Is Kratom legal in United Arab Emirates?
- Legal status
- Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is controlled/prohibited in the UAE — listed under the federal narcotics schedules (Federal Decree-Law No. 30 of 2021); import and possession are penalised. The plant and its active constituents are scheduled, mitragynine being the principal alkaloid; the exact schedule text (separate alkaloid versus plant) is left to confirmation.
- Consequences if caught
- Narcotics offences under Federal Decree-Law 30/2021 carry imprisonment, heavy fines and deportation for foreigners; undocumented import is aggressively enforced at entry.
- If prescribed or medical
- No lawful medical route — kratom has no UAE marketing authorisation and is not prescribable.
- Documentation
- No lawful personal-import route; kratom is a scheduled narcotic and carrying it risks arrest at the border.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with United Arab Emirates’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 →