Is Barbiturates legal in United Arab Emirates?
- Legal status
- Controlled under Federal Decree-Law 30/2021 — phenobarbital is a MOHAP Controlled Drug (Psychotropic Schedule IV), with pentobarbital and amobarbital in Psychotropic Schedule III and secobarbital in Psychotropic Schedule II. Capital exposure attaches to trafficking or promotion under Decree-Law 30/2021; the barbiturate-specific capital threshold is left to confirmation.
- Consequences if caught
- Personal possession/use carries imprisonment plus mandatory deportation for non-nationals; trace amounts prosecuted. Trafficking or promotion is death/life-eligible.
- If prescribed or medical
- Phenobarbital is a prescribable controlled medicine (MOHAP CD, anticonvulsant); import requires a prior MOHAP/EDE eDrug import permit — up to a 3-month supply with attested prescription and medical report.
- Documentation
- Federal Decree-Law 30/2021, psychotropic Tables 5–8; MOHAP Annex to Travellers' Guidelines lists phenobarbital (Psychotropic Schedule IV), pentobarbital/amobarbital (Schedule III), secobarbital (Schedule II).
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with United Arab Emirates’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 →