Can you bring medication to Brazil?

• Controlled medication

  depends on specifics

  Whether a controlled medicine can be imported depends on which of ANVISA's schedules (Lists A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, C1–C5, set by Portaria SVS/MS n° 344/1998) its active substance is on. Medicines on List C1 may be brought in with only a valid medical prescription shown to the sanitary authority at the port of entry — no advance ANVISA authorization is needed, provided no similar product is registered/sold in Brazil (commercial sale of the imported product is prohibited; personal use only). Medicines on Lists A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, C2 and C5 cannot be imported by a traveler at all without ANVISA's advance, case-by-case 'exceptional use' authorization: the patient/legal guardian must petition before travel through ANVISA's SEI electronic system with a signed prescription (patient name, commercial drug name, dosage, quantity, treatment duration, doctor's signature/CRM), a medical report (diagnosis/CID, case history, justification vs. Brazilian-registered alternatives), and a signed liability statement. Approval is not guaranteed and, once granted, must be presented at the ANVISA airport post to release the medicine.

  Substances on List C3 (teratogenic/immunosuppressant, e.g. thalidomide, lenalidomide, pomalidomide) are excluded even from the exceptional-use pathway. Substances on Lists E and F are proscribed outright — import, export, trade and use are illegal for any purpose other than authorized research. This pass verified the mechanism directly from ANVISA's official 'Importação de produtos controlados' page, but did not cross-check the live substance-by-substance annex (Portaria 344/1998, Anexo I, which is amended periodically by separate RDCs) to confirm exactly which list captures each named drug — e.g. whether Adderall/amphetamine, Xanax/alprazolam, Valium/diazepam, Klonopin/clonazepam, codeine, oxycodone or tramadol individually sit on C1 versus one of the prohibited-without-authorization lists. Confirm your specific medicine's list before travel via ANVISA's published substance list or its helpline (0800 642 9782).

  Also covers: narcotics, psychotropic medication, controlled substance, adderall, amphetamine, vyvanse, lisdexamfetamine, ritalin, methylphenidate, xanax, alprazolam, valium, diazepam, klonopin

  Checked 2026-09-13 — Source: ANVISA — Importação de produtos controlados (Medicamentos)

• Injectable medication

  allowed, within limits

  Insulin and GLP-1 injectable medicines (semaglutide/Ozempic/Wegovy, tirzepatide/Mounjaro/Zepbound) fall under 'medicamentos, incluindo os biológicos' in ANVISA's baggage rules: the personal-use quantity must be compatible with your treatment and length of stay in Brazil, with no fixed numeric day-supply cap published. A medical prescription may be requested if the quantity looks excessive for the trip. Needles, syringes and pen injectors are 'produtos médicos' (medical products) under the same personal-use rule.

  None of these substances are narcotics or psychotropics under Portaria 344/1998, so the stricter ANVISA controlled-substances import regime (see the 'controlled medication' entry for Brazil) does not apply to them. ANVISA's baggage-rules page does not name insulin, semaglutide, tirzepatide, or needles specifically — it addresses them only through the general 'biológicos'/'produtos médicos' categories — so no drug-specific guidance (e.g. sharps handling, a syringe-count cap) was found on a primary source in this pass.

  Also covers: insulin, ozempic, semaglutide, wegovy, mounjaro, tirzepatide, zepbound, glp-1, needles, syringes, pen injector

  Checked 2026-09-13 — Source: ANVISA (Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária) — Regras de bagagem (Portos, aeroportos e fronteiras)

• Medication

  allowed, within limits

  The quantity of medicines (including biologics) carried in accompanied baggage must be compatible with personal use/consumption and with the circumstances and length of the trip — there is no fixed numeric day-supply cap. A medical prescription signed by a qualified professional may be requested by the health authority at the port of entry if the quantity does not look consistent with your stay or suggests commercial resale.

  This is Brazil's general 'accompanied baggage' rule and applies to ordinary prescription and OTC medicines, biologics, and medical products alike. Narcotic and psychotropic ('controlled') medicines are governed by a separate, much stricter ANVISA import regime — see the dedicated 'controlled medication' entry for this destination.

  Also covers: medication, prescription medicine, medicine, otc medicine

  Checked 2026-09-13 — Source: ANVISA (Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária) — Regras de bagagem (Portos, aeroportos e fronteiras)

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Informational only — not legal advice. Customs rules change; confirm with the official source above before you travel. See update history