LaosTravelling with ADHD medication: rules, permits and documents
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Laos 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: Unauthorised personal possession of morphine (or heroin/cocaine) above 0.2 grams up to 2 grams carries 2 to 10 years' imprisonment under Article 146 of the Law on Criminal Procedure as amended by Law No. 22/NA (2012), rising to the death penalty above 500 grams; a comparable threshold for amphetamine-type stimulants (0.3-3 grams = 1-5 years) applies, and no source states how a traveller's lawfully prescribed, declared personal supply is exempted from these thresholds.
By medication
Brand names first, generic in brackets. Each line resolves the drug class rule below, plus anything Laos records specifically for that medication.
- Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine)Unclear
Article 10 of the Law on Drugs and Medical Products makes "drugs for individual use when travelling" a lawful possession category, and states no application process. Laos's 2014 INCB filing adds a tick-box for a certificate issued by the destination country's health authorities, but nothing published says whether that is applied for in advance or handled at the border. The import permit that Laos does publish, under Decision 456/MOH, is addressed to a "trader" and sits beside registration, labelling and storage duties: it is the commercial regime and is not the traveller's route, despite being administered by the same department. None of methylphenidate, dexamfetamine, mixed-amphetamine-salts or lisdexamfetamine appear on the 2005 Ministry of Health approved-psychotropics list (which lists only benzodiazepines, a barbiturate, meprobamate and pentazocine). Amphetamine (relevant to dexamfetamine/mixed-amphetamine-salts) instead appears on a separate Ministry of Public Security prohibited-import list and carries its own criminal possession threshold (0.3g-3g = 1-5 years). This conflicts with, and is not reconciled against, the general 'individual use when travelling' lawful-possession
- Ritalin, Concerta (methylphenidate)Unclear
The same rule as Vyvanse above.
- Dexamphetamine (dexamfetamine)Unclear
The same rule as Vyvanse above.
- Strattera (atomoxetine)Prescription
Atomoxetine (Strattera), guanfacine ER (Intuniv) and viloxazine (Qelbree) are not internationally scheduled under the 1971 Convention, so they fall outside the INCB controlled-substance travel rules. Carry them with a normal prescription in original packaging; no import permit is required unless a specific national exception applies.
- Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts)Unclear
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)
Unclear- Quantity
- No fixed number published; the 2014 INCB table ties the permitted amount to the traveller's own prescribed dose rather than a government-set figure.
- Permit
- Not published. Article 10 of the Law on Drugs and Medical Products makes "drugs for individual use when travelling" a lawful possession category, and states no application process. Laos's 2014 INCB filing adds a tick-box for a certificate issued by the destination country's health authorities, but nothing published says whether that is applied for in advance or handled at the border. The import permit that Laos does publish, under Decision 456/MOH, is addressed to a "trader" and sits beside registration, labelling and storage duties: it is the commercial regime and is not the traveller's route, despite being administered by the same department.
- Documents
- prescription, doctor letter, home authority certificate, medical certificate
- In force
- Since September 2014.
Psychotropic (ADHD stimulants, benzodiazepines, sleep)
Unclear- Quantity
- Generic INCB table entry for 'psychotropic substances' also says 'refer to the dose of prescribed medicine', but no source confirms this class-level statement covers the specific ADHD stimulants in scope.
- Permit
- Not published. Article 10 of the Law on Drugs and Medical Products makes "drugs for individual use when travelling" a lawful possession category, and states no application process. Laos's 2014 INCB filing adds a tick-box for a certificate issued by the destination country's health authorities, but nothing published says whether that is applied for in advance or handled at the border. The import permit that Laos does publish, under Decision 456/MOH, is addressed to a "trader" and sits beside registration, labelling and storage duties: it is the commercial regime and is not the traveller's route, despite being administered by the same department.
- In force
- Since 4 January 2005.
Not internationally controlled
PrescriptionAtomoxetine (Strattera), guanfacine ER (Intuniv) and viloxazine (Qelbree) are not internationally scheduled under the 1971 Convention, so they fall outside the INCB controlled-substance travel rules. Carry them with a normal prescription in original packaging; no import permit is required unless a specific national exception applies.
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
Director General of Food and Drug Department, Ministry of Health
Simuang Road, Vientiane Capital; Tel: +856 21 214013-14; Fax: +856 21 214015; e-mail: lao_precurs456@yahoo.com.au
Sources
The source 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
A doctor's letter for Laos, 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 Laos embassy or consulate before travelling.