Legal status in Maldives

Per-substance legal status for Maldives, from sourced statutes where available. Legal information, not legal advice; drug laws change, so confirm with the destination’s embassy or drug authority before you travel.

38 confirmed substances50 not individually verifiedLast updated September 21, 2026

Confirmed legal status

2C-B

Legal status: Controlled under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025), trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term, elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g cannabis / 250 g diamorphine / 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND brought in at the point of entry (capital punishment requires the unanimous full Supreme Court bench, else life imprisonment); possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription 3-15 years + fine; death penalty retained de jure since December 2025 under a long-standing execution moratorium since 1954
Consequences if caught: 2C-B is controlled in Maldives under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025). In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine. Cannabis is a Schedule 1 drug; trafficking above 350 g brought in at the point of entry is capital-eligible (subject to the unanimous Supreme Court requirement and the 1954 execution moratorium), and lower amounts carry the mandatory 20-year base term. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025 · presidency.gov.mv · Updated June 27, 2026

2C-B in Maldives, full detail →

Alcohol

Legal status: Prohibited on inhabited islands / tourist-resort exception, alcohol (ethanol) is banned for the general public and on all local islands; licensed sale is confined to tourist resorts, resort hotels and some liveaboard vessels.
Consequences if caught: Possession, consumption or public intoxication outside a licensed resort brings arrest, fines and deportation; importing alcohol (even duty-free) is barred and confiscated on arrival.
If prescribed / medical: n/a, a beverage, not a medicine.
Documentation: Tourists drink only inside licensed private-island resorts; no alcohol on Malé or inhabited islands, in guesthouses on local islands, or at the airport. Personal import is illegal.

travel.state.gov · Updated July 14, 2026

Alcohol in Maldives, full detail →

Barbiturates

Legal status: Barbiturates are registered prescription medicines in the Schedule 2 (medical-utility) tier under the Drugs Act (Law No. 17/2011), not Schedule 1, a prescription-controlled class transposing the 1971 Convention.
Consequences if caught: Imprisonment and fines apply for unlawful handling (post-2025 trafficking up to ~20 years). The 2025 death-penalty amendment covers only physical import of cannabis >350g, diamorphine >250g, or >100g of any Schedule 1 drug, barbiturates are Schedule 2, not death-eligible.
If prescribed / medical: Phenobarbital is dispensed as a registered Schedule 2 antiepileptic (a WHO Essential Medicine); the sedative-hypnotic barbiturates are tightly controlled.
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging; declare controlled medicines.

issup.net · Updated July 14, 2026

Barbiturates in Maldives, full detail →

Benzodiazepines

Legal status: Controlled under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025), trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term, elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g cannabis / 250 g diamorphine / 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND brought in at the point of entry (capital punishment requires the unanimous full Supreme Court bench, else life imprisonment); possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription 3-15 years + fine; death penalty retained de jure since December 2025 under a long-standing execution moratorium since 1954
Consequences if caught: Benzodiazepines is controlled in Maldives under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025). In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine. Cannabis is a Schedule 1 drug; trafficking above 350 g brought in at the point of entry is capital-eligible (subject to the unanimous Supreme Court requirement and the 1954 execution moratorium), and lower amounts carry the mandatory 20-year base term. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025 · presidency.gov.mv · Updated June 27, 2026

Benzodiazepines in Maldives, full detail →

Buprenorphine

Legal status: Buprenorphine is a controlled prescription medicine under the Maldives Drug Act (Law No. 17/2011), a 1971 Schedule III opioid, a lighter tier than methadone; it sits below the capital tier, though its exact Schedule membership is left to confirmation.
Consequences if caught: Imprisonment and fines apply for unlawful handling; the 2025 death-penalty amendment covers only physical import of cannabis >350 g, diamorphine >250 g, or >100 g of a Schedule 1 drug, therapeutic buprenorphine falls below that capital tier.
If prescribed / medical: Dispensed as a controlled prescription medicine.
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging; declare controlled medicines and obtain any required MFDA import approval.

issup.net · Updated July 13, 2026

Buprenorphine in Maldives, full detail →

Cannabis / THC

Legal status: Cannabis is a Schedule 1 drug under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025), trafficking carries a mandatory 20-year base term, elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g AND brought in at the point of entry (unanimous full Supreme Court bench required, else life imprisonment); possession of a Schedule 2 drug without prescription 3-15 years + fine; death penalty retained de jure since December 2025 under a long-standing execution moratorium since 1954
Consequences if caught: Cannabis is a Schedule 1 drug in Maldives under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025). In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine. Cannabis is a Schedule 1 drug; trafficking above 350 g brought in at the point of entry is capital-eligible (subject to the unanimous Supreme Court requirement and the 1954 execution moratorium), and lower amounts carry the mandatory 20-year base term. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025 · presidency.gov.mv · Updated June 27, 2026

