Can you bring codeine to the United Kingdom?

• Controlled medication

  allowed, within limits

  Up to 3 months' supply of medicine containing a controlled drug can be carried in hand luggage without a Home Office licence. All of the stimulants, benzodiazepines and opioids named in this entry are Schedule 2-4 drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations (amphetamine, methylphenidate and lisdexamfetamine: Schedule 2; oxycodone: Schedule 2; codeine: Schedule 2 or 5 depending on the preparation; tramadol: Schedule 3; diazepam, alprazolam and clonazepam: Schedule 4 Part 1), so the 3-month exemption applies to them -- only Schedule 1 drugs are barred without a special licence. Non-UK residents must carry a letter stating their name, travel dates, and a list of the medicine with dose/strength, signed by the prescriber; the medicine must travel in hand luggage, not hold luggage.

  The Home Office's personal import policy covers medicine lawfully prescribed to you in the country where you normally live, carried on your person. It doesn't apply to UK residents who were prescribed controlled drugs while abroad: they must email the Drug and Firearms Licensing Unit (DFLU, dflu.ie@homeoffice.gov.uk) before returning. Staying longer than 3 months: bring up to 3 months' supply and see a UK clinician for more; medicine containing controlled drugs can't be posted to you, and excess quantities are seized. Schedule 1 drugs can't be imported without a licence, which is limited to research or special purposes; a Schengen certificate doesn't replace it.

  Home Office licence for more than 3 months' supply (exceptional circumstances only)

  Who to apply to

  Home Office Drug and Firearms Licensing Unit (DFLU)

  When to apply

  Email the DFLU 1 month before you travel

  What you'll need

  • The name of the medicine and the controlled drugs it contains
  • The dose, strength and total quantity you want to bring
  • Your full travel details, your UK address and the purpose of your visit
  • Why you consider your circumstances exceptional
  • Proof you can legally travel from your home country with these medicines and quantities (an official document, webpage or licence, translated into English if needed)
  • A letter from your clinician, with their professional registration number, explaining why the medicine can't be obtained in the UK

  Steps

  1. Check first whether you can instead see a UK healthcare professional before your medicine runs out: the Home Office says the cost of UK healthcare or medicines is unlikely to count as exceptional.
  2. Email dflu.ie@homeoffice.gov.uk at least 1 month before you travel, with all the information and documents listed.
  3. If the Home Office considers your circumstances exceptional, it sends you an application form; complete it and the Home Office then decides your application.

  At the border: Carry the medicine on your person, with the letter from your prescriber. Requests missing any of the information or documents are rejected.

  Go to the official application page →

  Source Home Office — Travelling with medicine containing controlled drugs (guidance, updated 11 April 2023)Procedure checked 2026-10-19

  Doctor's letter checklist

  Only what United Kingdom's rule asks the letter or prescription to include. Tick each one off with your doctor.

  • Your name
  • A list of the medicine prescribed to you, with doses, strength and frequency
  • It must be clear from your travel dates and the quantities listed that you aren't carrying more than 3 months' supply
  • The signature of the person who prescribed it, and their professional registration details

  Copy the list for your doctor

  Source Home Office — Travelling with medicine containing controlled drugs (guidance, updated 11 April 2023)Checked against the official source on 2026-10-19

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

  Download border card (PDF)

  Source gov.uk -- Taking controlled drugs into the UKChecked against the source on 2026-10-19

Check your specific trip →|All medication rules for the United Kingdom →

Informational only — not legal advice. Customs rules change; confirm with the official source above before you travel. Not medical advice. Don't stop or change a medicine because of a travel rule without talking to your doctor. See update history