Is Codeine legal in Portugal?
- Legal status
- Codeine is prescription-only in practice and a controlled drug under Decreto-Lei 15/93; travellers carrying narcotics including codeine require prior INFARMED authorisation.
- Consequences if caught
- Unauthorised possession is an offence under Decreto-Lei 15/93; personal use is decriminalised (referred to a dissuasion commission), while trafficking carries prison terms.
- If prescribed or medical
- Prescribed and dispensed as a controlled medicine.
- Documentation
- Partial traveller trap - importing narcotics including codeine needs prior INFARMED authorisation; within Schengen the Article 75 certificate applies.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Portugal’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 →