Cannabis / THC in Maldives, full detail →

Cathinone

Legal status: Controlled, cathinone (khat's natural principal alkaloid) is a 1971 Convention SCHEDULE I psychotropic and falls within the schedules of the Drugs Act (Law 17/2011), which incorporate the 1971 psychotropics. Mechanism: 1971 Sch-I transposition, named. As the parent compound it is DISTINCT from the khat PLANT (Catha edulis, not separately named) and from the synthetic cathinones (mephedrone etc.) that derive from it; cathinone is the named Sch-I alkaloid, cathine the milder metabolite (1971 Schedule III). Capital reach is left to confirmation, the Act sets penalties by schedule/quantity and capital reach to cathinone is not confirmable (executions under long moratorium).
Consequences if caught: Controlled substance: penalties set by schedule/quantity for the alkaloid; capital exposure for cathinone unconfirmable. High risk.
If prescribed / medical: 1971 Schedule I substance with no accepted medical use and no lawful prescription route for the isolated alkaloid.
Documentation: No licit personal-import route for a controlled substance.

unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026

Cathinone in Maldives, full detail →

CBD

Legal status: CBD (cannabidiol) is controlled as cannabis and among the strictest regimes, the Drugs Act (Law No. 17/2011) classifies cannabis as Schedule 1 with no CBD/cannabis distinction or THC threshold, and Customs lists narcotics as prohibited imports.
Consequences if caught: Possession reaches about 15 years and trafficking up to life plus fines (MVR 100,000-10,000,000) with the death penalty available; CBD is confiscated on arrival (not bonded) and can trigger prosecution.
If prescribed / medical: A very narrow personal-medical route for controlled drugs (registered-practitioner prescription) is not recognised for cannabis/CBD, which is prohibited outright.
Documentation: No documentation legalises CBD, a Schedule 1 narcotic confiscated on arrival; a foreign prescription does not permit entry.

customs.gov.mv · Updated July 14, 2026

CBD in Maldives, full detail →

Clonazepam

Legal status: Clonazepam is a registered prescription medicine in the Schedule 2 (medical-utility) tier under the Drugs Act (Law No. 17/2011), not Schedule 1.
Consequences if caught: Imprisonment and fines apply for unlawful handling (post-2025 trafficking up to ~20 years). The 2025 death-penalty amendment covers only physical import of cannabis >350g, diamorphine >250g, or >100g of any Schedule 1 drug, benzodiazepines are Schedule 2, not death-eligible.
If prescribed / medical: Dispensed as a registered Schedule 2 controlled medicine.
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging; declare controlled medicines.

issup.net · Updated July 13, 2026

Clonazepam in Maldives, full detail →

Cocaine

Legal status: Controlled under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025), trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term, elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g cannabis / 250 g diamorphine / 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND brought in at the point of entry (capital punishment requires the unanimous full Supreme Court bench, else life imprisonment); possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription 3-15 years + fine; death penalty retained de jure since December 2025 under a long-standing execution moratorium since 1954
Consequences if caught: Cocaine is controlled in Maldives under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025). In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine. Cannabis is a Schedule 1 drug; trafficking above 350 g brought in at the point of entry is capital-eligible (subject to the unanimous Supreme Court requirement and the 1954 execution moratorium), and lower amounts carry the mandatory 20-year base term. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025 · presidency.gov.mv · Updated June 27, 2026

Cocaine in Maldives, full detail →

Codeine

Legal status: Codeine is a controlled/registered prescription medicine under the Drug Act (Law No. 17/2011); low-dose codeine sits below the capital tier (the death-eligible thresholds attach to Schedule 1 drugs such as diamorphine above 250 g, or above 100 g of any Schedule 1 drug, not to low-dose codeine).
Consequences if caught: Unauthorised handling draws imprisonment and fines; codeine is not death-eligible (Maldives also has a de facto moratorium).
If prescribed / medical: Available as medicine on the national formulary: the Maldives Food and Drug Authority’s Approved Drug List (No. MTG/RE-AL/Li 0009/2026-00008, updated 11.08.2026) lists Codeine Tablet 30 mg, Codeine Tablet 20 mg, Codeine Oral Liquid 5 mg/ml and codeine+paracetamol 8 mg/500 mg. Every one of those entries is marked “POM”, the ADL legend defines POM as “Prescription only medicine”, “medicines that can be sold to a valid prescription only”, and every one carries status “PA”, “Pre-Authorization required before import”, approved 01.02.2025-01.02.2028. The two codeine tablet strengths are additionally designated “Nationally Controlled Narcortics” [sic] in the ADL, and the legend’s Controlled entry states that narcotics “cannot be kept in pharmacies for sale” and can only be imported by designated parties. The branded paracetamol+codeine product Panadeine (500 mg + 8 mg) is listed separately as “PAB”, import restricted to specific named companies. Note one tension a traveller should know: the Maldives’ 2026 INCB narcotic estimates contain no codeine line at all, and under the 1961 Convention imports may not exceed a country’s estimates.
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging; declare controlled medicines and confirm any prior import permission.

