HungaryTravelling with ADHD medication: rules, permits and documents
EuropeLast checked 20 Jul 2026High confidenceHow we rate a record
Hungary treats these medications differently. Of the 7 we track, 3 come in on paperwork with a supply cap, 2 have no published rule we could find and 2 need only your prescription.
Serious penalties: Substances on the K1 '*' list (Decree 78/2022) are prohibited even if permitted in the country of departure. Verify rare controlled substances.
By medication
Brand names first, generic in brackets. Each line resolves the drug class rule below, plus anything Hungary records specifically for that medication.
- Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine)Not named: Unclear
Lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse) is not named in Hungary's law (Decree 78/2022 BM, Annexes 1 to 3, lists K1 to K3, P1 to P4 and new psychoactive substances), so no rule for it is published. Ask the authority listed here before you travel.
- Ritalin, Concerta (methylphenidate)Restrictedmax 90 days' supply
Hungary allows the ADHD stimulants for personal use, up to 90 days' supply. Amphetamine, dexamfetamine and methylphenidate are on psychotropic list P2. For up to 3 days' supply you need an international certificate completed by your treating doctor. For more than 3 and up to 90 days you need a certificate from the competent authority of the country you depart from, and you must show it at police or customs checks (Decree 43/2005 EüM, s 10(5) and (6)). Hungary's 30-day doctor's certificate tier applies only to P3 and P4 medicines, not to these stimulants. You submit nothing to the Hungarian authority.
- Dexedrine (dexamfetamine)Restrictedmax 90 days' supply
The same rule as Ritalin, Concerta above.
- Strattera (atomoxetine)Prescription
Atomoxetine and guanfacine are not controlled in Hungary, and OGYÉI says no special permit or certificate is required to bring in a medicine that is not a controlled substance.
- Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts)Restrictedmax 90 days' supply
The same rule as Ritalin, Concerta above.
- Intuniv (guanfacine)Prescription
The same rule as Strattera above.
- Qelbree (viloxazine)Unclear
Viloxazine is listed in Hungary as a new psychoactive substance (Decree 78/2022 BM, Annex 3, point 6.1, row 188). Bringing a new psychoactive substance into Hungary needs an import licence, and that licence is issued only to licensed organisations, so no permit is open to a traveller. The exemption that lets a patient carry their own controlled medicine across the border covers only medicines on Hungary's narcotic and psychotropic lists, not new psychoactive substances. Ask the National Center for Public Health and Pharmacy (NNGYK) before you travel.
Rules by drug class
Narcotic (opioids)
Prescription- Quantity
- 90 days. Up to 90 days; documentation tier depends on duration (GP certificate short stay; competent-authority certificate longer)
- Permit
- Not required. No permit at entry; a GP or competent-authority certificate by duration. Two certificate templates under decree 43/2005 (X.15.) EüM: Annex 3/A, completed by the treating doctor, for short stays; Annex 3/B, with a registering-authority section, for stays of 3 to 90 days (narcotics) or 30 to 90 days (psychotropics). An Australian's own doctor completes the template; the authority section is for the home country's health authority.
- Documents
- prescription, medical certificate
Psychotropic (ADHD stimulants, benzodiazepines, sleep)
Restricted- Quantity
- 90 days. Up to 90 days. More than 3 days' supply needs a certificate from the competent authority of the country you depart from.
- Permit
- Not required. No Hungarian permit for entry, and nothing to submit to the Hungarian authority. Bring the certificate that matches your supply: up to 3 days, an international certificate completed by your treating doctor; more than 3 and up to 90 days, a certificate from the competent authority of the country you depart from, shown at police or customs checks.
- Documents
- Prescription
- Medical certificate
- For up to 3 days' supply: an international certificate completed by your treating doctor (Decree 43/2005 EüM, s 10(5)).
- Certificate from your own health authority
- For more than 3 and up to 90 days' supply: a certificate from the competent authority of the country you depart from, shown at police or customs checks (s 10(6)).
- Must be endorsed by your own country's health authority before you travel.
Not internationally controlled
PrescriptionAtomoxetine and guanfacine are not controlled in Hungary, and OGYÉI says no special permit or certificate is required to bring in a medicine that is not a controlled substance.
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
Department of Narcotic Drugs Control, National Center for Public Health and Pharmacy
Address: H-1135 Budapest, Szabolcs utca 33 (Mail: 1372 P.O. Box 450); Tel: +36 1 886 9303; email: narcotic@nngyk.gov.hu
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.
- Orvosi igazolás hitelesítése (egyéni utazók részére), last modified 26 June 2026: the Annex 3/A and 3/B certificates are for patients travelling abroad from Hungary (Kivitel); bringing medicine in needs the treating doctor's international certificate or a certificate from the competent authority of the country of departure, and the NNGYK has no role (Behozatal)Government, 2026-06-26
- Travelling with Medicine (last modified 28 July 2023): on entry the certificate is shown at customs and police checks and nothing is submitted to the Department, which attests certificates only for travellers setting out from HungaryGovernment, 2023-07-28
- Decree 43/2005 EüM on strictly controlled medicines (in force Oct 2025): leaving Hungary on the Annex 3/A or 3/B certificate from a GP in Hungary, s 10(1) and (2); entering with up to 3 days on a doctor's certificate, s 10(5); 3 to 90 days needs a home-authority certificate, s 10(6); 30-day threshold only for P3 and P4, s 10(8)Government, 2025-10-01
- Decree 43/2005 EüM, Annex 3/A: certificate for a patient leaving Hungary with narcotic or psychotropic medication on a trip of up to 3 days, completed by the patient's GP in Hungary, s 10(1)Government
- Decree 43/2005 EüM, Annex 3/B: certificate for a patient leaving Hungary with narcotic or psychotropic medication on a trip of more than 3 and up to 90 days, completed by the patient's GP in Hungary and registered by the National Center for Public Health and Pharmacy (NNGYK), s 10(2)Government
- Government Decree 66/2012 on narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and new psychoactive substances (in force Jan 2026): activity licence needed to import, keep or use, s 3(1); new psychoactive substances only for research or industry, s 4(7)Government
- Act XCV of 2005 on medicinal products (Medicines Act): use of a medicine for medical purposes in special cases with the pharmaceutical authority's authorisation, s 25(2)Government
- Decree 78/2022 BM on controlled substances (in force June 2026): amphetamine, dexamfetamine and methylphenidate in psychotropic list P2, Annex 2, rows 17, 22 and 38; viloxazine on the new psychoactive substances list, Annex 3, point 6.1, row 188; lisdexamfetamine not listedGovernment, 2026-06-29
- INCB Travellers table: HungaryTreaty body, 2024
Your trip pack
A doctor's letter for Hungary, 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 packCommon 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 Hungary embassy or consulate before travelling.