ParaguayTravelling with ADHD medication: rules, permits and documents
South AmericaLast checked 20 Jul 2026Low confidence: check with the embassyHow we rate a record
Paraguay 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: Bringing a controlled substance into Paraguay without authorisation is a criminal offence under Ley 1340/88 Art. 21, and so is bringing it in transit (Art. 25). Under Art. 30, a person holding a substance their doctor prescribed is exempt from penalty, but if the quantity is more than was prescribed it is a criminal offence and the medicine is confiscated, so carrying more than the prescription states, or being unable to evidence the prescription, is the highest-consequence failure mode for a traveller. Paraguay is also a significant regional drug-transit country with an active anti-narcotics agency (SENAD).
We could not find strong recent official guidance for this country. Contact the embassy or consulate directly before you travel.
By medication
Brand names first, generic in brackets. Each line resolves the drug class rule below, plus anything Paraguay records specifically for that medication.
- Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine)Not named: Unclear
Lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse) is not named in Paraguay's law (Decreto 5213/05, Decreto 5282/21 and DINAVISA's December 2025 list of controlled substances), so no rule for it is published. A DINAVISA notice to licensed importers (Comunicado 005/2024) lists it among psychotropics for 2025 import forecasts, but no decree settles its legal status. Ask the authority listed here before you travel.
- Ritalin, Concerta (methylphenidate)Unclear
Methylphenidate, amphetamine and dexamfetamine are listed under Paraguay's national Lista II psicotrópicos (Decreto N° 5213/05 Art. 42, mirroring the 1971 Convention Schedule II), so they are controlled substances domestically, but no DINAVISA, SENAD, customs or health-ministry page sets out a personal-carry or import procedure for a traveller's own prescribed stimulant. The only registered authorisation route is the commercial licence described for opioids, which an individual traveller cannot obtain. Mixed amphetamine salts are not named as such in the 2005 schedule or the 2021 national list (Decreto N° 5282/21). Lisdexamfetamine is not named in Decreto 5213/05, Decreto 5282/21 or DINAVISA's December 2025 list of controlled substances. A DINAVISA notice to licensed importers (Comunicado 005/2024) lists it among psychotropics for 2025 import forecasts, but no decree settles its legal status. Carry the prescription and a doctor's letter and contact DINAVISA before travel.
- Dexedrine (dexamfetamine)Unclear
The same rule as Ritalin, Concerta above.
- Strattera (atomoxetine)Prescription
Atomoxetine, guanfacine and viloxazine are not internationally controlled; carry a prescription for personal-use import. Paraguay's medicines law sets no number: medicines for your own use that you carry in are exempt from prior authorisation only in strictly necessary and reasonable quantities (Law 1119/97, Art. 6(2)).
- 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 Paraguayan authority publishes a traveller quantity limit for opioids. Ley 1340/88 Art. 30 exempts a person from penalty for holding a substance their doctor prescribed, capped at the prescribed amount, but this is a domestic possession defence, not a stated customs allowance, and does not say whether a foreign prescription qualifies.
- Permit
- Not published. DINAVISA's only published import/export authorisation is a commercial one for registered establishments (Ley 1340/88 Art. 2-3, as amended by Ley 6902/22 Art. 1): registration with the Registro Nacional de Sustancias Estupefacientes y Drogas Peligrosas, a certificado de habilitación, SENAD fiscalización, annual reinscription and monthly reporting. An individual traveller cannot obtain this. No traveller-specific permit process is published.
Psychotropic (ADHD stimulants, benzodiazepines, sleep)
Unclear- Quantity
- No Paraguayan authority publishes a traveller quantity limit for ADHD stimulants. The same Art. 30 possession-ceiling logic as the narcotic class applies (capped at the prescribed amount), but it is not a stated customs allowance.
- Permit
- Not published. Same commercial-only authorisation regime as narcotics (Ley 1340/88 Art. 2-3 as amended). No traveller-specific permit process is published.
Not internationally controlled
Prescription- Quantity
- No numeric limit. Medicines for personal use carried in by the traveller are exempt from prior authorisation only in strictly necessary and reasonable quantities (Law 1119/97, Art. 6(2)).
Responsible authority
Direccion Nacional de Vigilancia Sanitaria (DINAVISA)
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.
- DINAVISA: Estupefacientes, Psicotrópicos, PrecursoresGovernment
- Ley 6902/22, amending Ley 1340/88: registration with DINAVISA and SENAD inspection before importing or holding controlled substances, Arts 2 and 3, page 1Government, 2022-03
- Law 1119/97 on health products: personal-use medicines carried by their users in strictly necessary and reasonable quantities need no prior authorisation, Art. 6(2), page 7Government, 1997
- Ley 1340/88 on the BACN site (older text of Arts 2 and 3): import without authorisation Art 21; transit Art 25; possession of a prescribed medicine exempt from penalty Art 30; substances by Convention lists and decree, Art 1Government, 1988
- Ley 1340/88 (1988 original, DINAVISA copy): import without authorisation Art 21, page 4; transit Art 25, page 4; possession Art 27 and prescribed-medicine exemption Art 30, page 5Government, 1988
- DINAVISA Comunicado 005/2024, 2025 import forecasts for substances controlled under Ley 1340/88: dexamfetamine, lisdexamfetamine and methylphenidate in the psychotropics table, page 2Government, 2024-12
- Decreto 5282/21, national control list replacing Art 1 of Decreto 5213/05, pages 4 to 5: no ADHD medicine added; Convention list updates via DNVS, Art 5, page 10Government, 2021
- Decreto 5213/05, national drug lists: psychotropic lists Art 42, page 13; dexamfetamine in List II, page 14; methylphenidate in List II, page 15; lisdexamfetamine not listedGovernment, 2005
- DINAVISA updated list of controlled substances in Paraguay, December 2025: psychotropics List II holds amphetamine, dexamfetamine and methylphenidate; List V national controlGovernment
- INCB: Country Regulations for Travellers (index)Treaty body
Your trip pack
A doctor's letter for Paraguay, 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 Paraguay embassy or consulate before travelling.