issup.net · mfda.gov.mv · incb.org · Maldives Food and Drug Authority, Approved Drug List No. MTG/RE-AL/Li 0009/2026-00008, updated 11.08.2026 · INCB Estimated World Requirements of Narcotic Drugs for 2026 (April update), the Maldives row carries no codeine line · Updated August 25, 2026

Codeine in Maldives, full detail →

Crack Cocaine

Legal status: Crack is the freebase (base) form of cocaine and has no separate legal identity in the Maldives: it is controlled AS cocaine, a Schedule 1 drug under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), whose schedule covers cocaine, its salts and preparations and thus reaches the base/freebase form. The trafficking regime is measured by weight/schedule and carries over to crack, so trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries the mandatory base term (20 years, elevated by aggravation) whether powder or base.
Consequences if caught: Trafficking crack (as cocaine) as a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term (elevated by aggravating factors under the 2025 Third Amendment); lesser possession draws imprisonment or rehabilitation.
If prescribed / medical: Cocaine has no recognised therapeutic use in the Maldives; the crack/freebase base has no medicinal preparation and cannot be prescribed.
Documentation: No prescription documentation exists for crack/freebase cocaine.

unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026

Crack Cocaine in Maldives, full detail →

Delta-8-THC

Legal status: Controlled, delta-8-THC (Δ8-THC) is caught as a tetrahydrocannabinol under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), which schedules cannabis and THC; delta-8 is controlled as an isomer of THC. Distinct from cannabis, a Schedule 1 drug (trafficking a mandatory 20-year base term). No death penalty applied for this substance in practice.
Consequences if caught: Illegal; possession and trafficking penalties under the Drugs Act, with long mandatory terms for trafficking.
If prescribed / medical: No recognised medical use; delta-8-THC is not a prescribable medicine.
Documentation: No lawful personal import of a controlled tetrahydrocannabinol.

presidency.gov.mv · Updated July 14, 2026

Delta-8-THC in Maldives, full detail →

Diazepam

Legal status: Diazepam is a registered prescription medicine in the Schedule 2 (medical-utility) tier under the Drugs Act (Law No. 17/2011), not Schedule 1.
Consequences if caught: Imprisonment and fines apply for unlawful handling (post-2025 trafficking up to ~20 years). The 2025 death-penalty amendment covers only physical import of cannabis >350g, diamorphine >250g, or >100g of any Schedule 1 drug, benzodiazepines are Schedule 2, not death-eligible.
If prescribed / medical: Dispensed as a registered Schedule 2 controlled medicine.
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging; declare controlled medicines.

issup.net · Updated July 13, 2026

Diazepam in Maldives, full detail →

DMT

Legal status: Controlled under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025), trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term, elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g cannabis / 250 g diamorphine / 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND brought in at the point of entry (capital punishment requires the unanimous full Supreme Court bench, else life imprisonment); possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription 3-15 years + fine; death penalty retained de jure since December 2025 under a long-standing execution moratorium since 1954
Consequences if caught: DMT is controlled in Maldives under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025). In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine. Cannabis is a Schedule 1 drug; trafficking above 350 g brought in at the point of entry is capital-eligible (subject to the unanimous Supreme Court requirement and the 1954 execution moratorium), and lower amounts carry the mandatory 20-year base term. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025 · presidency.gov.mv · Updated June 27, 2026

