Question

Can you travel with prescription medication?

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Answer

Usually yes — but medicines legal at home can be controlled or banned at your destination, and travellers are arrested for this every year while carrying entirely ordinary prescriptions.

The general rules for carrying medication:

Keep it in hand luggage, in original labelled packaging, so it is identifiable.

Carry your prescription or a letter from your prescriber stating the condition, the medicine's generic name, the dose and that it is for personal use.

Liquid medicines are exempt from the 100ml hand luggage limit when needed during the flight, with supporting documentation, though they must be declared at security.

Needles, syringes, pumps and cooling packs are permitted with documentation.

Split your supply between bags where possible, in case one is lost.

Take more than you need, allowing for delays.

The part that catches people out. Several very common medicines are controlled substances in some countries:

Strong painkillers including codeine-containing products.

ADHD medication, which is a controlled stimulant in many jurisdictions.

Some sleeping tablets and anxiety medicines, particularly benzodiazepines.

Certain cold and allergy remedies containing pseudoephedrine.

Cannabis-based products, including CBD, which is illegal in a number of countries regardless of THC content.

Some countries require a permit in advance, applied for through their embassy weeks ahead — and arriving without one has led to detention and prosecution.

What to do before travelling:

Check the destination's embassy guidance for every medicine you carry, including anything bought over the counter. Transit countries count too, if you leave the secure area.

Check quantity limits, since some countries restrict how much you may bring even when the medicine is permitted.

Carry generic names, since brand names differ internationally.

Do not buy replacements abroad casually, as counterfeits are common in some markets.

Time-zone changes matter for insulin, contraception and anything time-critical — plan the schedule before you fly.

General information, not medical or legal advice.

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