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Drug laws and licensing

Personal licences

Persons travelling to or from the UK carrying prescribed controlled drugs will require a personal import or export licence.

Those travelling will require a personal import or export licence if:

  • they are travelling for three calandar months or more
  • are carrying in excess of three months supply

Please apply for a personal licence at least 10 working days in advance of your travel date.

If you are applying from overseas you should allow more time for your application to be processed and for the licence to be posted to you. We advise you not to make fixed travel arrangements prior to recveiving the licence.

You will need to provide the following documents:

If you are travelling for less than three months and you are carrying less than three month supply, you will not need a personal import or export licence to enter or leave the United Kingdom. You are advised to obtain a letter from your prescribing doctor or drug worker, which should confirm your name, travel itinerary, names of prescribed controlled drugs, dosages and total amounts of each to be carried.

Similarly, if you are carrying prescribed medication which is not a controlled drug you are advised to obtain a letter as stated above.

In either case, the personal licence or doctor’s letter should ordinarily be carried in your hand luggage along with the drugs, but as amounts will vary from person to person please always check with your carrier in advance of your travel date that carriage of the entire amount of your medication in hand luggage will be allowed.

Other countries may have their own import regulations for controlled drugs and prescription medicines. You are strongly advised to check this with the UK-based representative(s) of the country/countries to which (and through which) you are travelling.

Please find a list of contacts for Embassies, Consulates and High Commissions.

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