Is Phenibut legal in Indonesia?

Legal status

Not a narkotika and not a psikotropika under Indonesia's Undang-Undang Nomor 35 Tahun 2009 tentang Narkotika or Undang-Undang Nomor 5 Tahun 1997 tentang Psikotropika: named in none of the seven current golongan: Narkotika Golongan I, II and III of Permenkes No. 15 Tahun 2025, and Psikotropika Golongan I, II, III and IV of Permenkes No. 14 Tahun 2025. Phenibut is in none of the seven current golongan. Searches for fenibut and for the aminophenylbutyrate fragment return nothing, and the one apparent hit for fenilbutirat is part of a chemical name in Narkotika Golongan II. The model: each Act carries its own list for the first time only, and every change since is a Ministerial regulation. Pasal 6(1) of Undang-Undang Nomor 35 Tahun 2009 tentang Narkotika divides narcotics into Golongan I, II and III. Pasal 6(2) then provides that 「Penggolongan Narkotika sebagaimana dimaksud pada ayat (1) untuk pertama kali ditetapkan sebagaimana tercantum dalam Lampiran I dan merupakan bagian yang tak terpisahkan dari Undang-Undang ini」, so the Act's own annex governs only the first classification. The empowering article is Pasal 6(3): 「Ketentuan mengenai perubahan penggolongan Narkotika sebagaimana dimaksud pada ayat (2) diatur dengan Peraturan Menteri」. The psychotropics Act is built the same way: Pasal 2(3) of Undang-Undang Nomor 5 Tahun 1997 tentang Psikotropika sets the four golongan 「untuk pertamakali」 in its annex and Pasal 2(4) provides that 「Ketentuan lebih lanjut untuk penetapan dan perubahan jenis-jenis psikotropika sebagaimana dimaksud pada ayat (3) diatur oleh Menteri」. So neither Act's annex is the operative list today. The narcotics list in force is the Lampiran to Peraturan Menteri Kesehatan Nomor 15 Tahun 2025 tentang Perubahan Penggolongan Narkotika, ditetapkan 21 November 2025, diundangkan 28 November 2025, Berita Negara Republik Indonesia Tahun 2025 Nomor 989, which revoked Permenkes Nomor 7 Tahun 2025. The psychotropics list in force is the Lampiran to Peraturan Menteri Kesehatan Nomor 14 Tahun 2025 tentang Penetapan dan Perubahan Penggolongan Psikotropika, Berita Negara Tahun 2025 Nomor 988, which revoked Permenkes Nomor 6 Tahun 2025. The Act itself was last amended by Undang-Undang Nomor 6 Tahun 2023. One part of the scheme is still in the Act and not in any regulation: the Prekursor Narkotika in Lampiran II, Tabel I and Tabel II, which neither Permenkes restates.

Consequences if caught

Neither Act creates an offence for this substance, so neither the narcotics ladder in Pasal 111 to 127 nor the psychotropics offences in Pasal 59 and following can engage on any facts. What governs it instead is named in the status above. Neither Act reaches it. Phenibut is sold internationally as a supplement and is a drug in substance, so the medicines regime is the relevant one, but it is not a narcotic or a psychotropic under Indonesian law and it is in neither precursor table. Capital and life exposure. Neither reaches this substance, and not because the penalty is low but because no offence under either Act engages at all. The capital provisions are Pasal 113(2), 114(2) and 116(2) for Golongan I narcotics, Pasal 118(2), 119(2) and 121(2) for Golongan II, and Pasal 59(2) of the psychotropics Act for Golongan I psychotropics. Every one of them operates on a substance in a named Golongan, and this substance is in none of the seven lists: Narkotika Golongan I, II and III, and Psikotropika Golongan I, II, III and IV. Golongan III narcotics carry no death penalty in any event. The precursor tables in Lampiran II of the Act were also read and this substance is in neither of them, so Pasal 129 does not apply either. No quantity and no conduct reaches a capital or life sentence for it under these two Acts.

If prescribed or medical

Phenibut holds no Indonesian medicine registration, so there is no pharmacy supply and no prescribing route for it.

Documentation

No narcotics or psychotropics document applies. An unregistered product imported as a supplement is a medicines regime question rather than a narcotics one.

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