DMT in Maldives, full detail →

Ephedrine

Legal status: Regulated as a chemical PRECURSOR (1988 UN Convention Table I, a methamphetamine precursor), NOT as a scheduled narcotic; a precursor under Schedule 3 of the Drugs Act (Law No. 17/2011).
Consequences if caught: No capital exposure, Schedule-3 precursor offences are 10-15 years (non-capital); the capital tier targets Schedule-1 finished drugs, not Schedule-3 precursors.
If prescribed / medical: Also a pharmacy/prescription decongestant-bronchodilator medicine subject to sales limits; carry documentation for a personal supply.
Documentation: In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine. Cannabis is a Schedule 1 drug; trafficking above 350 g brought in at the point of entry is capital-eligible (subject to the unanimous Supreme Court requirement and the 1954 execution moratorium), and lower amounts carry the mandatory 20-year base term. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

unafei.or.jp · Updated July 13, 2026

Ephedrine in Maldives, full detail →

Fentanyl

Legal status: Controlled under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025), trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term, elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g cannabis / 250 g diamorphine / 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND brought in at the point of entry (capital punishment requires the unanimous full Supreme Court bench, else life imprisonment); possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription 3-15 years + fine; death penalty retained de jure since December 2025 under a long-standing execution moratorium since 1954
Consequences if caught: Fentanyl is controlled in Maldives under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025). In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine. Cannabis is a Schedule 1 drug; trafficking above 350 g brought in at the point of entry is capital-eligible (subject to the unanimous Supreme Court requirement and the 1954 execution moratorium), and lower amounts carry the mandatory 20-year base term. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025 · presidency.gov.mv · Updated June 27, 2026

Fentanyl in Maldives, full detail →

GHB

Legal status: Controlled under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025), trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term, elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g cannabis / 250 g diamorphine / 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND brought in at the point of entry (capital punishment requires the unanimous full Supreme Court bench, else life imprisonment); possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription 3-15 years + fine; death penalty retained de jure since December 2025 under a long-standing execution moratorium since 1954
Consequences if caught: GHB is controlled in Maldives under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025). In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine. Cannabis is a Schedule 1 drug; trafficking above 350 g brought in at the point of entry is capital-eligible (subject to the unanimous Supreme Court requirement and the 1954 execution moratorium), and lower amounts carry the mandatory 20-year base term. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025 · presidency.gov.mv · Updated June 27, 2026

GHB in Maldives, full detail →

Heroin

Legal status: Controlled under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025), trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term, elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g cannabis / 250 g diamorphine / 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND brought in at the point of entry (capital punishment requires the unanimous full Supreme Court bench, else life imprisonment); possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription 3-15 years + fine; death penalty retained de jure since December 2025 under a long-standing execution moratorium since 1954
Consequences if caught: Heroin is controlled in Maldives under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025). In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine. Cannabis is a Schedule 1 drug; trafficking above 350 g brought in at the point of entry is capital-eligible (subject to the unanimous Supreme Court requirement and the 1954 execution moratorium), and lower amounts carry the mandatory 20-year base term. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025 · presidency.gov.mv · Updated June 27, 2026

Heroin in Maldives, full detail →

Hydrocodone

Legal status: Controlled substance under the Drug Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025). Hydrocodone is a 1961 Single Convention Schedule I opioid.
Consequences if caught: The Third Amendment to the Drugs Act, ratified 6 December 2025, raises Schedule 1 trafficking to 20 years' imprisonment and a fine of MVR 75,000 to MVR 7,500,000, and permits elevation to the death penalty where the quantity brought into the country at the point of entry exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug; execution requires the unanimous agreement of every justice of the Supreme Court sitting as a full bench. The Schedule 1 list is not reproduced in the ratification record, so this substance's Schedule 1 placement is left to confirmation.
If prescribed / medical: Prescription availability NOT CONFIRMED. The Maldives furnished INCB no hydrocodone estimate for 2026 - but its narcotic return lists only four substances (fentanyl, methadone, morphine, pethidine), so the absence cannot be read as a positive finding of non-availability the way Iraq's or Jordan's can. It is simply not recorded either way.
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging and declare controlled medicines. The Maldives Food and Drug Authority publishes national medicines rules but is not an allowlisted source for this project, so nothing is quoted from it here.

Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025 - The President's Office, Maldives: https://presidency.gov.mv/Press/Article/35837 · INCB, Estimated World Requirements of Narcotic Drugs for 2026 (July update): https://www.incb.org/incb/uploads/documents/Narcotic-Drugs/Status-of-Estimates/2026/EstJul26_rev.pdf · Updated August 25, 2026

Hydrocodone in Maldives, full detail →

Lorazepam

Legal status: Lorazepam is a registered prescription medicine in the Schedule 2 (medical-utility) tier under the Drugs Act (Law No. 17/2011), not Schedule 1.
Consequences if caught: Imprisonment and fines apply for unlawful handling (post-2025 trafficking up to ~20 years). The 2025 death-penalty amendment covers only physical import of cannabis >350g, diamorphine >250g, or >100g of any Schedule 1 drug, benzodiazepines are Schedule 2, not death-eligible.
If prescribed / medical: Dispensed as a registered Schedule 2 controlled medicine.
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging; declare controlled medicines.

