MalawiTravelling with ADHD medication: rules, permits and documents

Africa

Last checked 20 Jul 2026Medium confidenceHow we rate a record

Malawi treats these medications differently. Of the 7 we track, 4 need approval before you arrive and 3 need only your prescription.

Serious penalties: Malawi requires a narcotic/psychotropic licence before an import permit for controlled drugs, and the only published personal-use import route cannot be self-filed by the traveller — it must be arranged in advance through a PMRA-registered pharmacist, using a cover letter, the prescription and a commercial invoice addressed to the PMRA Director General. Arriving with a personal opioid or ADHD-stimulant supply and no prior PMRA involvement is the point of highest risk, since nothing published describes what happens at the border for an undeclared or unarranged supply.

ActionPharmacy and Medicines Regulatory Authority (PMRA) approval, applied for at least 10 days before you arrive

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By medication

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

Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine)Permit required
Malawi's PMRA defines ADHD stimulants (methylphenidate, dexamfetamine, mixed amphetamine salts, lisdexamfetamine) as psychotropic substances and applies the same regime as opioids: a six-month personal-use import permit route that must be arranged through a PMRA-registered pharmacist, plus an unresolved question over whether an extra narcotic/psychotropic licence step also applies. No substance-specific PMRA source was found distinguishing any one stimulant from the others. Contact PMRA before you travel.
Ritalin, Concerta (methylphenidate)Permit required
The same rule as Vyvanse above.
Dexamphetamine (dexamfetamine)Permit required
The same rule as Vyvanse above.
Strattera (atomoxetine)Prescription
Atomoxetine, guanfacine and viloxazine are not internationally controlled; carry with a valid prescription in original packaging. No Malawi-specific traveller exception found.
Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts)Permit required
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: No published traveller limit. This number is not a hand-carry allowance. Six months' supply, based on the prescription, is the cap PMRA states on a permit APPLICATION (S3.9.1) — an application that must be 'facilitated by the authorized applicants', meaning a PMRA-registered pharmacist (S3.9.2, S2.3), and accompanied by a commercial invoice (S3.9.5). Nothing published says a passenger may walk through the airport with six months' supply. The basis enum offers only traveller_allowance and prescribing_cap, and neither names a permit-application cap; prescribing_cap is used because it is the schema's non-allowance encoding, so the figure is not presented to a traveller as their limit.
Permit: Required. Apply at least 10 days ahead. The only published personal-use route is the 'import permit for medicines for specific patients' (S3.2.4, S3.9), capped at six months' supply, which must be facilitated by a PMRA-registered pharmacist ('authorised applicant') with a cover letter, the prescription and a commercial invoice — the traveller does not lodge this themselves. Separately, S3.6.2 requires a narcotic/psychotropic licence before an import permit for controlled drugs, filed under a heading that says 'commercial'; whether this licence step also applies to the personal-use route is not stated. No traveller-completable form was found.
Documents: prescription, import permit

Psychotropic (ADHD stimulants, benzodiazepines, sleep)

Permit required

Quantity: No published traveller limit. This number is not a hand-carry allowance. Six months' supply, based on the prescription, is the cap PMRA states on a permit APPLICATION (S3.9.1) lodged by a PMRA-registered pharmacist (S3.9.2, S2.3) with a commercial invoice (S3.9.5), not what a passenger may carry through the airport. The basis enum has no value for a permit-application cap; prescribing_cap is used as the schema's non-allowance encoding. PMRA's definition of 'psychotropic substance' (S2.18) covers 1971 Convention Schedule I-IV substances, which includes methylphenidate, dexamfetamine, mixed amphetamine salts and lisdexamfetamine.
Permit: Required. Apply at least 10 days ahead. Identical route and unresolved scope questions to the narcotic class: the personal-use 'import permit for medicines for specific patients' must be facilitated by a PMRA-registered pharmacist; whether S3.6.2's narcotic/psychotropic licence step also gates this personal-use route is not stated. No traveller-completable form was found.
Documents: prescription, import permit

Not internationally controlled

Prescription

Atomoxetine, guanfacine and viloxazine are not internationally controlled; carry with a valid prescription in original packaging. No Malawi-specific traveller exception found.

Leaving Malawi

Malawi publishes a different rule for taking these medicines out than for bringing them in. Only the differences are below. Anything not listed here is the same as the rule above.

Narcotic (opioids)

Quantity: PMRA states the exported quantity is 'based on the prescription and in compliance with the regulations of the destination country' — no Malawi-side day or month cap is stated for export, unlike the six-month cap on import.
Permit: Required. Apply at least 10 days ahead.

Leaving Malawi with your own prescribed medicine uses a separate 'individuals exporting medicines for personal use' export permit (S4.4), which may be facilitated by a PMRA-registered pharmacist or by a relative of the patient (broader than the import route). It requires a cover letter, your prescription and a purchase receipt showing the medicine came from a registered pharmacy. For a narcotic or psychotropic medicine, PMRA may also request evidence of the destination country's own import authorisation (S4.3.4.1). PMRA's document states the export permit's validity for individual use as 'six (3) months', an internal inconsistency in the source that is quoted here verbatim rather than resolved.

Psychotropic (ADHD stimulants, benzodiazepines, sleep)

Quantity: Same as the narcotic class: PMRA states the exported quantity is 'based on the prescription and in compliance with the regulations of the destination country', with no Malawi-side cap stated for export.
Permit: Required. Apply at least 10 days ahead.

Same export-permit route as the narcotic class (S4.4): facilitated by a PMRA-registered pharmacist or a relative of the patient, needs a cover letter, prescription and purchase receipt, and for a psychotropic medicine may also require evidence of the destination country's import authorisation.

Responsible authority

Pharmacy and Medicines Regulatory Authority (PMRA)

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.

Guidance on Importation and Exportation of Medicinal Products and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (PMRA-GD-REG-005-00)Government, 2023-08

Your trip pack

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

A$19

We have not found an application form or portal for travellers here, so the pack gives you Pharmacy and Medicines Regulatory Authority (PMRA)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 Malawi embassy or consulate before travelling.