Is Barbiturates legal in Maldives?
- Legal status
- Barbiturates are registered prescription medicines in the Schedule 2 (medical-utility) tier under the Drugs Act (Law No. 17/2011), not Schedule 1 — a prescription-controlled class transposing the 1971 Convention.
- Consequences if caught
- Imprisonment and fines apply for unlawful handling (post-2025 trafficking up to ~20 years). The 2025 death-penalty amendment covers only physical import of cannabis >350g, diamorphine >250g, or >100g of any Schedule 1 drug — barbiturates are Schedule 2, not death-eligible.
- If prescribed or medical
- Phenobarbital is dispensed as a registered Schedule 2 antiepileptic (a WHO Essential Medicine); the sedative-hypnotic barbiturates are tightly controlled.
- Documentation
- Carry a prescription and original packaging; declare controlled medicines.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Maldives’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 →