Is Codeine legal in United Arab Emirates?
- Legal status
- Codeine is explicitly enumerated as a controlled substance (Table 2) under Federal Decree-Law 30/2021; prescribed low-dose codeine is lawful only with prior approval. Trafficking committed with intent to traffic or promote is death-eligible, but that capital tier attaches to aggravated narcotic trafficking, not to therapeutic codeine.
- Consequences if caught
- Aggravated narcotic trafficking is death-eligible; unauthorised possession or supply of codeine draws imprisonment, while prescribed use with prior approval is lawful.
- If prescribed or medical
- Dispensed as a Table 2 controlled medicine, lawful only with prior MOHAP approval.
- Documentation
- CONFIRMED TRAP: MOHAP prior import approval is required for controlled/narcotic medicines even with a prescription - codeine is expressly enumerated (Table 2).
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 →