Is Oxycodone legal in Turkey?

Legal status

Oxycodone is a controlled substance in Turkey and the dossier carries it under the schedule name oxycodone. Its placement is older and firmer than a classification decision, because the 1933 statute names it. Article 1 of Law No. 2313 on the Control of Narcotic Substances subjects to ministerial control the import, export and domestic sale of «ökodal (Eugodal), dikodit (Dicodide) ve Dilodit (Diloudide), Asedikon (Acedicone) ve bunların terkibi kimyevisinde bulunan maddelerde bütün müstahzarlarının», that is Eukodal, Dicodid, Dilaudid and Acedicon together with all preparations containing the substances in their chemical composition. Eukodal was the Merck trade name under which oxycodone was marketed from 1917, so the statute reaches this substance under its interwar brand rather than under its modern international name. That identification is mine from the trade names in the text and is not stated in the dossier, which recorded only the schedule name; treat it as the likely reading of article 1 and the classification decision entry as the verified one.

Consequences if caught

Capital exposure: none. The cited instruments give no per-substance numeric quantity threshold; purpose and circumstances are assessed case by case, and the ceiling is 30 years under article 188(1) of Penal Code No. 5237, «yirmi yıldan otuz yıla kadar hapis ve ikibin günden yirmibin güne kadar adlî para cezası», for unlicensed manufacture, import or export. Article 188(3) sets not less than ten years for domestic sale, supply, dispatch, transport, storage, purchase, acceptance and possession, and oxycodone is not named in the article 188(4)(a) uplift list, so the half increase reaches this row through the proximity limb in 188(4)(b), through 188(5) where three or more people act together, or through 188(8) where the offender is a physician, pharmacist or other named health professional. The realistic exposure for a traveller is possession of tablets that cannot be matched to a prescription, which article 188(3) covers by its own terms since possession is one of its listed verbs. Article 191(1) sets two to five years for possession for use, with the five year deferral of 191(2) and at least a year of denetimli serbestlik under 191(3).

If prescribed or medical

A lawful medical route exists and it is the reason article 1 places oxycodone under supervision rather than prohibition. Article 7 of Law No. 2313 confines the domestic sale of narcotic substances to licensed pharmacists and pharmaceutical traders, articles 4 and 5 require an import certificate before customs releases a narcotic substance into the country, and article 24 punishes a pharmacy selling one without a physician's prescription under the relevant articles of the Penal Code. Article 188(6) of the Penal Code extends the trafficking paragraphs to substances whose sale depends on a prescription written by an authorised physician and which produce a narcotic or stimulant effect, while allowing the sentence to be reduced by up to half; the dossier made no finding on either limb. A foreign prescription is not a Turkish import certificate and does not become one at the border.

Documentation

A strong opioid is the highest risk item a traveller carries. Bring the original dispensing packaging with the prescription and a prescriber's letter naming the patient, the active ingredient, the dose and the treatment period, carry only the amount the treatment period requires, and obtain the TİTCK position before travelling rather than relying on a customs officer to recognise the product. Note that Turkey's import machinery under articles 4 and 5 of Law No. 2313 is built around certificates issued in advance, which is why pre-clearance rather than explanation on arrival is the workable approach. The schedule name was read in the dossier on 18 September 2026 and article 1 was read from the consolidated statute on 20 September 2026.

Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Turkey’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.