Is Ketamine legal in Germany?

Also known as: ket, special k

Legal status

Ketamine is not a scheduled narcotic in Germany on the text searched, which is a genuine divergence from many other jurisdictions and the row is worth reading closely for that reason. The search ran on 20 September 2026 under „Ketamin; Ketamine“ across BtMG Anlagen I bis III and NpSG Anlagen 1 und 2 and returned no entry in either statute. The regime that governs is medicines law for human use and the veterinary regime for animal use, and the dossier quotes the general rule that finished medicinal products require authorisation under AMG § 21. So the substance is controlled in Germany as a prescription medicine rather than as a narcotic, and the two are different regimes with different offences.

Consequences if caught

Capital exposure: none. Germany has no death penalty. No narcotics ceiling applies either, because the finding is a confirmed absence from the drug schedules and no BtMG maximum follows from one. The exposure that exists is a medicines exposure and it attaches to the product and to the supply: dealing in unauthorised medicinal product, or supplying a prescription medicine without a prescription, is the shape of the offence, and diverted veterinary stock is a further variant of the same question. The dossier does not quantify any of that and this cell does not supply a figure from the narcotics statute, which would be the wrong statute.

If prescribed or medical

Available as a prescription anaesthetic/analgesic; esketamine (Spravato) is approved for treatment-resistant depression. Carry the original prescription and dispensing documentation.

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.