AustraliaTravelling with ADHD medication: rules, permits and documents
OceaniaLast checked 20 Jul 2026High confidenceHow we rate a record
Every medication we track comes into Australia on a doctor's certificate, and the certificate covers 90 days' supply.
Serious penalties: A few substances may not be brought in at all. Abortifacients (e.g. RU-486), yohimbe, aminophenazone/dipyrone/metamizole, and amygdalin/laetrile. Codeine-containing medicines are permitted but always need a prescription or doctor's letter.
By medication
Brand names first, generic in brackets. Each line resolves the drug class rule below, plus anything Australia records specifically for that medication.
- Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine)Restrictedmax 90 days' supply
Australia treats ADHD stimulants (methylphenidate, lisdexamfetamine, amphetamines) as Schedule 8 controlled drugs but allows travellers a personal-import exemption of up to a 3-month supply. Carry a valid prescription plus a doctor's letter naming the medicine and dosage and confirming personal use, keep the medication in original packaging with the dispensing label intact, and declare all medication to the Australian Border Force on arrival. Australian pharmacies cannot dispense against a foreign prescription, so bring enough for your whole trip.
- Ritalin, Concerta (methylphenidate)Restrictedmax 90 days' supply
The same rule as Vyvanse above.
- Dexedrine (dexamfetamine)Restrictedmax 90 days' supply
The same rule as Vyvanse above.
- Strattera (atomoxetine)Restrictedmax 90 days' supply
Atomoxetine, guanfacine and viloxazine are not internationally scheduled. You may bring up to 3 months' supply in one import, at the maximum dose the manufacturer recommends. Carry a normal prescription, keep them in original packaging and declare them at the border.
- Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts)Restrictedmax 90 days' supply
The same rule as Vyvanse above.
- Intuniv (guanfacine)Restrictedmax 90 days' supply
The same rule as Strattera above.
- Qelbree (viloxazine)Restrictedmax 90 days' supply
The same rule as Strattera above.
Rules by drug class
Narcotic (opioids)
Prescription- Quantity
- 90 days. 3 months' supply for both classes under the traveller's exemption
- Permit
- Not required. No import permit for personal carry under the traveller's exemption. Carry a valid prescription or doctor's letter, keep medicines in original packaging with the dispensing label, and declare to the Australian Border Force. ODC permits apply only to mail/courier or commercial import.
- Documents
- prescription, doctor letter, original packaging, customs declaration
Psychotropic (ADHD stimulants, benzodiazepines, sleep)
Restricted- Quantity
- 90 days. Up to 3 months' supply for personal use (traveller's exemption)
- Permit
- Not required. No permit to bring your own medicine in under the traveller's exemption, which covers three months' supply. Carry a valid prescription and a letter from your doctor saying you are under their treatment and that the medicine was prescribed for your personal use, naming the medicine and the dosage. Keep it in its original packaging with the dispensing label intact and declare it to the Australian Border Force on arrival.
Not internationally controlled
Restricted- Quantity
- 90 days. Up to 3 months' supply in one import, at the maximum dose the manufacturer recommends (Therapeutic Goods Regulations 1990, Schedule 5 item 1(c), page 231). The TGA says: "Do not bring in more than a 3-month supply".
Leaving Australia
Australia publishes a different rule for taking these medicines out than for bringing them in. Only the differences are below. Anything not listed here is the same as the rule above.
Narcotic (opioids)
- Quantity
- No export cap is published for a personal supply.
Leaving Australia is not capped at 3 months. Use the PB302 Medicine Export Declaration if you cannot get a doctor's letter.
Psychotropic (ADHD stimulants, benzodiazepines, sleep)
- Quantity
- No export cap is published for a personal supply. ODC recommends mirroring the inbound exemption; TGA advises carrying enough for the whole trip.
Leaving Australia is not capped at 3 months. What constrains the outbound leg is PBS subsidy rules and the Customs (Prohibited Exports) Regulations 1958, neither of which publishes a traveller quantity.
- Medicine Export Declaration (PB302): for taking medicines out of AustraliaIn the Trip Pack
Responsible authority
Narcotics Control Section, Office of Drug Control, Australian Department of Health and Aged Care
GPO Box 9848 Canberra ACT 2601; Tel: +61 2 6289 4618; E-mail: ncs@health.gov.au
Sources
The sources behind everything above, so you can check it yourself rather than take our word for it. Always confirm the current rule with the source before you travel.
- Travelling to or from Australia with medicinesGovernment, 2026-04-28
- Entering Australia (travelling with medicines)Government, 2024-03-27
- Leaving Australia (travelling with medicines)Government, 2024-03-27
- Therapeutic Goods Regulations 1990 (compilation 130, 8 September 2026): 3 months' supply per import and a doctor's written authority for Schedule 8 medicines, Schedule 5 item 1, page 231Government, 2026-09-08
- Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956 (compilation 147, 13 July 2026): passenger medicine exemption, reg 5(2)(b), pages 40 to 41; amphetamine page 82, lisdexamfetamine page 88, methylphenidate page 90, Schedule 4Government, 2026-07-13
- Customs (Prohibited Exports) Regulations 1958 (compilation 115, 2026): traveller export of prescribed drugs, reg 10(1)(b), page 22; amphetamine page 86, methylphenidate page 88, Schedule 8; lisdexamfetamine not namedGovernment, 2026-03-26
- Poisons Standard October 2026: amfetamine page 280, dexamfetamine page 281, lisdexamfetamine and methylphenidate page 282, all Schedule 8 controlled drugsGovernment, 2026-10-01
- How to manage your PBS medicine overseasGovernment
- INCB Travellers table: AustraliaTreaty body, 2025-01-15
Your trip pack
A doctor's letter for Australia, filled in with your medications and your stops, ready to sign.
The rules above are free and stay free. The pack is the paperwork that goes with them: a checklist for each stop in travel order, a printable PDF, and the letter to take to your GP.
Build your trip packThis page organises publicly available government information and links. It is not legal or medical advice. Rules change and enforcement varies, so always confirm with the official sources above or the Australia embassy or consulate before travelling.