Primary sources only. Where the official page disagrees with this one, it is right.
The UAE sorts medicines into controlled, semi-controlled and uncontrolled. more than two hundred substances sit on the controlled and semi-controlled list published by the Emirates Drug Establishment, in the edition dated 15 September 2022. Opioid painkillers, benzodiazepines, sleep medication and ADHD stimulants are spread across those categories, so a medicine being routine at home says nothing about which category it lands in here.
For a controlled or semi-controlled medicine you need approval from the health authority before you travel. There is no counter at the airport that issues it. Travellers have been detained over quantities they considered obviously personal, which is the risk this step exists to remove.
The prescription must be issued within the last three months and stamped by the issuing facility. A repeat prescription from last year, or a photo of a label, does not meet that. Get a fresh one before you fly even if your medication has not changed.
for the period of stay or a maximum of three months’ use, whichever is less. Work out the figure for your own trip and carry that, not a round number. An excess is the thing an officer can see at a glance.
The approval, the recent stamped prescription, and the medicine in its original labelled packaging. A letter from your prescriber naming the active ingredient in generic form closes the gap between the brand on your box and the substance on the UAE's list — our template covers it.
Specific medicines: codeine · tramadol · Xanax · Valium · Ambien · Adderall · CBD.
UAE Government portal — drugs and controlled medicines
Emirates Drug Establishment — controlled and semi-controlled medicines list (PDF)
Last checked 2 October 2026. Where the official pages above disagree with this one, they are right and we are out of date.