Marshall IslandsTravelling with ADHD medication: rules, permits and documents

Oceania

Last checked 20 Jul 2026Low confidence: check with the embassyHow we rate a record

Marshall Islands 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: Under the Prohibited Drugs (Prohibition and Control) Act 1987, a first offence involving less than one-quarter ounce of a prohibited drug (which includes every opioid in this dataset's list) is a criminal offence (section 909(2)(a)). An offence involving one-half ounce or more, or a repeat offence, is graded as more serious (section 909(2)(c)). The Act also states the RMI Government alone may import narcotic drugs, leaving unresolved whether a traveller's own prescribed opioid supply is lawfully importable at all. Separately and for every class, the Import Duties Act 1989 lets a Customs Officer who finds a Controlled Substance, a definition that expressly includes prescription drugs and 1971-Convention substances, impound it until the Chief, Revenue and Taxation, is satisfied it may lawfully be given to a person entitled to possess it (section 216(4)(b)). The law does not say what proof is accepted.

We could not find strong recent official guidance for this country. Contact the embassy or consulate directly before you travel.

ActionA written answer from Ministry of Health and Human Services, Republic of the Marshall Islands; Marshall Islands Customs naming your medication, before you book

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By medication

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

Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine)Not named: Unclear
Lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse) is not named in Marshall Islands's law (Prohibited Drugs (Prohibition and Control) Act 1987, §902(1)(i), pages 4 to 5), so no rule for it is published. Ask the authority listed here before you travel.
Ritalin, Concerta (methylphenidate)Unclear
RMI's drug-control statute defines 'prohibited drug' at S902(1) in four sub-paragraphs. Sub-paragraph (i) names opium, meperidine, isonipecaine, coca leaves, opiates, methamphetamine ('methyl-amphetamine'), synthetic cathinones and MDMA, with marijuana added by (iv), and none of methylphenidate, dexamfetamine, mixed amphetamine salts or lisdexamfetamine appears there. The definition is narrow but not literally closed: (ii) reaches any compound, salt, derivative or preparation of those substances and (iii) any substance chemically identical with them, and whether (ii) reaches an amphetamine-family salt is not resolved. Separately, RMI customs law does reach this class: the Import Duties Act 1989 S203(d)(ii) defines 'Controlled Substance' to include 'substances proscribed by the Convention on Psychotropic Substances', names the Customs Division of the Department of Revenue and Taxation as the border authority, and lets a Customs Officer impound such goods until the Chief, Revenue and Taxation, is satisfied they may lawfully be given to a person entitled to possess them (S216(4)(b)). No RMI instrument names an ADHD stimulant, states a permit route, a quantity or a form, so the status
Dexedrine (dexamfetamine)Unclear
The same rule as Ritalin, Concerta above.
Strattera (atomoxetine)Prescription
Atomoxetine, guanfacine and viloxazine are not internationally controlled; carry with a valid prescription in original packaging. Under the Marshall Islands Import Duties Act 1989 every prescription drug counts as a Controlled Substance, and customs may hold it until the Chief, Revenue and Taxation, is satisfied you are entitled to have it (section 203(d)(iii) and section 216(4)(b)). The law does not say what proof is accepted, so carry the prescription and a doctor's letter.
Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts)Unclear
The same rule as Ritalin, Concerta 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 RMI source states a quantity a traveller may carry of an opioid medication.
Permit: Not published. The only licence described in RMI drug-control law (Prohibited Drugs Act S907) is issued to a medical practitioner, not a traveller. No traveller permit, form or portal is published by anyone. On the customs side the Import Duties Act 1989 names the Chief of Customs Division, Department of Revenue and Taxation (S203(b), S203(e)) and makes the Chief the person who decides whether an impounded Controlled Substance may be released (S216(4)(b)), but it publishes no application a traveller can make, so this is who to contact, not a route to a permit.
Documents: prescription

Psychotropic (ADHD stimulants, benzodiazepines, sleep)

Unclear

Quantity: No RMI statute names methylphenidate, dexamfetamine, mixed amphetamine salts or lisdexamfetamine, so no quantity can be reported.
Permit: Not published. No permit or authorisation process for a traveller is published. The earlier statement that no RMI law addresses these substances at all was wrong and is withdrawn: the Import Duties Act 1989 S203(d)(ii) reaches 'substances proscribed by the Convention on Psychotropic Substances' by reference, and S216(4)(b) lets a Customs Officer impound one until the Chief, Revenue and Taxation, is satisfied it may lawfully be given to a person entitled to possess it. Nothing states how a traveller satisfies the Chief.

Not internationally controlled

Prescription

Atomoxetine, guanfacine and viloxazine are not internationally controlled; carry with a valid prescription in original packaging. Under the Marshall Islands Import Duties Act 1989 every prescription drug counts as a Controlled Substance, and customs may hold it until the Chief, Revenue and Taxation, is satisfied you are entitled to have it (section 203(d)(iii) and section 216(4)(b)). The law does not say what proof is accepted, so carry the prescription and a doctor's letter.

Leaving Marshall Islands

Marshall Islands 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)

The export leg is stated in the same clause as the import leg. Section 903(d) reads 'import, export or transport in any way be concerned with the importation, exportation or transportation, of any prohibited drug', so leaving the Marshall Islands with a prescribed opioid is caught by the same prohibition, subject to the same unresolved S904(2)(a) possession exemption versus S904(3) sole-importer tension. The Import Duties Act 1989's inspection power is likewise stated for both legs: a Customs Officer may examine 'any luggage, package or goods entering or leaving the Republic' (S216(3)). No separate outbound process, permit, quantity or form is published, and no source distinguishes leaving from arriving.

Connecting through Marshall Islands

The Marshall Islands publishes no permit, document or quantity rule for passengers in transit. Under the Import Duties Act 1989, goods in transit are under customs control (section 209), and every prescription drug counts as a Controlled Substance (section 203(d)). If a customs officer finds one that is not being landed, the officer may require it to be kept in safe custody until the aircraft or vessel leaves (section 216(4)(a)). We suggest carrying your prescription.

Responsible authority

Ministry of Health and Human Services, Republic of the Marshall Islands; Marshall Islands Customs

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

A doctor's letter for Marshall Islands, filled in with your medications and your stops, ready to sign.

A$59

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 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 Marshall Islands embassy or consulate before travelling.