Can a traveler carry medicines for you?
Yes — if they are ordinary medicines in personal amounts and original packaging. But in some countries a common medicine from a home first-aid kit counts as a narcotic, and it is the carrier who answers for it.
General rules
- Original packaging and leaflet, so customs can tell what it is.
- Personal amounts — usually no more than a course or a three-month supply.
- Prescription drugs — with a copy of the prescription or a doctor’s letter, ideally in English.
- Nothing repacked into jars or bags.
Where it is especially strict
- UAE — codeine, tramadol, many sleeping pills and sedatives are banned or need a permit.
- Thailand — codeine and pseudoephedrine only with a doctor’s documents; vapes are banned entirely.
- Japan — some cold medicines with pseudoephedrine or stimulants are banned.
- Indonesia (Bali) — strict on codeine and psychotropic substances.
- Singapore — psychotropic medicines only with a permit.
Rules change. Check the destination’s customs section in the IATA Travel Centre — the same database airlines use.
Tip for the traveler
You may ask for the prescription and decline any medicine you are unsure about. With medicines, ‘better not’ is almost always the right answer when in doubt.
Tip for the sender
Write the medicine name and amount in your request — the traveler will know right away whether they can carry it. Find travelers by country and route.
Updated 7 November 2026