BotswanaTravelling with ADHD medication: rules, permits and documents

By medication

Brand names first, generic in brackets. Each line resolves the drug class rule below, plus anything Botswana records specifically for that medication.

• Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine)Not named: Unclear

  Lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse) is not named in Botswana's law (Medicines and Related Substances Regulations 2019, Schedule 1 to Schedule 4 medicine lists, pages C.1048 to C.1091), so no rule for it is published. Ask the authority listed here before you travel.

• Ritalin, Concerta (methylphenidate)Unclear

  Botswana's rules for ADHD stimulants are not settled, and for the amphetamines the law points to a ban. Amphetamine and dexamphetamine are named in the list of banned medicines in Botswana's 2019 medicines regulations (Schedule 3), although the same regulations also list them as Schedule 1A prescription medicines. This affects dexamfetamine and mixed amphetamine salts. Lisdexamfetamine is not named in Botswana's law, so no rule for it is published. Methylphenidate is a Schedule 1A medicine and is not on the banned list. For every Schedule 1A medicine, the Medicines and Related Substances Act 2013 requires a separate import licence from BoMRA for each import (section 43), and the regulations only let a pharmacist apply for one. The same Act (section 39(5)) lets a person bring in a medicine prescribed outside Botswana for personal use, up to a set limit, if they can show an inspector a certified copy of the prescription. It does not say whether that covers Schedule 1A medicines. BoMRA's guideline also asks for a letter from your doctor giving the reasons. Botswana customs lists "narcotic, habit-forming drugs and related substances in any form" as goods that are completely prohibited. A new Medicines and Related Substances Act was passed in 2025 but has not been brought into force. It starts only on a date the Minister publishes in the Gazette, and no such notice has been published that we could find. Once it starts, the allowance for bringing in your own medicine will not cover narcotic or psychotropic medicines, which will need an import permit from BoMRA for each import. We suggest you do not carry these medicines into Botswana unless BoMRA's Import and Export Control Unit has confirmed in writing that you may. If you need a prescription filled in Botswana, a prescription written overseas must first be endorsed by a practitioner registered in Botswana.

• Dexedrine (dexamfetamine)Banned

  Dexamphetamine is named in the list of banned medicines in Botswana's 2019 medicines regulations (Schedule 3, page C.1090), although the same regulations also list it as a Schedule 1A prescription medicine.

• Strattera (atomoxetine)Prescription

  Atomoxetine, guanfacine and viloxazine are not on Botswana's list of narcotic and psychotropic medicines. The regulations allow one month's supply for personal use (regulation 7). You may bring more than one month but less than three months only if you can show a certified copy of your prescription when asked. BoMRA's guideline puts the limit at 90 days' supply with a prescription and also asks for a letter from your doctor giving the reasons. All goods must be declared to customs on arrival. We suggest keeping the medicine in its original packaging.

• Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts)Banned

  Amphetamine and dexamphetamine are named in the list of banned medicines in Botswana's 2019 medicines regulations (Schedule 3, page C.1090), although the same regulations also list them as Schedule 1A prescription medicines.

• Intuniv (guanfacine)Prescription

  The same rule as Strattera above.

• Qelbree (viloxazine)Prescription

  Viloxazine (as viloxazine hydrochloride) is a Schedule 2 medicine in Botswana: prescription-only, not a psychotropic or narcotic medicine (Medicines and Related Substances Regulations 2019, Schedule 2 item 1308, page C.1081). You may possess it only if it was prescribed to you (Medicines and Related Substances Act 2013, s 42(1)).

Rules by drug class