issup.net · Updated July 13, 2026

Lorazepam in Maldives, full detail →

LSD

Legal status: Controlled under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025), trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term, elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g cannabis / 250 g diamorphine / 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND brought in at the point of entry (capital punishment requires the unanimous full Supreme Court bench, else life imprisonment); possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription 3-15 years + fine; death penalty retained de jure since December 2025 under a long-standing execution moratorium since 1954
Consequences if caught: LSD is controlled in Maldives under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025). In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine. Cannabis is a Schedule 1 drug; trafficking above 350 g brought in at the point of entry is capital-eligible (subject to the unanimous Supreme Court requirement and the 1954 execution moratorium), and lower amounts carry the mandatory 20-year base term. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025 · presidency.gov.mv · Updated June 27, 2026

LSD in Maldives, full detail →

MDA

Legal status: Controlled under the Drug Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025). MDA is a 1971 Convention Schedule I substance; the Act's Schedule 1 list is not reproduced in the ratification record, so MDA's Schedule 1 placement is left to confirmation.
Consequences if caught: The Third Amendment raises Schedule 1 trafficking to 20 years' imprisonment and a fine of MVR 75,000 to MVR 7,500,000, and permits elevation to the death penalty where the quantity brought into the country at the point of entry exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug. Execution requires every justice of the Supreme Court, sitting as a full bench, to agree unanimously, and such offences are excluded from clemency and from plea agreements under the Criminal Procedure Code (Act No. 12/2016).
If prescribed / medical: No lawful prescription route. MDA is a Schedule I substance under the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances - the schedule reserved for substances with no recognised medical use - and no country anywhere furnished INCB an MDA assessment for 2026, while the closely related MDMA and MDPV each appear dozens of times in the same return. There is no licit MDA supply to prescribe from.
Documentation: No lawful personal import. The Maldives Food and Drug Authority publishes the national medicines rules but is not an allowlisted source for this project, so nothing is quoted from it here.

Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025 - The President's Office, Maldives: https://presidency.gov.mv/Press/Article/35837 · INCB, Assessments of Annual Medical and Scientific Requirements for Psychotropic Substances, as at 21 August 2026: https://www.incb.org/incb/uploads/documents/Psychotropics/assessment/psy_assessments_20260821_F.txt · Updated August 25, 2026

MDA in Maldives, full detail →

MDMA

Legal status: Controlled under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025), trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term, elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g cannabis / 250 g diamorphine / 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND brought in at the point of entry (capital punishment requires the unanimous full Supreme Court bench, else life imprisonment); possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription 3-15 years + fine; death penalty retained de jure since December 2025 under a long-standing execution moratorium since 1954
Consequences if caught: MDMA is controlled in Maldives under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025). In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine. Cannabis is a Schedule 1 drug; trafficking above 350 g brought in at the point of entry is capital-eligible (subject to the unanimous Supreme Court requirement and the 1954 execution moratorium), and lower amounts carry the mandatory 20-year base term. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025 · presidency.gov.mv · Updated June 27, 2026

MDMA in Maldives, full detail →

Mephedrone (4-MMC)

Legal status: Controlled, TREATY-floor. Mephedrone is controlled via national incorporation of the 1971 psychotropics schedules into the Drugs Act (Law 17/2011). Capital reach is left to confirmation, the Act sets penalties by schedule/quantity and capital reach to mephedrone is not confirmable (executions under long moratorium).
Consequences if caught: Controlled substance: penalties set by schedule/quantity; capital exposure for mephedrone unconfirmable. High risk.
If prescribed / medical: Controlled substance with no recognised medical use and no lawful prescription route.
Documentation: No licit personal-import route for a controlled substance.

unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026

Mephedrone (4-MMC) in Maldives, full detail →

Mescaline

Legal status: Controlled under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025), trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term, elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g cannabis / 250 g diamorphine / 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND brought in at the point of entry (capital punishment requires the unanimous full Supreme Court bench, else life imprisonment); possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription 3-15 years + fine; death penalty retained de jure since December 2025 under a long-standing execution moratorium since 1954
Consequences if caught: Mescaline is controlled in Maldives under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025). In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine. Cannabis is a Schedule 1 drug; trafficking above 350 g brought in at the point of entry is capital-eligible (subject to the unanimous Supreme Court requirement and the 1954 execution moratorium), and lower amounts carry the mandatory 20-year base term. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025 · presidency.gov.mv · Updated June 27, 2026

