MalawiTravelling with ADHD medication: rules, permits and documents

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Last checked 20 Jul 2026Medium confidenceHow we rate a record

Malawi treats these medications differently. Of the 7 we track, 3 need approval before you arrive, 3 come in on paperwork with a supply cap and 1 has no published rule we could find.

Serious penalties: Malawi's PMRA Act exempts a traveller's own medicine for up to six months from the import permit (section 58(2)), but also requires extra PMRA authorisation to import psychotropics (section 60) without saying whether that applies to travellers. PMRA's guidance describes a personal-use import permit arranged by a PMRA-registered pharmacist. Contact PMRA before you travel.

ActionPharmacy and Medicines Regulatory Authority (PMRA) approval before you arrive, and no processing time is published, so the earlier it goes in the better

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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)Not named: Unclear
Lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse) is not named in Malawi's law (Dangerous Drugs Act Cap. 35:02, Schedule and notices, pages 11 to 51; Pharmacy and Medicines Regulatory Authority Act 2019 has no list and defines psychotropics by the 1971 Convention, page 12), so no rule for it is published. Ask the authority listed here before you travel.
Ritalin, Concerta (methylphenidate)Permit required
Malawi's PMRA Act defines psychotropic substances by the 1971 Convention schedules, which cover methylphenidate, amfetamine and dexamfetamine (Schedule II). Lisdexamfetamine is not in the 1971 Convention schedules or any Malawian list, so no rule for it is published. The PMRA Act exempts a traveller's own medicine from the import permit for up to six months' personal supply (section 58(2), page 35). For stimulants, section 60 (page 36) also requires extra PMRA authorisation to import a psychotropic, and it is not clear whether this applies to travellers. PMRA's guidance describes a personal-use import permit arranged by a PMRA-registered pharmacist. Contact PMRA before you travel.
Dexedrine (dexamfetamine)Permit required
The same rule as Ritalin, Concerta above.
Strattera (atomoxetine)Restrictedmax 180 days' supply
Atomoxetine, guanfacine and viloxazine are not controlled in Malawi. The PMRA Act lets travellers bring their own medicine for personal use without an import permit, up to six months' supply (section 58(2), page 35). More than that needs an import permit. Carry your prescription.
Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts)Permit required
The same rule as Ritalin, Concerta above.
Intuniv (guanfacine)Restrictedmax 180 days' supply
The same rule as Strattera above.
Qelbree (viloxazine)Restrictedmax 180 days' supply
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. Malawi's PMRA Act exempts a traveller's own medicine from the import permit for up to six months' personal supply (section 58(2), page 35). For stimulants, section 60 also requires extra PMRA authorisation to import a psychotropic, and it is not clear whether this applies to travellers.
Permit: Required. The PMRA Act exempts a traveller's own medicine from the import permit for up to six months' supply (section 58(2)), but section 60 requires extra PMRA authorisation to import a psychotropic and does not say whether that applies to travellers. PMRA's guidance describes a personal-use import permit that has to be lodged by a pharmacy registered with PMRA, not by the traveller. PMRA says it takes ten working days to process an import permit application. For a psychotropic medicine the pharmacy must first obtain a separate narcotic or psychotropic licence, and no time is published for that step. No form a traveller can complete was found. Contact PMRA well before you travel.
Documents: prescription, import permit

Not internationally controlled

Restricted

Quantity: 180 days. Up to six months' supply for personal use (PMRA Act 2019, section 58(2), page 35); more than that needs an import permit.

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 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

Malawi 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 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.