Is Heroin legal in Germany?
- Legal status
- Annex I narcotic under the Narcotic Drugs Act (BtMG) — non-tradable and non-prescribable
- Consequences if caught
- Listed in Annex I of the BtMG (non-tradable, non-prescribable). Unlawful narcotics acts — cultivation, import, supply or possession — carry up to 5 years' imprisonment or a fine (§29 BtMG); non-small ('nicht geringe') quantities carry a minimum of 1 year (§29a). Possession for personal use is punishable, though prosecution may be waived for a 'small quantity' for personal use (§31a), with thresholds varying by Land.
- If prescribed or medical
- Annex I substances are non-prescribable; there is no traveller-medicine pathway.
- Documentation
- EU/Schengen travel: carry prescribed narcotics for up to 30 days with an Article 75 Schengen certificate — completed by your doctor and authenticated by the competent Land health authority (one certificate per drug). From outside Schengen: carry a multilingual doctor's certificate authenticated by your home-country health authority. Ordinary (non-narcotic) medicines: up to a 3-month personal supply.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Germany’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 →