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Taking narcotics with you when travelling abroad - apply for a certificate
In principle, anaesthetics may be taken abroad. The doctor may prescribe anaesthetics for travel requirements for a period of up to 30 days. However, the country you are travelling to is also decisive when preparing for your trip.
When travelling to one of the countries in which the Schengen Agreement applies, a certificate completed by the doctor (in accordance with Article 75 of the Schengen Convention) must be carried; a separate certificate is required for each narcotic .
Important information on the certificate:
- Valid for a maximum of 30 days
- Authentication before travelling
An authorised person may not carry narcotics for others, as you may only carry narcotics for your own use.
If you have been prescribed a narcotic abroad, you may take the quantity required for the journey home to Germany.
Forms/Online Services
Responsible authority
- for the prescription and the certificate: Your treating doctor
- for the certification of the certificate: Your local health authority
Details
Prerequisite
- A doctor has prescribed the narcotics for you and
- You have a separate, notarised certificate for each narcotic in accordance with Article 75 of the Schengen Convention from the prescribing doctor with you on your trip.
Procedure
Travelling to member states of the Schengen Agreement:
If you are travelling to a member state of the Schengen area, please contact your doctor. He or she will issue you with a certificate (so-called certificate in accordance with Article 75 of the Schengen Convention).
The Schengen area includes: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland
You must have this certificate notarised by your local health authority and take it with you on your trip. The certificate is valid for a maximum of 30 days.
You will need a separate certificate for each anaesthetic prescribed.
Travelling to non-Schengen countries:
When travelling to countries outside the Schengen area, there are no internationally valid regulations for taking narcotics with you.
However, the following procedure is recommended:
Obtain a multilingual certificate from the prescribing doctor containing details of individual and daily dosages, the name of the active ingredient and the duration of the journey. This certificate must also be notarised by the local health authority (see above) and carried with you when travelling.
In addition, you should always find out about the legal situation in the destination or transit country before travelling. Some countries require additional import licences, restrict the quantity of narcotics to be carried or even prohibit the carrying of certain narcotics in general.
The International Narcotics Control Board has created an information section on its website in which the entry formalities of the individual countries are summarised.
Deadlines
none
Required documents
For authentication: the medical certificate for the prescription and the certificate in accordance with Article 75 of the Schengen Convention
Costs
Ask your doctor whether there are any costs for the certification.
Notarisation is subject to a fee. You can obtain information from the public health department.
Miscellaneous
Are you travelling to a country that does not permit the transport of narcotics or to a Schengen state for longer than 30 days?
Please check
- whether the required drug (or an equivalent product) is available in the country you are travelling to and
- whether you may be able to have it prescribed by a doctor there and what documents he/she may need for this (e.g. your previous medical reports) and in which language these should be available.
If this is also not possible, you would only be permitted to take the narcotics with you via an import and export licence, which would have to be applied for at the Federal Opium Agency. However, due to this very extensive procedure, this option will only be used in rare exceptional cases.
Special case: travelling abroad by substitution patients
Special regulations apply to narcotics (especially methadone, levomethadone and buprenorphine) that are prescribed for the substitution treatment of opioid-dependent patients. Provided that this is justifiable from a medical point of view and in accordance with the regulations of the country being travelled to, the doctor may issue the patient with prescriptions for the substitution medication in the quantity required for the duration of the trip - but for a maximum of 30 days.
However, as the carrying of (certain) substitution substances is prohibited or subject to special conditions when entering some countries, the patient should enquire with the relevant diplomatic representation of the country of destination in Germany before travelling.
Travelling with medicinal cannabis
Information from the BfArM, as of September 2025:
Since 1 April 2024, medicinal cannabis is no longer a narcotic in Germany. However,
medicinal cannabis is classified as a narcotic in other European and non-European countries and
under the Schengen Agreement. Due to the international
Convention on Narcotic Drugs, an official travel certificate is therefore generally still required
for travelling with medicinal cannabis.
Legal basis
Betäubungsmittelgesetz (BtMG):
- § 4 Absatz 1 Nummer 4b Ausnahmen von der Erlaubnispflicht
Betäubungsmittel-Außenhandelsverordnung (BtMAHV):
- § 15 Absatz 1 Vereinfachter grenzüberschreitender Verkehr
Release note
machine generated, based on the German release by: Sozialministerium Baden-Württemberg, 04.09.2025
