At a glance
Do you need a permit to bring medicine into the UAE?
Not for most medicines, and not necessarily for controlled ones. The EDE's approval service for narcotic and controlled medicines is optional for travellers, who may carry up to three months' need. Without approval, the ministry says, you must declare them on arrival with the prescription and medical report.
The Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE) runs the service called Issue of Permit to Import Medicines for Personal Use. It lets travellers get approval in advance to bring narcotic and controlled medicines, and says the service is optional for visitors, because those coming to the country may bring narcotic and psychotropic (controlled) medicines within a quantity that does not exceed the patient's need for a maximum of three months[1]. Residents who want to import such medicines by shipping company must apply[1].
The Ministry of Health and Prevention's card for the same service adds the other half: if you have not obtained prior approval, you must declare your narcotic and controlled medicines on arrival at the port of entry, with the prescription and medical report[2]. For medicines that are not narcotic or psychotropic, the EDE says you can carry them without any prior submission[1].
Which medicines are controlled?
The EDE publishes the list as a PDF, Controlled and semi-controlled medicines list, under Resources on its service page. We do not restate it; check your medicine against the current list, or ask the EDE on 800 33784.
How much medicine can you bring?
For narcotic and controlled medicines, up to three months' need. The ministry's service card also gives a limit for prescription-only medicines of up to six months' need. The EDE's page does not repeat that second figure, so check before a long stay.
Quantities travellers may bring, by type of medicine
| Type of medicine | Quantity | What to carry |
|---|---|---|
| Narcotic and controlled (psychotropic) | Up to 3 months' need[1][2] | Prescription and medical report, authenticated by the treating health authority[1] |
| Prescription-only | Up to 6 months' need, on the ministry's card[2] | Prescription[2] |
| Not narcotic or psychotropic | Not stated | No prior submission needed[1] |
From the EDE's service page and the Ministry of Health and Prevention's service card of October 2024. Where they differ, the EDE is the current operator of the service.
What should the prescription and medical report show?
The prescription: your full name, the medicine with its dose, form and duration of treatment, the date and the doctor's name, issued within the last three months and stamped by your healthcare facility. The medical report adds the diagnosis and treatment plan, and should be under a year old.
- Prescription: the patient's full name; the medicine's name with the dose, dosage form and duration of treatment; the date of issue and the physician's name; issued within the last three months and recognised or stamped by the healthcare facility treating you[1].
- Medical report: the patient's full name, the diagnosis, the treatment plan (medicine, dose, form and duration), the date of issue and the physician's name; issued within the last year and stamped by your healthcare facility[1].
- For narcotic or psychotropic medicines: carry both, authenticated by the health authority where you are treated[1].
How do you apply for approval, and how long does it take?
Online, with UAE PASS: log in, fill in the form, attach the prescription and report, and submit. The EDE says the service is free and takes one working day. If you cannot use UAE PASS, you may still travel with the medicine and its prescription or report, within three months' supply.
- Log in to the EDE service with UAE PASS[1].
- Fill in the application form and attach the required documents[1].
- Submit; the EDE gives the completion time as one working day, and the service as free[1].
The EDE says travellers who cannot create a UAE PASS account, or who face technical problems, can contact its support team, and that if they are unable to apply they may carry the medicine with a prescription or medical report, provided the quantity does not exceed three months' supply[1]. The ministry's earlier card described the service time as instant[2]; the EDE's figure is the current one.
What if you are only transiting through a UAE airport?
Then no approval is needed, as long as you do not leave the airport, according to the EDE. The ministry's card recommends carrying your medicines with their prescription all the same.
The EDE says approval is not required for passengers in transit, provided they do not leave the airport[1]. The ministry's card says transit travellers who will not leave the port are not required to obtain prior approval for narcotic and controlled medicines, but recommends carrying them with the prescription[2].
What do UAE airports ask of you at security?
Medicines can go in your hand luggage and are exempt from the 100 ml limit. Dubai Airports says to carry them with a prescription, and Sharjah Airport may ask you to prove what a medicine is. Emirates suggests packing extra, and an insulated pouch for medicines that need to stay cool.
- Dubai Airports allows medicines in hand luggage when departing and transiting[3], and exempts medication from the liquids limit[4].
- At DWC, Dubai Airports says to carry medicines in their original packaging with a prescription, and that arriving in the UAE with certain medicines needs prior approval from the airline and the Ministry of Health[5].
- Zayed International lists medications among goods that may be restricted or need a permit, and asks you to declare anything you are unsure of to a customs officer[6].
- Sharjah Airport asks for medicines to be carried separately, and may ask for a prescription or a doctor's letter[7].
Emirates advises carrying your prescription on every flight, packing medicine that needs to stay cold in a medically approved insulated container (its galley chillers cannot be used, but crew can provide ice), and bringing an extra supply, because countries' laws and the availability of refills differ[8].
What about taking medicine abroad from the UAE?
Then your destination's rules apply as well. Emirates says countries have different laws on possessing and importing prescription drugs, and suggests asking your doctor and the embassy of the country you are travelling to. Check each country on your route, including transit stops.
Leaving the UAE, the airport rules above still apply at security[3][4]. For the destination, Emirates points you to your physician and the local embassy of the country you are travelling to[8]. Keep the medicine in its original packaging with the prescription, as Dubai Airports suggests[5], and allow time at the airport if you expect to declare anything.
Questions travellers ask
Do I need approval for ordinary prescription medicines?
The EDE says medicines that are not narcotic or psychotropic can be carried without prior submission[1]. The ministry's service card limits prescription-only medicines to six months' need[2]. Carry the prescription.
Can I bring controlled medicine into the UAE without applying online?
The EDE says the approval is optional for travellers, within three months' need[1]; without it, the ministry says you must declare the medicines on arrival with the prescription and medical report[2].
How long does the EDE approval take?
The EDE gives one working day, and says the service is free[1].
Do I need approval if I am only transiting in Dubai or Abu Dhabi?
Not if you do not leave the airport, according to the EDE[1].
Where can I find the list of controlled medicines?
On the EDE's service page, under Resources, as the Controlled and semi-controlled medicines list[1].
Sources
The desk opened each source on the date shown. Rules, fees and timetables change: check the official source before you travel.
- [1]Issue of Permit to Import Medicines for Personal Use — Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE). Accessed 29 September 2026
- [2]06_Issue of Permit to Import Medicines for Personal Use (service card, October 2024) — Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP), UAE. Accessed 26 September 2026
- [3]Dubai Airport FAQs — Dubai Airports. Accessed 26 September 2026
- [4]Security & customs — Dubai Airports. Accessed 26 September 2026
- [5]FAQs - DWC — Dubai Airports. Accessed 29 September 2026
- [6]Visa, Passports And Customs — Zayed International Airport. Accessed 25 September 2026
- [7]For Your Safety — Sharjah Airport. Accessed 25 September 2026
- [8]Special assistance and requests (FAQ): medicine onboard and transportation — Emirates. Accessed 25 September 2026
Published 26 September 2026 · Updated 29 September 2026
Seen something wrong or out of date? Write to trade@nwp.ae and the desk will check it against the source.
