Is DXM legal in Portugal?

Legal status

Not a controlled substance. Dextromethorphan is expressly excluded from table I-A of Decreto-Lei n.º 15/93 by name.

Consequences if caught

Dextromethorphan is not caught by Portugal's drug consumption regime, and the statute says so in terms rather than by silence. A footnote to table I-A of Decreto-Lei n.º 15/93 reads 'O dextrometorfano (+)-3-metoxi-N-metilmorfinano e o dextrorfano (+)-3-hidroxi-N-metilmorfineno estão especificamente excluídos desta tabela', in translation that dextromethorphan and dextrorphan are specifically excluded from this table. The administrative offence created by Lei n.º 30/2000 and amended by Lei n.º 55/2023 applies to plants, substances and preparations in the tables, so it does not reach dextromethorphan. It is regulated as a medicine. The tables were read in the INFARMED compilation, whose own footnotes carry amendments up to Lei n.º 77/2014, de 11 de novembro, so this absence is established against the tables as amended to 11 November 2014 and any later amending instrument was not available here.

If prescribed or medical

Dextromethorphan is sold as a cough medicine in Portugal under medicines law rather than under the drug tables. Follow the pharmacy rules that apply to the product.

Documentation

No drug licence or certificate is required for a dextromethorphan medicine. Carry any medicine in its original packaging.

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.