Are Barbiturates legal in Faroe Islands (Denmark)?

Legal status

Controlled in the Faroe Islands, member by member across three lists. The barbiturates are not one row of bekendtgørelse nr. 495 af 26. maj 2026 for Færøerne om euforiserende stoffer, as in force on 4 October 2026: «Secobarbital INN.» is on liste B nr. 421; amobarbital, butalbital, cyclobarbital and pentobarbital are on liste D at nr. 1, 3, 5 and 9; and allobarbital, barbital, butobarbital, methylphenobarbital, phenobarbital, secbutabarbital and vinylbital are on liste E at nr. 2, 7, 12, 59, 71, 77 and 81. Bilag 1 says «Liste B, D og E omfatter stoffer, der kun må benyttes til medicinsk og videnskabelig brug», and § 3 of the order repeats that «Euforiserende midler må her i landet kun anvendes i medicinsk eller videnskabeligt øjemed».

Consequences if caught

Searched as barb and as bital, which between them catch butalbital and vinylbital as well as the barbital names, and the twelve rows above are every row those searches return in the five lists. A barbiturate not among them is not placed by any group, because the order has no barbiturate group entry. Section 1(3)(6) takes outside the order «Tilberedninger indeholdende højst 2,5 pct. barbital». The order's Eksempelliste 1 names Fenemal under «(E,71)», phenobarbital, and Mebumal under «(D,9)», pentobarbital. Secobarbital's placement on liste B puts it in a stricter import and records regime than the liste E members. The offence is not in the order. Its § 30 says a breach «straffes efter § 3 og § 3 a i lov om euforiserende stoffer, som sat i kraft for Færøerne ved kongelig anordning», and adds «Under de i § 191 i straffeloven angivne omstændigheder straffes overtrædelsen dog efter denne bestemmelse». Section 3(1) of the Act as in force for the Faroe Islands punishes a breach «med bøde eller fængsel indtil 2 år», a fine or imprisonment for up to 2 years, and requires the court to weigh «skadevirkningerne af de pågældende stoffer», the harmfulness of the substance. Section 3(2) makes it «en betydelig skærpende omstændighed» that the case concerns repeated sale of a particularly dangerous or harmful substance, or sale, or free transfer with a view to later sale, at restaurants, discotheques, concerts or music festivals or at other events attended mainly by children or young people. Section 3 a lets a company be held criminally liable under chapter 5 of «den for Færøerne gældende straffelovs», the penal code in force for the Faroe Islands, and this cell reads the straffelov named in § 30 as that same code. Lov nr. 740 af 13. juni 2023 cites it as «straffelov for Færøerne, jf. lovbekendtgørelse nr. 215 af 24. juni 1939». Its § 191 was not read for this cell: no consolidation of it was found on retsinformation.dk and the logir.fo search could not be driven from here. No ceiling for that tier is therefore stated, and the figures in the Danish straffelov, which is a different statute, are not carried over.

If prescribed or medical

Section 6 of the order allows receipt and possession of a listed substance only in named cases, the first being «Personer og institutioner m.v. der modtager midlerne i henhold til en efter de til enhver tid gældende regler udfærdiget recept eller rekvisition». Import is reserved: § 9 confines import of liste A, B and C substances, and § 22 import of liste D and E substances, to persons and bodies licensed by Lægemiddelstyrelsen «samt apoteker, herunder sygehusapoteker». The order contains no provision for a traveller's personal supply, and the Faroese medicines legislation, which governs prescriptions, was not read for this cell, so no traveller allowance is stated here and nothing here authorises carrying it.

Documentation

The order read is bekendtgørelse nr. 495 af 26. maj 2026 for Færøerne om euforiserende stoffer, as in force on 4 October 2026. Its § 33 puts it in force on 15 June 2026 and repeals bekendtgørelse nr. 90 af 31. januar 2025. A retsinformation.dk search run on 4 October 2026 returned no later order amending it, which does not rule out a later amendment. The order was made by Indenrigs- og Sundhedsministeriet under §§ 1 and 2 of lov om euforiserende stoffer as put in force for the Faroe Islands by royal decree, the decree text being consolidated in anordningsbekendtgørelse nr. 1349 af 23. november 2015. It is a Danish ministerial order made for the Faroe Islands, and the licences it provides for are granted by Lægemiddelstyrelsen «efter forhandling med Landsapotekeren». Customs also has a role. Under § 9 of the order an import certificate for a consignment from outside the European Economic Area is shown to «de statslige told- og skattemyndigheder». The customs legislation itself, the Customs Act regime, was not read for this cell and nothing in it rests on that legislation. Carry any medicine in its original packaging with its prescription, and confirm the current rule with the Faroese authorities before travel.

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