Is Codeine legal in Yemen?
- Legal status
- Codeine is a controlled narcotic under Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Law No. 3 of 1993; supply chains are disrupted by conflict. The death penalty applies to aggravated narcotic trafficking on paper, but capital does not attach to therapeutic codeine.
- Consequences if caught
- Aggravated trafficking is death-eligible on paper; unauthorised possession of codeine draws imprisonment, while prescribed use is lawful (enforcement is opaque amid the conflict).
- If prescribed or medical
- Available as medicine: Yemen's INCB estimated requirement for codeine for 2026 is 180,000 g, against morphine at 2,500 g. Yemen furnished INCB a traveller-regulation sheet (2024); the English file downloads but is a scanned image with no text layer, so its carry terms could not be read here.
- Documentation
- Import authorisation is nominally required but wartime breakdown leaves no reliable channel - carry full documentation.
- hri.global
- INCB Estimated World Requirements of Narcotic Drugs for 2026 (April update): https://www.incb.org/incb/uploads/documents/Narcotic-Drugs/Status-of-Estimates/2026/EstApr26.pdf
- INCB Country Regulations for Travellers: https://www.incb.org/incb/en/travellers/country-regulations.html
Court records
We have not yet assessed whether court records are publicly available for this jurisdiction.
Codeine in related jurisdictions
Other substances confirmed in Yemen
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Yemen’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 →