Is Barbiturates legal in Spain?
- Legal status
- Barbiturates are psychotropic substances under Real Decreto 2829/1977 (transposing the 1971 Convention) — a class scheduled by compound tier (amobarbital/pentobarbital in List III, phenobarbital/barbital in List IV); an ordinary medical prescription applies.
- Consequences if caught
- Personal possession or use is an administrative offence (LO 4/2015 fine); trafficking is criminal (Código Penal art. 368).
- If prescribed or medical
- Phenobarbital is dispensed as a listed antiepileptic (a WHO Essential Medicine) on ordinary prescription; the higher-tier barbiturates (secobarbital/pentobarbital/amobarbital) are now rarely dispensed.
- Documentation
- Carry the Schengen Article 75 certificate and your prescription.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Spain’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 →