El SalvadorTravelling with ADHD medication: rules, permits and documents
North AmericaLast checked 20 Jul 2026High confidenceHow we rate a record
Every medication we track can come into El Salvador on your prescription, carried in original packaging.
Serious penalties: El Salvador prohibits oral ephedrine products and all forms of pseudoephedrine (common in decongestants) outright. ADHD stimulants, benzodiazepines and zolpidem are permitted under the documented personal-import scheme.
By medication
Brand names first, generic in brackets. Each line resolves the drug class rule below, plus anything El Salvador records specifically for that medication.
- Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine)Prescription
El Salvador's health regulator (SRS) told the International Narcotics Control Board in 2025 that travellers may bring ADHD stimulants for personal use, in the doses prescribed by their doctor at home and for the number of days of their stay. SRS says you should preferably apply before you travel for its written authorisation to bring the medicine in. If you have not, SRS says you can show any of these on arrival and be allowed to bring it in: a valid prescription, a doctor's certificate endorsed by your home health authority, or a certificate from El Salvador's health authority. Have the original prescription ready for customs. El Salvador's drug law itself says stimulants may be imported or possessed for medical treatment only with the health authority's authorisation (Decree 153, art 3), and it has no written exception for travellers, so we suggest getting the SRS authorisation before you go. SRS publishes no form or processing time for it; contact SRS directly. Lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse) is named in Part C (added substances) of El Salvador's 2026 list of controlled substances, Section III, item 12, page 31. It is not in the 1971 Convention List II section of that list, where amfetamine, dexamfetamine and methylphenidate sit.
- Ritalin, Concerta (methylphenidate)Prescription
The same rule as Vyvanse above.
- Dexedrine (dexamfetamine)Prescription
The same rule as Vyvanse above.
- Strattera (atomoxetine)Prescription
Atomoxetine, guanfacine and viloxazine are not internationally controlled. No day or dose limit is published. Customs treats medicines as traveller's baggage in quantities in keeping with your circumstances and needs, and not for any commercial purpose. We suggest carrying your prescription and keeping the medicine in its original packaging. El Salvador bans oral ephedrine products and all pseudoephedrine products, which are found in some cold medicines, not in these ADHD medicines.
- Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts)Prescription
The same rule as Vyvanse 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)
Prescription- Quantity
- Treatment quantity for the number of days of stay, at physician-prescribed doses; no fixed numeric cap
- Permit
- Not required. An SRS written authorization is preferably applied for in advance, but if not obtained the traveller may present the accepted documents on entry.
- Documents
- prescription
Psychotropic (ADHD stimulants, benzodiazepines, sleep)
Prescription- Quantity
- Quantity as prescribed for the number of days of stay in the country (doses prescribed by the physician in country of origin are permitted)
- Permit
- Not required. Written authorisation from the SRS can be applied for before arrival and is preferred, but it is not compulsory. El Salvador states that if authorisation is not applied for before arrival, a traveller may on entry present any of the prescription, a doctor's certificate endorsed by the home health authority, an SRS certificate or the original prescription at customs, and bring the medicine in on that basis. No form or processing time is published.
Not internationally controlled
Prescription- Quantity
- No day or dose limit is published. Customs treats medicines as traveller's baggage in quantities in keeping with your circumstances and needs, and not for any commercial purpose.
Responsible authority
Office of the Superintendent for Regulation in the Area of Health (SRS)
Address: Blv. Merliot/Av. Jayaque, Urbanizacion Jardines del Volcan, Santa Tecla, La Libertad Sur, La Libertad; Tel: (503) 78607023 / (503) 25225017; Fax: (503) 25225075; email: jose.reyes@srs.gob.sv
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.
- Dirección General de Aduanas: import of traveller's baggage, legal basis RECAUCA arts 578 to 583Government, 2024-11-18
- Law Regulating Drug-Related Activities, Decree 153 (consolidated to 2018): import or possession only with health authority authorisation, art 3, pages 2 to 3; drug list and transit, arts 13 and 15, page 7Government, 2018-08-24
- Regulation on Narcotics, Psychotropics, Precursors and Additives, Decree 20 (2013): import permits for establishments only, arts 7 to 10, page 50; annual substance list, art 86, page 60Government, 2013-02-13
- SRS controlled substances list (2026): amphetamine page 19, dexamfetamine page 20, methylphenidate page 21, all in 1971 List II; lisdexamfetamine in Part C added substances, page 31Government, 2026-03-27
- INCB Travellers table: El SalvadorTreaty body, 2025-03-06
- Regulation of the Central American Uniform Customs Code (RECAUCA, COMIECO Resolution 224-2008, FAOLEX copy): traveller's baggage includes medicines in quantities in keeping with the traveller's circumstances and needs, Art 578(c), pages 180 to 181International body, 2008-04-25
Your trip pack
A doctor's letter for El Salvador, 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 El Salvador embassy or consulate before travelling.