RwandaTravelling with ADHD medication: rules, permits and documents
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Rwanda 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: Controlled substances that are not physically carried by the traveller (sent by courier or bought online) or that arrive without an accompanying prescription or practitioner's authorisation letter fall outside the personal-effects allowance and are liable to seizure under Law n°03/2012 Article 13, which reaches narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances 'not accompanied by an official authorization', until conformity with the law is proven or a court orders confiscation or destruction. Whether the personal-effects route is itself such an authorisation, or whether the TRG/001 Article 10 certificate is also needed, is unresolved, which is exactly why it is worth asking Rwanda FDA before travelling.
By medication
Brand names first, generic in brackets. Each line resolves the drug class rule below, plus anything Rwanda records specifically for that medication.
- Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine)Not named: Unclear
Lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse) is not named in Rwanda's law (Ministerial Order n°001/MoH/2019, Annexes I and II, Official Gazette n°10 of 11/03/2019, pages 50 to 56), so no rule for it is published. Ask the authority listed here before you travel.
- Ritalin, Concerta (methylphenidate)Restrictedmax 30 days' supply
Rwanda FDA's guideline on personal effects lets a visitor bring a controlled medicine, including ADHD stimulants, for medical use only: up to 30 days' supply, carried by you in person, with a prescription or an authorisation letter from a registered practitioner in the country you come from. Keep the medicine in its original packaging with the dispensing label intact. At the port of entry you fill out Rwanda FDA's personal-use form and your medicine is inspected; the guideline also lists a copy of your passport and an invoice from the pharmacy. No more than four personal imports or exports a year. Medicine sent by courier or bought online is not allowed. Rwanda's drug law (Law n°03/2012, article 10) and Rwanda FDA's import regulation (article 10) say that anyone importing a psychotropic substance needs an official import certificate, and neither states an exception for travellers. The regulation's personal-use exception covers only the ordinary import visa and licence. The guideline does not mention the certificate. Ask Rwanda FDA before you travel whether you need the certificate. Rwanda's Ministerial Order n°001/MoH/2019 lists amphetamine, dexamfetamine and methylphenidate as controlled; no Rwandan traveller rule names an ADHD stimulant. The Rwanda Revenue Authority's traveller page reproduces the EAC Customs Management Act Second Schedule, under which narcotic drugs under international control are prohibited imports and psychotropic drugs under international control are restricted imports, with no personal-effects exemption on the page; Rwanda FDA's personal-effects guideline remains the specific rule for travellers.
- Dexedrine (dexamfetamine)Restrictedmax 30 days' supply
The same rule as Ritalin, Concerta above.
- Strattera (atomoxetine)Restrictedmax 90 days' supply
Atomoxetine, guanfacine and viloxazine are not controlled substances in Rwanda. Rwanda FDA's guideline on personal effects allows up to 90 days' supply of a prescription-only medicine for personal use; more only for justified reasons after Rwanda FDA assessment. Bring a prescription or a written letter from your prescriber, and keep the medicine in its original packaging with the dispensing label intact. At the port of entry you fill out Rwanda FDA's personal-use form and your medicine may be inspected; the guideline also lists a copy of your passport and an invoice from the pharmacy. No more than four personal imports or exports a year.
- Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts)Restrictedmax 30 days' supply
The same rule as Ritalin, Concerta above.
- Intuniv (guanfacine)Restrictedmax 90 days' supply
The same rule as Strattera above.
- Qelbree (viloxazine)Restrictedmax 90 days' supply
The same rule as Strattera above.
Rules by drug class
Narcotic (opioids)
Prescription- Quantity
- 30 days. 30 days' supply for controlled substances as a personal effect; the general prescription-only-medicine allowance is 90 days but is narrowed to 30 days for anything classed as a narcotic drug or psychotropic substance under Law n°03/2012. A separate cap runs alongside it: personal-effects importation or exportation by an individual or group of individuals 'shall not exceed four imports/exports per year' (§3.2.1(f)), so a fifth trip in a year falls outside the allowance.
