CameroonTravelling with ADHD medication: rules, permits and documents
AfricaLast checked 24 Jul 2026Low confidence: check with the embassyHow we rate a record
Cameroon treats these medications differently. Of the 7 we track, 4 have no published rule we could find and 3 need only your prescription.
Serious penalties: Unlawful possession, purchase, sale, offer or transport of a Table I or II 'high-risk' controlled substance is a criminal offence under Article 93 of Law 97/019; using a controlled medicine without a genuine medical prescription is defined as 'usage illicite' under Article 90, and a forged or complaisant prescription is a separate offence under Article 94.
We could not find strong recent official guidance for this country. Contact the embassy or consulate directly before you travel.
By medication
Brand names first, generic in brackets. Each line resolves the drug class rule below, plus anything Cameroon records specifically for that medication.
- Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine)Unclear
We could not confirm whether Cameroon's law names lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse): the Tables annexed to its drug law are not published, and the lists its medicines regulator publishes, which are the United Nations lists, do not name it. No rule for it is published. Ask the authority listed here before you travel.
- Ritalin, Concerta (methylphenidate)Unclear
Cameroon's drugs law prohibits holding a controlled psychotropic medicine except where the law itself allows it (Article 12 of Law 97/019). The only allowance for patients is Article 62. It lets a person under treatment who is in transit through Cameroon hold medicine for personal use: up to 7 days of treatment for a Table II medicine, or up to 30 days for a Table III medicine. You must carry the matching prescriptions. The law does not say that this covers a visitor who enters Cameroon to stay, and nothing in the law allows a larger supply. Cameroon has not published which table the ADHD stimulants are in, so treat 7 days as the most you can rely on. The law also does not say whether a prescription from another country is accepted. If you plan to stay in Cameroon or need more than 7 days of medicine, we suggest asking the Ministry of Public Health's pharmacy directorate (DPML) for written confirmation before you travel.
- Dexedrine (dexamfetamine)Unclear
The same rule as Ritalin, Concerta above.
- Strattera (atomoxetine)Prescription
Atomoxetine, guanfacine and viloxazine are not internationally controlled and are not subject to the psychotropic transit-quantity limits; carry a prescription and keep in original packaging.
- Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts)Unclear
The same rule as Ritalin, Concerta above.
- Intuniv (guanfacine)Prescription
The same rule as Strattera above.
- Qelbree (viloxazine)Prescription
The same rule as Strattera above.
Rules by drug class
Narcotic (opioids)
Unclear- Quantity
- No traveller personal-use quantity for a narcotic is published.
- Permit
- Not published. The only import route published (the DPML Autorisation Officielle d'Importation) is completed by the pharmacist responsible for a Ministry-approved establishment, not an individual traveller. Law 97/019's one patient-possession clause (Article 62) is worded to cover psychotropic substances only, though the law's structure makes that exclusion arguable rather than settled; no equivalent clause naming narcotics was found.
Psychotropic (ADHD stimulants, benzodiazepines, sleep)
Unclear- Quantity
- The most Cameroon's law lets a patient hold is 7 days of treatment for a Table II psychotropic medicine, or 30 days for a Table III medicine, with the matching prescriptions (Article 62 of Law 97/019). The article is written for people in transit through Cameroon. Cameroon has not published which table the ADHD stimulants are in, so plan to 7 days. Nothing in the law allows a larger supply.
- Permit
- Not published. Article 62 requires only a medical prescription, not a permit, for the persons it covers. The DPML Autorisation Officielle d'Importation is a separate pharmacist/importer authorisation and is not a route a travelling patient applies for. No permit route for an arriving patient is published either way.
- Documents
- prescription
- In force
- Since 7 August 1997.
Not internationally controlled
PrescriptionAtomoxetine, guanfacine and viloxazine are not internationally controlled and are not subject to the psychotropic transit-quantity limits; carry a prescription and keep in original packaging.
Connecting through Cameroon
Law 97/019 art 62 (Official Gazette, page 998) lets a person under treatment who is in transit through Cameroon hold, for personal use, medicines containing Table II psychotropic substances up to 7 days of treatment, or Table III up to 30 days, with the corresponding prescriptions. Cameroon does not publish which Table the ADHD stimulants are in, so plan to 7 days.
If you clear immigration: The same article covers a patient in transit through the national territory, so the 7 day plan and the prescriptions apply if you pass through immigration on a connection.
Responsible authority
Direction de la Pharmacie, du Médicament et des Laboratoires, Ministère de la Santé Publique
info@dpml.cm
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.
- DPML: Procédures pour l'importation des stupéfiants et psychotropesGovernment, 2019-09-17
- DPML: Lettre-circulaire du 08 janvier 2016, rappel de la procédure d'AOIGovernment, 2016-01-08
- DPML: Demande d'Autorisation Officielle d'Importation (A.O.I) de Stupéfiants et de PsychotropesGovernment
- Direction Générale des Douanes: VoyageursGovernment
- Direction Générale des Douanes: Cas spécifiquesGovernment
- Law No. 97/019 of 7 August 1997 on narcotics and psychotropics (Official Gazette, French and English): possession only as the law allows, Art 12, page 987; patients in transit, Art 62, page 998; Tables not printedGovernment
- Law No. 97/019 of 1997 on narcotics and psychotropics (UNODC copy, French): possession, Art 12, page 3; transit, Art 41, page 8; patients in transit, Art 62, page 14; annexed Tables not includedInternational body, 1997-08-07
- INCB Green List of psychotropic substances (24th edition, 2010), as published by DPML: amfetamine, dexamfetamine and methylphenidate in Schedule II, page 6; lisdexamfetamine not listedInternational body, 2010-05-01
- INCB country regulations for travellers: Cameroon has not provided its rulesTreaty body, 2025-05-02
Your trip pack
A doctor's letter for Cameroon, 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 Cameroon embassy or consulate before travelling.