HondurasTravelling with ADHD medication: rules, permits and documents
North AmericaLast checked 20 Jul 2026High confidenceHow we rate a record
Honduras treats these medications differently. Of the 7 we track, 4 need approval before you arrive and 3 need only your prescription.
Serious penalties: ARSA exempts a traveller's personal-use controlled medication from its commercial import-permit regime only through a separate Autorización Especial Personal that must be requested from ARSA before travel with supporting identity and medical documentation; arriving with opioids or ADHD-stimulant medication and no AEP on file leaves the traveller outside the only documented lawful route ARSA publishes, and Honduras' customs authority publishes nothing describing how this is handled at the border.
By medication
Brand names first, generic in brackets. Each line resolves the drug class rule below, plus anything Honduras records specifically for that medication.
- Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine)Permit requiredmax 90 days' supply
The same Personal Special Authorisation (AEP) applies to ADHD stimulants as to opioids: ARSA's substances communiqué covers estupefacientes and psicotrópicos under one 'sustancias sujetas a fiscalización' regime. Apply in advance on ARSA's SG-F-012 form. The checklist in force is ARSA Comunicado C-011-ARSA-2023 (31 October 2023), which repealed Part I of C-002-ARSA-2022. It keeps the non-commercialisation declaration, an invoice, the prescription or medical certificate and the fee receipt, and adds the passport option, a product description table, a 'PROHIBIDA SU VENTA' label, a three-month dosing ceiling and a nine-month minimum expiry. The forms have a DNI field and a signature and seal line, but ARSA's current requirements accept a passport in place of the DNI for a personal applicant (C-011-ARSA-2023, requirement 2(a)). Requirement 8 asks applicants whose products contain controlled substances for a technical and safety sheet, a valid controlled-substance import permit from the DNPF and the responsible professional's card. ARSA's 2026 list C-ARSA-003-V4 says visiting travellers are exempt from the import permit and need only an advance AEP, so confirm with ARSA which parts of requirement 8 apply to you. Methylphenidate, dexamfetamine, lisdexamfetamine and amphetamine all sit in Lista II of the 1971 Convention on ARSA's current list.
- Ritalin, Concerta (methylphenidate)Permit requiredmax 90 days' supply
The same rule as Vyvanse above.
- Dexedrine (dexamfetamine)Permit requiredmax 90 days' supply
The same rule as Vyvanse above.
- Strattera (atomoxetine)Prescription
Atomoxetine, guanfacine and viloxazine are not internationally controlled; treat as ordinary prescription medicines. Carry prescription and original packaging.
- Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts)Permit requiredmax 90 days' supply
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)
Permit required- Quantity
- The AEP application requires the traveller to declare 'Cantidad a importar' (quantity to import) themselves; ARSA publishes no maximum, day-supply figure, or numeric cap for personal-use controlled medication.
- Permit
- Required.
- Documents
- prescription, medical certificate
- In force
- Since 31 March 2022.
Psychotropic (ADHD stimulants, benzodiazepines, sleep)
Permit required- Quantity
- 90 days. The Personal Special Authorisation covers treatment for one patient of no more than three months of dosing, and the medicine must have at least nine months before expiry, unless ARSA allows otherwise (C-011-ARSA-2023, section I.C, page 3). Products for personal use are limited to five units per product, unless ARSA decides otherwise.
- Permit
- Required. Apply at least 10 days ahead. A fraction of Honduras's average minimum wage: 1/50 in person or 1/90 online for 5 working days; 1/60 in person or 1/100 online for 10 working days (C-011-ARSA-2023, II.6). ARSA's current fee table (C-011-ARSA-2023, II.6) offers a Personal Special Authorisation in 5 working days (1/50 of the average minimum wage in person, 1/90 online) or 10 working days (1/60 in person, 1/100 online), counted from a complete application. The 2021 agreement's 15-working-day standard tier (1/70 or 1/120) and 1-day tier are not repeated in the 2023 table, so confirm with ARSA. The authorisation is valid for one entry and for 150 calendar days from issue.
- Documents
- prescription, medical certificate
- In force
- Since 31 March 2022.
Not internationally controlled
Prescription- Quantity
- Honduras publishes no fixed limit for these medicines. Under Central American customs rules, medicines count as a traveller's baggage only in quantities in line with the traveller's circumstances and needs, and not for commercial purposes (RECAUCA, article 578(c)).
Responsible authority
Secretaría de Salud (Ministry of Health) / Agencia de Regulación Sanitaria (ARSA); Honduras Customs (Aduanas)
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.
- ARSA: Preguntas FrecuentesGovernment
- Law on Misuse and Illicit Trafficking of Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, Decree 126-89 (1989): controlled substances, art 6, page 7; no possession in luggage and import only with authorisation, arts 11 and 12, page 8Government, 1989-11-23
- ARSA: ContáctenosGovernment
- ARSA Agreement 003-2021, La Gaceta 35,552 (2021): Personal Special Authorisation fee and resolution time, sixth clause, page 24; expedited options, page 25Government, 2021-03-23
- ARSA controlled substances list C-ARSA-003-V4 (2026): visiting travellers need an advance Personal Special Authorisation, page 3; amphetamine page 19, dexamfetamine and lisdexamfetamine page 20, methylphenidate page 21Government, 2026-02-24
- Regulation of the Central American Uniform Customs Code (RECAUCA), COMIECO Resolution 224-2008: traveller's baggage includes medicines in quantities in line with the traveller's circumstances and needs, art 578(c), printed pages 180 to 181 (PDF pages 182 to 183)International body, 2008
- Honduras ARSA form SG-F-012: special import authorisation with an expressly PERSONAL applicant optionIn the Trip Pack
- Honduras ARSA form SG-F-016: declaration of non-commercialisation (companion to SG-F-012)In the Trip Pack
- Honduras ARSA form DNPF-F-002: detailed description table of the products, required with a special import authorisation applicationIn the Trip Pack
Application forms and portals
3 forms for Honduras, found and organised with your apply-by date in the trip pack.
Plus a doctor's letter pre-filled with your medications and every stop, the deadline counted back from the day you fly, and a checklist in travel order.
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 Honduras embassy or consulate before travelling.