Is Adderall legal in United Arab Emirates?
- Legal status
- Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts) has no separate legal identity — it is regulated AS amphetamine: scheduled psychotropic (Table No. 5) under Federal Decree-Law No. 30 of 2021.
- Consequences if caught
- First possession/use ≥3 months or a fine (rehab diversion possible; non-nationals deported). Trafficking or promotion of a Table-5 psychotropic is DEATH-PENALTY or life eligible (Decree-Law 30/2021). Amphetamine carries capital exposure.
- If prescribed or medical
- Prescription stimulant via strictly controlled medical channels; carrying it without a local permit/prescription risks arrest.
- Documentation
- MOHAP import permit (apply ~2 weeks before travel) + the prescription + an attested medical report + original packaging; declare at customs. Without a permit but with a prescription and medical report you must still declare at customs — officers may allow entry or confiscate the medicine and detain you.
- Federal Decree-Law No. 30 of 2021, Table 5 (capital for trafficking)
- uaelegislation.gov.ae
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with United Arab Emirates’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
Before you travel
Verify current rules with the destination country’s official drug authority and your own country’s embassy before traveling. Find the destination’s U.S. embassy & official country guidance →
Non-U.S. travelers: check your own government’s travel advisory and embassy.
If you’re detained or arrested abroad
Contact your own country’s embassy or consulate in the destination immediately — not the destination’s authorities. U.S. citizens: contact the nearest U.S. embassy/consulate and the U.S. State Department at +1-202-501-4444 (from abroad). If a U.S. citizen is arrested or detained abroad →