sign changes with size, material, and quantity.
Where should the sign go?
The sign must be visible from the entrance and in service and waiting areas, unobstructed, for people who are seated, standing, or walking. The manual also asks that no other signs or notices nearby distract from its message.
As examples, it suggests reception desks, waiting rooms, restroom entrances, terrace and event-room entrances, auditoriums, elevator interiors, and common and circulation areas. The number of signs depends on how many entrances and waiting areas each venue has.
Does this sign replace emergency exit signs?
No: the smoke-free sign states that smoking and vaping are not allowed there, and it does not replace emergency exit, fire extinguisher, or assembly point signs. A single order of interior and safety signage in Medellín can bring together the new sign and the venue’s other signs, each with its own size and material.
