GabonTravelling with ADHD medication: rules, permits and documents
AfricaLast checked 20 Jul 2026Medium confidenceHow we rate a record
Gabon 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: The customs guide's own general drug-possession warning says any drugs, in any quantity, mean immediate incarceration and a court appearance, a statement the same document does not visibly reconcile with its separate, specific allowance for narcotics and psychotropic drugs carried with a prescription or medical certificate.
By medication
Brand names first, generic in brackets. Each line resolves the drug class rule below, plus anything Gabon records specifically for that medication.
- Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine)Unclear
We could not confirm whether Gabon's law names lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse): no list of controlled substances could be found on an official site. No rule for it is published. Ask the authority listed here before you travel.
- Ritalin, Concerta (methylphenidate)Prescription
Psychotropic drugs are 'prohibited except by prescription or medical certificate' per the customs Traveller's Guide: either one, not both. The 2026 Code de la Santé's Art. 825 'special authorisation' regime applies to psychotropic-classed substances as well as narcotics; its implementing regulation is not published. As with the narcotic class, the recorded status follows the customs guide rather than the Code, and that is a stated choice rather than a resolved conflict: if Art. 825 reaches an arriving traveller, the status would be legal_with_permit_required or unclear. No quantity, lead time or fee is published; no traveller application form exists.
- Dexedrine (dexamfetamine)Prescription
The same rule as Ritalin, Concerta above.
- Strattera (atomoxetine)Unclear
Atomoxetine, guanfacine and viloxazine are not internationally controlled. Gabon publishes no rule written for a traveller carrying these medicines for personal use. Gabon Customs' traveller guide lists medicines for human use as goods subject to formalities: an import authorisation and a marketing authorisation, both issued by the Directorate of Pharmacy and Medicines (Direction de la Pharmacie et du Médicament). The guide does not say whether this applies to a traveller's own prescribed supply, so ask Gabon's health authority or customs before you travel.
- Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts)Prescription
The same rule as Ritalin, Concerta above.
- Intuniv (guanfacine)Unclear
The same rule as Strattera above.
- Qelbree (viloxazine)Unclear
The same rule as Strattera above.
Rules by drug class
Narcotic (opioids)
Prescription- Quantity
- No Gabonese authority publishes a personal-supply quantity limit for narcotics.
- Permit
- Not published. The customs Traveller's Guide names no permit beyond a prescription or medical certificate. Code de la Santé Art. 825 (in force since January 2026) separately requires a 'special authorisation, renewable' for import, transport, possession and use of substances classed as narcotic, with granting conditions set by a regulation we could not locate. Not resolved between the two sources.
- Documents
- prescription
Psychotropic (ADHD stimulants, benzodiazepines, sleep)
Prescription- Quantity
- No Gabonese authority publishes a personal-supply quantity limit for psychotropic (ADHD stimulant) medication.
- Permit
- Not published. Same conflict as the narcotic class: the customs guide names only prescription/medical certificate; Code de la Santé Art. 825 puts psychotropic-classed substances under the same unlocated 'special authorisation' regime as narcotics. Not resolved.
- Documents
- prescription
Not internationally controlled
UnclearAtomoxetine, guanfacine and viloxazine are not internationally controlled. Gabon publishes no rule written for a traveller carrying these medicines for personal use. Gabon Customs' traveller guide lists medicines for human use as goods subject to formalities: an import authorisation and a marketing authorisation, both issued by the Directorate of Pharmacy and Medicines (Direction de la Pharmacie et du Médicament). The guide does not say whether this applies to a traveller's own prescribed supply, so ask Gabon's health authority or customs before you travel.
Responsible authority
See official source
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.
- Traveler's GuideGovernment
- Guide du voyageurGovernment
- Santé et Industrie PharmaceutiqueGovernment
- ANMAPS: Site OfficielGovernment
- Loi n°030/2025 du 05 janvier 2026 portant Code de la Santé en République GabonaiseGovernment, 2026-04-15
- Ordonnance n°010/PR/2011 portant organisation du secteur pharmaceutique en République GabonaiseGovernment, 2012-03
- ANMAPS legislative and regulatory texts page: 2011 pharmaceutical ordinance and ministerial orders; no drug-control law or controlled-substance listGovernment
- INCB Country Regulations (travellers index)Treaty body
Your trip pack
A doctor's letter for Gabon, 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 Gabon embassy or consulate before travelling.