Mescaline in Maldives, full detail →

Methadone

Legal status: Controlled narcotic under the Drug Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025). Methadone is a 1961 Single Convention Schedule I opioid.
Consequences if caught: The Third Amendment to the Drugs Act, ratified 6 December 2025, raises Schedule 1 trafficking to 20 years' imprisonment and a fine of MVR 75,000 to MVR 7,500,000, and permits elevation to the death penalty where the quantity brought into the country at the point of entry exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug; execution requires the unanimous agreement of every justice of the Supreme Court sitting as a full bench. The Schedule 1 list is not reproduced in the ratification record, so this substance's Schedule 1 placement is left to confirmation.
If prescribed / medical: Available, and it is the substance the Maldives plans for above all others: the 2026 INCB estimated requirement for methadone is 10,506 g, against morphine at 724 g, pethidine at 507 g and fentanyl at 29 g. Methadone is more than fourteen times the country's morphine requirement, which is the signature of a national opioid substitution programme rather than of pain prescribing.
Documentation: Carry a prescription; controlled-medicine import can require prior permission - declare it or risk seizure. The Maldives Food and Drug Authority publishes the national rules but is not an allowlisted source for this project, so nothing is quoted from it here.

Methadone in Maldives, full detail →

Methamphetamine

Legal status: Controlled under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025), trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term, elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g cannabis / 250 g diamorphine / 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND brought in at the point of entry (capital punishment requires the unanimous full Supreme Court bench, else life imprisonment); possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription 3-15 years + fine; death penalty retained de jure since December 2025 under a long-standing execution moratorium since 1954
Consequences if caught: Methamphetamine is controlled in Maldives under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025). In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine. Cannabis is a Schedule 1 drug; trafficking above 350 g brought in at the point of entry is capital-eligible (subject to the unanimous Supreme Court requirement and the 1954 execution moratorium), and lower amounts carry the mandatory 20-year base term. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025 · presidency.gov.mv · Updated June 27, 2026

Methamphetamine in Maldives, full detail →

Modafinil

Legal status: Prescription medicine (MFDA), NOT among the Drug Act (Law 17/2011) Schedule One abuse substances.
Consequences if caught: Handled under drug-regulatory rules; no Schedule-One capital-trafficking exposure (modafinil is not Schedule One).
If prescribed / medical: Carry the prescription.
Documentation: In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine. Cannabis is a Schedule 1 drug; trafficking above 350 g brought in at the point of entry is capital-eligible (subject to the unanimous Supreme Court requirement and the 1954 execution moratorium), and lower amounts carry the mandatory 20-year base term. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Not Schedule One under the Drug Act (Law 17/2011) · presidency.gov.mv · Updated July 13, 2026

Modafinil in Maldives, full detail →

Morphine

Legal status: Controlled narcotic under the Drug Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025). Morphine is a 1961 Single Convention Schedule I substance and the Maldives furnishes narcotic estimates to INCB under it.
Consequences if caught: The Third Amendment to the Drugs Act, ratified 6 December 2025, raises Schedule 1 trafficking to 20 years' imprisonment and a fine of MVR 75,000 to MVR 7,500,000, and permits that penalty to be elevated to death where the quantity brought into the country at the point of entry exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug. Execution requires every justice of the Supreme Court, sitting as a full bench, to agree unanimously. The Act's Schedule 1 list is not reproduced in the ratification record, so this substance's Schedule 1 placement is left to confirmation.
If prescribed / medical: Available on prescription as a controlled narcotic. The Maldives' INCB estimated requirement of morphine for 2026 is 724 g. Note the scale: this is a small national requirement, in a return that lists only four narcotic substances, so licit morphine exists but the supply is thin.
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging and declare controlled narcotics on entry; prior import approval may be required. The Maldives Food and Drug Authority publishes the national medicines rules but is not an allowlisted source for this project, so nothing is quoted from it here.

