UAE and medication

Ames

Hi everyone,

I'm due to have a two hour stopover at Abu Dhabi airport. Most of the medication I'm on is illegal in the UAE. Will it be a problem having it in my luggage moved from one plane to another? Luckily it's on the way home, so in theory I'll have used it all up before getting there, but that does mean I can't take extra which is advised in case of theft etc.

I know I can get permission from the embassy, but I'm not sure how to go about that. I did email them but haven't had a reply.

jonesMUFCforever

I would be asking the airline too.

SW17

Assuming you are in transit, your bags are checked to your final destination and you do not try to clear immigration and customs at any point in the UAE, you have technically not entered the country and I wouldn't expect you would have any issues. Best to check with the airline though, and have your prescription / doctors letter with you.

Ames

Cheers, I can't believe it didn't occur to me to ask the airline!

agrinnall

If it's on the way home why do you need to have extra in case of theft, surely you can just leave the extra at home ready for when you return? If you want to take extra out with you, why not just post anything you haven't used back home before you depart (or dispose of it), if it's in checked luggage you wouldn't be able to use it on the journey anyway?

Ames

I want to take extra so I can have some on me and some in my case. All the guide books etc recommend having extra meds whilst travelling around (I'll be in Southern Africa) as it won't be easy to replace them.

I will be putting any extra that's left in my luggage, what I want to know is if that will be OK or if the UAE authorities will still see it as bringing illegal meds into the country.

I'm not keen on disposing of any that's left at the end of the holiday because of having to explain to the computer systems why I'm ordering more meds when the old ones haven't run out. Even my GP has trouble overruling the computer.

I didn't think about posting the spare back, but I'm not sure how long it'll take to get here from South Africa?

I will be in transit, it's a two hour stopover from Cape Town to London, all booked as part of the same ticket.

As suggested, I'm going to email the airline to see what they say.

lovesgshp

If it is in your hold luggage I would not worry. My OH has had to carry pethidine for a back problem, but always had a doctor letter, plus prescription, with them always having the pharmacy stickers on the medication.
If you have those, then unless you are travelling with a excessive amount you should have no problems.

Ames

Thanks, I wasn't planning on getting a doctor's letter, just the prescription and leaving things in the labelled boxes. Getting a letter from my GP will be difficult as there's only a month and it's not an urgent letter (I've had urgent referrals take a few weeks recently).

InsideInsurance

Ames wrote: »

Getting a letter from my GP will be difficult as there's only a month and it's not an urgent letter (I've had urgent referrals take a few weeks recently).

The GP will normally charge you for the letter as its private work... you may find its done quicker than anything NHS funded :A

shaun_from_Africa

agrinnall wrote: »

why not just post anything you haven't used back home before you depart (or dispose of it)

Prescription medicines are not allowed to be sent through the post in the UK unless being sent by or at the request of a doctor, pharmacist etc and there may well be similar rules in other countries.

If customs in the UK notice the drugs, they may well destroy them when they get to the UK.

Gloomendoom

Doctors don't always charge for a letter. Mine hasn't in the past when I have needed a covering letter to get a permit to import controlled drugs.