Is Hydrocodone legal in Germany?
- Legal status
- Hydrocodone is an Anlage III narcotic under the Narcotics Act (BtMG) — a marketable/prescribable narcotic requiring a special narcotic prescription (BtM-Rezept); no hydrocodone product is marketed in Germany, but it falls in the same Anlage III strong-opioid tier as Morphin and Oxycodon — left to confirmation.
- Consequences if caught
- Handling or possession without a narcotics prescription: up to 5 years (§29 BtMG); trafficking up to 15 years.
- If prescribed or medical
- No marketed German hydrocodone product; a narcotic in this tier is dispensed only on a BtM-Rezept.
- Documentation
- Within Schengen carry the Article 75 CISA certificate (max 30 days' supply), authenticated by the state health authority (BfArM guidance).
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 →