PanamaTravelling with ADHD medication: rules, permits and documents
North AmericaLast checked 20 Jul 2026Medium confidenceHow we rate a record
Panama treats these medications differently. Of the 7 we track, 6 come in on paperwork with a supply cap and 1 has no published rule we could find.
Serious penalties: Panama prohibits importing any Schedule IV (1961) narcotic outright. Documentation is demanding, and the exact per-substance quantity caps live in Resolución 3143/2017 rather than the traveller table.
By medication
Brand names first, generic in brackets. Each line resolves the drug class rule below, plus anything Panama records specifically for that medication.
- Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine)Not named: Unclear
Lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse) is not named in Panama's law (Resolution 200 of 2025, official list of permitted controlled substances, pages 1 to 3; 'Anfetamina y sus derivados' may cover it but it is not named), so no rule for it is published. Ask the authority listed here before you travel.
- Ritalin, Concerta (methylphenidate)Restrictedmax 90 days' supply
Carry a valid prescription and, depending on the quantity, a doctor's certificate, a copy of your ID, and a case summary (epicrisis) from the prescribing physician no more than three months old. Quantities are governed by Resolution 3143 of 16 October 2017 (see the Official Gazette). Substances in Schedule IV of the 1961 Convention are prohibited (not applicable to ADHD stimulants).
- Dexedrine (dexamfetamine)Restrictedmax 90 days' supply
The same rule as Ritalin, Concerta above.
- Strattera (atomoxetine)Restrictedmax 180 days' supply
Atomoxetine, guanfacine and viloxazine are not internationally controlled and are not on Panama's controlled list. Panama's medicines regulation (Decreto Ejecutivo 27 of 2024, article 358) covers medicines a traveller brings for personal use that are not registered in Panama. If customs holds your medicine, the Ministry of Health can authorise its release when you present a prescription from a qualified professional, a detailed purchase invoice, a copy of your passport, a letter releasing the health authority from liability, and the customs retention record (acta de retención). The quantity may be no more than six months of treatment.
- Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts)Restrictedmax 90 days' supply
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)
Prescription- Quantity
- 90 days. Up to 90 days; exact quantities per article 4 of Resolución 3143 of 2017
- Permit
- Not required. No import-permit box is marked; documentation-based. Schedule IV (1961) narcotics are prohibited.
- Documents
- prescription, home authority certificate, medical certificate
Psychotropic (ADHD stimulants, benzodiazepines, sleep)
Restricted- Quantity
- 90 days. Up to three months of treatment. Article 4 of Resolution 3143 of 16 October 2017 lets you carry up to 30 doses of a controlled medicine with a plain copy of your prescription, or for methylphenidate up to 600 mg in total. It lists no quantity for amphetamine, dexamfetamine or lisdexamfetamine, so for these the only article 4 threshold is 30 doses. Above that, up to three months of treatment, carry the article 8 documents: a copy of your ID, a copy of your prescription with the pharmacy stamp, and a case summary (epicrisis) from your doctor no more than three months old, to show customs and police if they ask.
- Permit
- Not published. No Panamanian authorisation. Panama asks for a valid prescription, and a doctor's certificate endorsed by your home health authority depending on the quantity and the substance, for up to 90 days. Article 4 of Resolution 3143 of 16 October 2017 sets the quantities. No certificate from Panamanian health authorities is asked for.
Not internationally controlled
Restricted- Quantity
- 180 days. No more than six months of treatment (Decreto Ejecutivo 27 of 2024, article 358(3)(d)), the most the Ministry of Health can release if customs holds your medicine.
- Documents
- prescription
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
Ministerio de Salud de Panama (per Resolution 3143 of 2017)
Contact details not provided in INCB submission; see Resolution 3143 of 16 October 2017 in the digital Official Gazette
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.
- Controlled Substances Regulation, Decreto Ejecutivo 183 (2018): official permitted list set by resolution, arts 1 to 2, page 40; import permits for licensed establishments only, art 10, page 41Government, 2018-06-13
- Resolution 3143 of 16 October 2017 (Gaceta Oficial Digital 28397): travellers may carry up to 30 doses, or the listed amounts, with a plain prescription copy, art 4, pages 16 to 17; documents for up to three months of treatment, art 8, page 18Government, 2017-10-30
- Controlled Substances Law, Ley 14 (2016): import only by licensed establishments, art 5, page 62; travellers must follow Public Health Directorate rules, art 6, page 62Government, 2016-05-23
- Executive Decree 27 of 10 May 2024 (Gaceta Oficial Digital 30028-C): release of medicines for personal use brought by travellers, no more than six months of treatment, art 358(3), page 96Government
- Official list of controlled substances permitted in Panama, Resolution 200 (2025): methylphenidate and 'amphetamine and its derivatives' permitted, page 2; dexamfetamine and lisdexamfetamine not namedGovernment
- INCB Travellers table: PanamaTreaty body, 2025-01
Your trip pack
A doctor's letter for Panama, 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 packThis 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 Panama embassy or consulate before travelling.