Is Hydrocodone legal in Netherlands?
- Legal status
- Hydrocodone is an Opiumwet Lijst I ('hard drug') narcotic; it is not marketed in the Netherlands but sits in the same Lijst I strong-opioid tier as morfine and oxycodon — left to confirmation.
- Consequences if caught
- Hard-drug possession up to 1 year; dealing up to 12 years.
- If prescribed or medical
- No marketed Dutch hydrocodone product; a Lijst I narcotic is dispensed only on a narcotic prescription.
- Documentation
- Within Schengen carry the Article 75 (Eigen Verklaring) certificate for up to a 30-day supply and declare it at customs.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Netherlands’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 →