Is Xanax (Alprazolam) legal in Kuwait?

Legal status

Alprazolam is a Schedule 4 psychotropic substance under Kuwait's Decree-Law No. 159 of 2025 on Combating Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances (in force December 2025, superseding Law No. 74 of 1983 and Law No. 48 of 1987, which carry the UN Convention schedules), implementing 1971 Convention Schedule IV. As a lower medicinal-tier substance it sits below the drugs to which capital sentences are applied in practice; the statutory capital reach (Article 44) to this tier, and any quantity threshold, are left to confirmation until the law's Executive Regulation is issued.

Consequences if caught

Trafficking, importation or production with intent under Decree-Law No. 159 of 2025 carries the death penalty or life imprisonment plus fines up to KD 2 million (Article 44 aggravators include sale to minors, dealing near schools or places of worship, abuse of office, and international trafficking operations); simple possession or use draws imprisonment and fines, with deportation for non-nationals.

If prescribed or medical

Alprazolam is prescribable in Kuwait only under controlled-medicine rules; a traveller or patient importing it needs Kuwait Ministry of Health prior authorization — advance clearance of a certified medical report or prescription before arrival (regime under Decree-Law No. 159 of 2025, in force December 2025), with supply capped at roughly one month of treatment.

Documentation

Bring an official prescription and a physician's medical report pre-certified by a Kuwaiti embassy or consulate and cleared with the Kuwait Ministry of Health before travel; uncertified papers are held by Customs pending airport-clinic certification within 24 hours. Non-nationals risk arrest for any scheduled substance carried without this clearance.

Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Kuwait’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.