Do I need to declare medication when I travel to the UAE?

Dubai: Visiting the UAE soon and are unsure if the medication you are taking needs to be declared when arriving at the airport? You are free to travel with non-prescription or non-controlled medication into the UAE, but you need an approval if the medicines you are bringing in are classed as narcotic, psychotropic, controlled or semi-controlled in the UAE.

To raise awareness on the UAE’s zero-tolerance policy for recreational use of drugs, and their drug laws, the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) recently explained the regulations for travellers and the penalties.

I’m travelling to the UAE, what are the requirements to bring narcotic drugs?

• Get a permit from the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) and disclose the medication at the airport.
• If your relative or friend is bringing in the medicine on your behalf, they need to have an official Power of Attorney for it, notarised by the competent authorities.
• The quantity of narcotic drugs brought should be as per the duration of treatment. If the prescribed quantity is repeated, the treatment period should not exceed three months.

Required documents

• MOHAP permit
• The medical report, with the patient's data, name of the drug, prescribed quantity, doctor's name and health facility's seal.
• A medical report documented by a competent authority, not more than one year ago.
• A copy of the passport or ID.
• A copy of the medical prescription issued less than a month ago authenticated by the competent authority.

What are controlled medicines?

According to the official website of the UAE government - u.ae, controlled drugs are those that, if not used responsibly, can lead to addiction and have the potential to be abused by individuals. Narcotic, psychotropic and other controlled drugs or medicines of class A or B are neither freely available in the UAE, nor can they be freely imported into the country. They fall under the controlled or restricted items' category. You must have a permit to bring controlled medication.

How do I know if I need a permit for my medicine?

To find out if you need a permit for the medication you are carrying, you can access the list of controlled medications here - https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/health-and-fitness/drugs-and-controlled-medicines/controlled-medicines- and scroll down until you see ‘List of Controlled Medicines’.

Download the document and search for the medication. You will find out if it is banned or you need to carry an allowed quantity, prescription, medical report and import permit.

How do I get a permit from MOHAP?

Once you have figured out if the medication you are travelling with falls under the controlled category, you need to apply for an import permit from MOHAP, which can be applied for online through the website – mohap.gov.ae and is free of cost. You must have a UAE Pass account to access the application for the import permit. Click here to find out how you can set up a UAE Pass account as a visitor.

Once the permit is issued, it is valid for use for two months. Also, it is important to note that the permit is valid to be used only once, which means that you cannot use the same approval multiple times to bring medicine into the UAE. For a detailed guide on how to apply for the permit, click here.

Is there a penalty if you travel to the UAE with narcotic drugs or controlled medicines without a permit?

Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) highlighted that as per Articles 10 and 11 of Federal Decree-Law No. 30 of 2021 regarding combating narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, it is prohibited to import, export, transfer, produce manufacture, bring or possess any narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances. The authority warned that the penalties vary according to the weight or number of quantities seized.

“The penalty may amount to a minimum of two years imprisonment and a fine of no less than Dh100,000, and a maximum of life imprisonment and a fine of no less than Dh200,000,” the post read.