- Permit
- Not published. Unresolved, and recorded as unresolved. Rwanda FDA's own Regulations TRG/001 Article 10 say that any person intending to import or export any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance shall apply for an official certificate of importation/exportation of controlled substances, and Article 7's personal-use carve-out disapplies only Articles 5 and 6 (the import Visa and the import/export Licence), not Article 10. Against that, the personal-effects guideline GDL/003 sets out an individual pathway (§3.2.1) with no prior-authorisation step and a §3.2.4 that contemplates a visitor simply arriving with their medicine on a prescription or practitioner's letter. The two are not reconciled anywhere published, so no permit value can be given: see the conflicting_sources gap. What is clear either way is that the traveller must be physically carrying the medicine (courier or online purchase of controlle
- Documents
- prescription, doctor letter, customs declaration
Psychotropic (ADHD stimulants, benzodiazepines, sleep)
Restricted- Quantity
- 30 days. 30 days' supply for controlled substances carried as personal effects; Rwanda FDA's guideline treats narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances the same. You may make no more than four personal imports or exports a year.
- Permit
- Not published. Rwanda FDA's import regulation (TRG/001, article 10) asks anyone importing a psychotropic substance for an official import certificate, and Rwanda FDA's personal-effects guideline (GDL/003) describes the traveller route with no prior authorisation step. The two disagree, and nothing published says which applies to a traveller. You must carry the medicine in person (no courier or online purchase), with a prescription or a practitioner's authorisation letter, your ID or passport and a pharmacy invoice, and complete the inspection form at the port of entry. Personal-use medicines are exempt from verification fees on import, and no authorisation fee is published.
- Documents
- prescription, doctor letter, original packaging
Not internationally controlled
Restricted- Quantity
- 90 days. Up to 90 days' supply of a prescription-only medicine; more only for justified reasons after Rwanda FDA assessment.
- Documents
- prescription, doctor letter, original packaging
Connecting through Rwanda
Rwanda publishes nothing on a connecting passenger's own medicine. Its drug law (Law n°03/2012, article 14) prohibits transit of psychotropic substances without an export or import authorisation shown to the Ministry of Health, except for a consignment that stays on an aircraft making a stopover. The article is written for consignments.
Responsible authority
Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (Rwanda FDA)
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.
- Rwanda FDA guidelines on importing and exporting regulated products as personal effects, FDISM/FDIEC/GDL/003 Rev. 1 (2023, archived copy): more than 90 days only after assessment, s 3.1.5, page 8; 90 days for prescription-only medicines and 30 days for controlled substances, s 3.2.5, page 10Government, 2023-03-15
- Prohibited and Restricted Goods for Travellers (EAC Customs Management Act 2004, Second Schedule)Government
- Rwanda FDA import and export regulations TRG/001 Rev 2 (2022): personal-use exception, art 7, page 7; narcotic or psychotropic import needs an official certificate, art 10, page 9Government
- Official Gazette n°10 of 11/03/2019, Ministerial Order on the list of narcotic drugs: prescription only, art 7, page 48; amphetamine, dexamfetamine, methylphenidate Schedule II, pages 52, 53, 55; lisdexamfetamine not listedGovernment, 2019-03-11
- Law n°03/2012 on narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors (2012, RwandaLII copy): import certificate, art 10, page 4; transit, art 14, page 6; substance tables set by Ministerial Order, art 4, page 3Secondary, 2012-04-09
- Ministerial Order n°001/MoH/2019 on the list of narcotic drugs (RwandaLII copy): prescription only, art 7, page 2; amphetamine, dexamfetamine, methylphenidate Schedule II, pages 4, 6, 8; lisdexamfetamine not listedSecondary, 2019-03-11
- Travellers under treatment with internationally controlled substances: country indexInternational body
Your trip pack
A doctor's letter for Rwanda, 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 Rwanda embassy or consulate before travelling.