Is Barbiturates legal in Germany?
- Legal status
- Barbiturates are controlled narcotics in Anlage III of the Narcotics Act (BtMG) — the marketable-and-prescribable tier that transposes the 1971 Convention (secobarbital/pentobarbital/amobarbital from Schedules II–III, phenobarbital/barbital from Schedule IV); low-strength phenobarbital combination preparations fall under an 'ausgenommene Zubereitung' exemption.
- Consequences if caught
- Handling outside the exemption or without a narcotics prescription: up to 5 years (§29 BtMG); commercial trafficking higher.
- If prescribed or medical
- Phenobarbital — the only barbiturate still marketed in Germany — is prescribed as an Anlage III antiepileptic (a WHO Essential Medicine) on a narcotics prescription (BtM-Rezept) above the exemption threshold; pentobarbital/secobarbital are no longer available as human hypnotics.
- Documentation
- Within the Schengen area carry the Article 75 CISA certificate; domestically carry the narcotics prescription.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Germany’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 →