Morphine in Maldives, full detail →

Nicotine

Legal status: Nicotine is legal in the Maldives in combustible tobacco (though a generational tobacco ban applies from November 2025) and in nicotine-replacement therapy, but the nicotine DELIVERY product is banned for all ages. An amendment to the Tobacco Control Act signed by President Muizzu prohibits the import, sale, free distribution, possession and use of e-cigarettes and vaping products, import barred from 15 November 2024 and use/sale from 15 December 2024, binding residents and tourists alike.
Consequences if caught: Importing, selling, distributing, possessing or using a vape is an offence with fines including up to MVR 50,000 for importation (plus MVR 10,000 per item), MVR 20,000 for sale and MVR 5,000 for use; the ban reaches tourists and personal-use imports, making it a traveler trap.
If prescribed / medical: Nicotine-replacement therapy remains lawful as a medicine; there is no medical or prescription route to a vaping device.
Documentation: No import permit is available for personal vapes, they may not be brought into the country.

who.int · Updated July 14, 2026

Nicotine in Maldives, full detail →

PCP

Legal status: Controlled under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025), trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term, elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g cannabis / 250 g diamorphine / 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND brought in at the point of entry (capital punishment requires the unanimous full Supreme Court bench, else life imprisonment); possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription 3-15 years + fine; death penalty retained de jure since December 2025 under a long-standing execution moratorium since 1954
Consequences if caught: PCP is controlled in Maldives under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025). In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine. Cannabis is a Schedule 1 drug; trafficking above 350 g brought in at the point of entry is capital-eligible (subject to the unanimous Supreme Court requirement and the 1954 execution moratorium), and lower amounts carry the mandatory 20-year base term. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025 · presidency.gov.mv · Updated June 27, 2026

PCP in Maldives, full detail →

Pink Cocaine / Tusi

Legal status: Pink cocaine (tusi) is not scheduled as such; it is a variable mixture (typically ketamine + MDMA) prosecuted through its constituents, the Maldives controls MDMA as a Schedule 1 drug under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), which reaches any preparation containing a controlled substance. Because the blend varies batch to batch, exposure follows the most-severely-controlled component, so an MDMA-containing tusi sample is charged as a Schedule 1 offence.
Consequences if caught: An MDMA-positive mixture is a Schedule 1 offence where trafficking carries a mandatory 20-year term (up to life); drug offences under the Drugs Act are not death-eligible, so tusi does not carry a capital penalty here.
If prescribed / medical: No lawful supply of the mixture; MDMA has no accepted medical use, and ketamine, where present, is a controlled medicine.
Documentation: Sold as a party powder of unknown makeup; because the blend varies batch to batch, buyers and travellers cannot know whether Schedule 1 MDMA is present, so mandatory long-imprisonment exposure is unknowable at purchase.

presidency.gov.mv · The Drugs Act, Act No. 17/2011, carries the schedules this cell reads against, and the sibling cells of this table record it as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Naming an amending instrument is not a statement of which version of the schedules was read, and no such version was recorded when this cell was authored on 14 July 2026. That does not rule out a later amendment made or commenced since. · Updated September 21, 2026

Pink Cocaine / Tusi in Maldives, full detail →

Psilocybin

Legal status: Controlled under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025), trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term, elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g cannabis / 250 g diamorphine / 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND brought in at the point of entry (capital punishment requires the unanimous full Supreme Court bench, else life imprisonment); possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription 3-15 years + fine; death penalty retained de jure since December 2025 under a long-standing execution moratorium since 1954
Consequences if caught: Psilocybin is controlled in Maldives under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025). In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine.
If prescribed / medical: Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
Documentation: In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3-15 years plus a fine. Cannabis is a Schedule 1 drug; trafficking above 350 g brought in at the point of entry is capital-eligible (subject to the unanimous Supreme Court requirement and the 1954 execution moratorium), and lower amounts carry the mandatory 20-year base term. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.

Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025 · presidency.gov.mv · Updated June 27, 2026

Psilocybin in Maldives, full detail →

Synthetic Cannabinoids (K2 / Spice)

Legal status: Controlled. Synthetic cannabinoids are controlled under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), whose schedules incorporate internationally controlled substances including the synthetic cannabinoids added to Schedule II of the 1971 Convention. Trafficking carries a mandatory lengthy term (base 20 years for scheduled drugs), but no synthetic-cannabinoid-specific capital treatment is published, so capital reach for this class is left to confirmation.
Consequences if caught: Illegal; trafficking carries a mandatory lengthy term (base 20 years) under the Drugs Act. Do NOT carry.
If prescribed / medical: These synthetic cannabinoids have no recognised medical use and no lawful prescription route in the Maldives.
Documentation: No lawful personal-import route for controlled synthetic cannabinoids; do not carry.

unodc.org · Updated July 14, 2026

Synthetic Cannabinoids (K2 / Spice) in Maldives, full detail →

Tobacco

Legal status: Tobacco is subject to a generational prohibition in the Maldives: effective 1 November 2025, anyone born on or after 1 January 2007 is permanently barred from buying, using or possessing tobacco in any form. The Ministry of Health's generational tobacco ban applies to residents and foreign visitors alike, making the Maldives the first country worldwide to bring a generational tobacco prohibition into force (the Maldives separately bans e-cigarettes and vapes for all ages).
Consequences if caught: The prohibition binds tourists as well as residents, a genuine traveler trap; retailers must verify age and selling to a person within the banned birth cohort carries a fine of MVR 50,000 (about USD 3,200).
If prescribed / medical: n/a, tobacco is not a prescription product.
Documentation: Age verification required at point of sale; the ban covers all forms of tobacco.

