ChinaTravelling with ADHD medication: rules, permits and documents

Asia

Last checked 2 Aug 2026High confidenceHow we rate a record

China treats these medications differently. Of the 7 we track, 3 come in on paperwork with a supply cap, 1 has no published rule we could find and 3 need only your prescription.

Serious penalties: Amfetamine, dexamfetamine and methylphenidate are Category I psychotropics in China, its strictest medicinal class. Carrying them without a medical diagnosis certificate, or beyond what the officer accepts as a personal-use quantity, is handled as a drug or smuggling matter rather than a paperwork problem.

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By medication

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

Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine)Not named: Unclear
Lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse) is not named in China's law (Catalogues of Narcotic Drugs and of Psychotropic Drugs for Medical Use, 2025 editions, all items), so no rule for it is published. Ask the authority listed here before you travel.
Checked Catalogue of Psychotropic Drugs for Medical Use (2025): amfetamine, dexamfetamine and methylphenidate in Category I, items 2, 5 and 11; salts and isomers covered, notes 1 and 2; lisdexamfetamine not listed: not listed there. Still unresolved.
Ritalin, Concerta (methylphenidate)Restricted
Category I psychotropic (Catalogue of Psychotropic Drugs for Medical Use 2025, item 11, which also covers dexmethylphenidate and serdexmethylphenidate combinations). No quantity a traveller may bring is published, and Customs judges whether the quantity is reasonable for personal use. Bring the prescription and a medical diagnosis certificate and declare at the red channel.
Dexedrine (dexamfetamine)Restricted
Category I psychotropic (Catalogue of Psychotropic Drugs for Medical Use 2025, item 5). No quantity a traveller may bring is published, and Customs judges whether the quantity is reasonable for personal use. Dexamfetamine is not marketed in China, so expect the officer to work from the prescription and the diagnosis certificate rather than from a familiar product.
Strattera (atomoxetine)Prescription
Atomoxetine (Strattera), guanfacine ER (Intuniv) and viloxazine (Qelbree) appear in neither the Catalogue of Narcotic Drugs for Medical Use nor the Catalogue of Psychotropic Drugs for Medical Use (2025 editions), and are not internationally scheduled. They are ordinary prescription medicines here: carry them in their original packaging with your prescription. Atomoxetine is available in China. The declaration and diagnosis-certificate requirements above do not apply to them.
Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts)Restricted
Amfetamine is a Category I psychotropic (Catalogue of Psychotropic Drugs for Medical Use 2025, item 2) and the catalogue covers its salts, so Adderall falls inside it. No quantity a traveller may bring is published, and Customs judges whether the quantity is reasonable for personal use. Adderall is not marketed in China.
Intuniv (guanfacine)Prescription
The same rule as Strattera above.
Qelbree (viloxazine)Prescription
The same rule as Strattera above.

Rules by drug class

Narcotic (opioids)

Restricted

Quantity: China publishes no quantity a traveller may bring in. Article 44 of the Regulations on the Administration of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances says Customs releases narcotic drugs on the principle of personal use and reasonable quantity, so the officer at the counter decides. Shanghai Customs' published guidance explains that test by pointing to the limits on what a doctor in China may write on one prescription. Those are rules for prescribers, not an amount you may or may not carry in.
Permit: Not required. No permit and no traveller portal. Carry the prescription and diagnosis certificate and declare through the red channel.
Documents: prescription, medical certificate, customs declaration

Psychotropic (ADHD stimulants, benzodiazepines, sleep)

Restricted

Quantity: China publishes no quantity a traveller may bring in. Article 44 of the Regulations on the Administration of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances says Customs releases Category I psychotropics on the principle of personal use and reasonable quantity, so the officer at the counter decides. Shanghai Customs' published guidance explains that test by pointing to the limits on what a doctor in China may write on one prescription. Those are rules for prescribers, not an amount you may or may not carry in. We suggest bringing the shortest supply that covers your stay and being ready to explain it.
Permit: Not required. No permit and no traveller portal. Carry the prescription and diagnosis certificate and declare through the red channel.
Documents: prescription, medical certificate, customs declaration

Connecting through China

No official Chinese government source confirms whether travellers in China's visa-free airport transit programs (24, 72 or 144 hours, at eligible airports) or in pure airside transit are exempt from the declaration and permit requirements that apply to amphetamine-type stimulants and methylphenidate on entry. China's visa-free transit programs usually involve an immigration transit stamp or permit and passage through a border-control point, not always a fully sterile international lounge, so some level of inspection may apply even to 'transit' travellers. This is not confirmed by an official source.

If you clear immigration: This is not confirmed by an official source. If a traveller formally clears Chinese immigration and customs for a landside connection or overnight stay (that is, enters China rather than using an airport transit facility), the general entry rules (prescription required, 'reasonable personal-use quantity', red-channel declaration) would be expected to apply in full. This has not been explicitly confirmed for transit travellers who end up entering the country.

Responsible authority

National Medical Products Administration (NMPA); border: GACC Customs

yaojianguansichu@nmpa.gov.cn

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.

Your trip pack

A doctor's letter for China, filled in with your medications and your stops, ready to sign.

A$59

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.

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Common questions

This 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 China embassy or consulate before travelling.