GhanaTravelling with ADHD medication: rules, permits and documents

Africa

Last checked 20 Jul 2026Medium confidenceHow we rate a record

Ghana 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: Unusually heavy stacked documentation is required: a valid prescription, a home-authority-endorsed doctor's certificate, a destination-country certificate, and the original prescription at customs.

ActionA written answer from Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) naming your medication, before you book

Work out my dates

By medication

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

Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine)Not named: Unclear
Lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse) is not named in Ghana's law (Narcotics Control Commission Act 2020, Fifth to Seventh Schedules, pages 54 to 63), so no rule for it is published. Ask the authority listed here before you travel.
Ritalin, Concerta (methylphenidate)Unclear
Ghana's Narcotics Control Commission Act 2020 (Act 1019), section 36, makes it an offence to import these medicines without a licence from the Minister responsible for Health, and states no exemption for travellers. Section 36(3) allows an application for that licence in the prescribed form, but no application process for travellers is published. Ghana's 2016 entry in the INCB traveller table asks for a valid prescription, a doctor's certificate endorsed by your home health authority, a certificate from Ghana's health authorities, and the original prescription shown at customs. The Ghana Revenue Authority's customs FAQ says a passenger's personal medicines can be brought into Ghana in a labelled package, but it does not mention controlled medicines. Ghana sets no quantity of its own. Its entry points to the United Nations traveller guidelines, which are built on 30 days of treatment and give 2 g for methylphenidate and no figure for amphetamine medicines. Contact the Food and Drugs Authority and the Narcotics Control Commission before you travel.
Dexedrine (dexamfetamine)Unclear
The same rule as Ritalin, Concerta above.
Strattera (atomoxetine)Prescription
Atomoxetine, guanfacine ER and viloxazine are not internationally scheduled; bring with prescription in original packaging. No specific Ghana ban found.
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)

Prescription

Quantity: No official traveller quantity is published
Permit: Not required. No separate traveller permit; entry is documentation-based.
Documents: prescription, home authority certificate, medical certificate, customs declaration

Psychotropic (ADHD stimulants, benzodiazepines, sleep)

Unclear

Quantity: Ghana sets no number of its own. Its entry in the INCB traveller table points to the annexes of the United Nations traveller guidelines. Those guidelines are built on 30 days of treatment. They give 2 g of methylphenidate as the amount above which a traveller should hold a certificate, and give no figure for amphetamine, dexamfetamine or lisdexamfetamine. Ghana's entry asks for certificates in any case.
Permit: Required. Section 36 of Act 1019 requires a licence from the Minister responsible for Health to import these medicines and states no exemption for travellers. Section 36(3) lets the Minister grant a licence on an application in the prescribed form. No application process, fee or processing time for travellers is published. The Food and Drugs Authority's import guidelines for controlled substances are written for licensed pharmaceutical companies, not travellers. The Food and Drugs Authority is the contact Ghana gives in its INCB entry. Contact it and the Narcotics Control Commission well before you travel.
Documents: prescription, home authority certificate, destination authority certificate

Not internationally controlled

Prescription

Atomoxetine, guanfacine ER and viloxazine are not internationally scheduled; bring with prescription in original packaging. No specific Ghana ban found.

If a country asks for a certificate from your own health authority

Australia does not issue export certificates for personal medication. There is no Australian office that endorses a traveller's certificate the way a Schengen country's health authority endorses an Article 75 certificate. The Office of Drug Control licenses commercial exporters, and the TGA regulates products rather than certifying individual travellers, so neither will stamp your paperwork.

What to do instead: ask your prescriber for a signed letter on practice letterhead giving your name and passport number, each medicine by generic and brand name, strength, daily dose, total quantity and the dates it covers, plus the prescriber's registration number and contact details. Have it dated close to departure, and carry the original dispensing labels.

Then contact the destination's authority in writing before you book, say plainly that Australia does not issue the certificate they ask for, and ask what they will accept in its place. Keep the reply. A written answer from the authority is the strongest document you can carry, and it is the only thing that closes this gap.

Responsible authority

Food and Drugs Authority (FDA)

Address: P.O. Box CT 2783, Cantonments, Accra, Ghana; Tel: +233-302-233200/235100; Fax: +233-302-229794/225502; email: fda@fdaghana.gov.gh

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

Ghana needs a permit before you fly. The pack works out your apply-by date from your travel date.

A$59

We have not found an application form or portal for travellers here, so the pack gives you Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to contact, what to put in the request, and how long to allow. Plus a doctor's letter pre-filled with your medications and every stop, and a checklist in travel order.

Build your trip pack

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 Ghana embassy or consulate before travelling.