who.int · Updated July 14, 2026

Tobacco in Maldives, full detail →

Tramadol

Legal status: Tramadol is a controlled prescription medicine under the MFDA and the strict Drug Act (Law 17/2011), which requires import approval; its exact schedule placement is left to confirmation, and whether it sits in a capital trafficking tier is not established, so the tramadol-specific capital tier is left to confirmation.
Consequences if caught: Unlawful handling draws imprisonment and fines; it is not established that tramadol falls in a death-eligible trafficking tier.
If prescribed / medical: Available as medicine on the national formulary: the Maldives Food and Drug Authority’s Approved Drug List (No. MTG/RE-AL/Li 0009/2026-00008, updated 11.08.2026) lists Tramadol Capsule 50 mg, Tramadol Tablet 50 mg, Tramadol Injection 50 mg/ml and tramadol+paracetamol 37.5 mg/325 mg, each with status “PA”, “Pre-Authorization required before import”, approved 01.02.2025-01.02.2028. The forms are not treated alike: the oral capsule, tablet and combination are “POM” (“Prescription only medicine”) and designated “Nationally Controlled Psychotropic”, while the 50 mg/ml injection is restricted to “Hospital/Institutional use only” and designated “Nationally Controlled Narcortics” [sic], so the injectable form is not obtainable in a retail pharmacy at all. Several branded tramadol products (Acugesic, Tradol, Tramazac) appear separately as “PAB”, “branded products authorized to import for specific designated parties for a specific duration of time”. Controlled medicines may be imported only by MFDA-designated importers.
Documentation: The Maldives restricts prescription-medicine import, carry a valid prescription or doctor's letter for the quantity needed, obtain prior MFDA permission where required, and declare it to avoid seizure.

issup.net · mfda.gov.mv · Maldives Food and Drug Authority, Approved Drug List No. MTG/RE-AL/Li 0009/2026-00008, updated 11.08.2026 · Updated August 25, 2026

Tramadol in Maldives, full detail →

Xanax (Alprazolam)

Legal status: Alprazolam is a registered prescription medicine in the Schedule 2 (medical-utility) tier under the Drugs Act (Law No. 17/2011), not Schedule 1.
Consequences if caught: Imprisonment and fines apply for unlawful handling (post-2025 trafficking up to ~20 years). The 2025 death-penalty amendment covers only physical import of cannabis >350g, diamorphine >250g, or >100g of any Schedule 1 drug, benzodiazepines are Schedule 2, not death-eligible.
If prescribed / medical: Dispensed as a registered Schedule 2 controlled medicine.
Documentation: Carry a prescription and original packaging; declare controlled medicines.

issup.net · Updated July 13, 2026

Xanax (Alprazolam) in Maldives, full detail →

Not individually verified

50 substances are not individually verified for Maldives

For these the governing national drug law is cited, but we have not verified that the substance specifically is scheduled under it. Treat them as unanswered, not as legal. Confirm with Maldives’s drug authority or your embassy.

Substance	What we found
1P-LSD	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
2-FDCK	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
25I-NBOMe	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
2C-E	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
2C-I	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
2C-T-7	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
3-MMC	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
4-AcO-DMT	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
4-HO-MET	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
5-MeO-DMT (Bufo / Toad)	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
6-APB	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
7-Hydroxymitragynine (7-OH)	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Adderall	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Amanita muscaria	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Amphetamine	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Amyl Nitrite	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Ayahuasca	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Caffeine	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Cannabinol	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
DOM	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
DXM	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Etizolam	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Gabapentin	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
GBL	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
HHC	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Ketamine	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Khat	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Kratom	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
LSA (Morning Glory)	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
MDPV	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Memantine	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Methaqualone (Quaaludes)	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Methylone	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Methylphenidate	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Mitragynine	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
MXE	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Nimetazepam	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Nitrous Oxide	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Opium	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Oxycodone	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Peyote	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Phenibut	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Poppers	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Pregabalin	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Quetiapine	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Salvia divinorum	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Scopolamine (Devil's Breath)	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
THC-P	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Xylazine	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...
Zolpidem	Not confirmed, the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) is the...

Drug laws and enforcement change and vary by country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with the destination’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 →

← All countries Drug index