What a travel letter for controlled medication should contain

What are the parts of a travel letter?

The letter this site prepares for a prescriber to review has seven parts, in this order. It is one document for the whole trip, so the same signed page can be shown at each border.

1. APractitioner. Who issued it: the prescriber's name and qualifications, their registration number, and the practice's name, address, telephone and email, usually on the practice letterhead.
2. BPatient. Who it is for, as the passport shows it: full name, date of birth, passport number or nationality, country of residence and home address.
3. CDiagnosis and clinical need. The condition the medicine treats and how long the patient has been in the prescriber's care. Some destinations ask for the specific reason the medicine is needed, not only that it is prescribed.
4. DMedication. Each medicine by its generic (INN) name, with brand names as identifiers, its strength and form, the directions, and the quantity carried.
5. EItinerary. Each country on the trip, whether it is an entry or an airside transit, the arrival and departure dates, and the supply held on arrival.
6. FDeclarations. The statements the prescriber is prepared to certify about the patient and the medicine. The prescriber decides what to certify from their own assessment.
7. GSignature. The prescriber's signature and the date of issue. Some destinations accept a letter only within a set time of that date, and some ask for a stamp or seal.

What do countries ask a letter to state?

Each row counts the country records, out of 10, that ask for the item on a doctor's letter, medical certificate or prescription. A record that does not list an item has not been confirmed either way; it does not mean the item is unwanted.

Does the letter need a translation or an endorsement?

3 of these records ask for the document in a particular language or with a translation: Georgia, Indonesia, Singapore.

• Georgia: Must carry a Hague apostille from your own government. Must be endorsed by your own country's health authority before you travel.
• United Arab Emirates: Must be endorsed by your own country's health authority before you travel.
• Vietnam: Must be notarised by a notary public.

Each country's letter page shows which document these apply to and links the official source.

Where official advice differs

Australian and Japanese guidance disagree about whether stating that a medicine is for personal use is enough. Both are shown here as published. Neither is preferred: follow the authority for the place you are going, and confirm with it.

Smartraveller (Australia)

Authorities overseas may ask for evidence to prove the medication is yours. Ask your doctor for a letter stating:

• what the medicine is
• how much you'll take
• that it's for personal use.

Source: Smartraveller (Australian Government), Taking medicine and medical devices overseas. Read 21 Oct 2026; the page shows it was last updated 18 Aug 2026.

Narcotics Control Department (Japan)

For a permit application, Japan's Narcotics Control Department lists what the medical certificate must include:

• Your name
• Your current address
• The specific reason why you take your medicine
• A list of your medicine, including doses and the strength
• The signature of the doctor who prescribed your drugs
• The date of issue of medical certificate (Issued date within 3 months)

The same page says a reason given only as “for personal use”, “for medical conditions”, “for travel” or “for treatment” will not be accepted.

Source: Narcotics Control Department, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan), Application Guidance. Read 21 Oct 2026.