DXB banned medicines - 4 years jail

[ETOPS]

Mods - this ruling affects aircrew worldwide who may find themselves in Dubai one day. Either don't take these medicines with you or get the correct prescription.

Unauthorized Medicines - Ministry of Health and Prevention - UAE (http://www.mohap.gov.ae/en/AwarenessCenter/Pages/UnauthorizedMedicines.aspx)

Just how they would cope with an en-route diversion where large numbers of passengers were not expecting to be quizzed about their tablets is anyones guess.

[back to Boeing]

This isn’t new news though. It’s been ongoing for as long as I’ve been going there. Although I do believe they have recently changed the way to declare medicine

[DaveReidUK]

Just how they would cope with an en-route diversion where large numbers of passengers were not expecting to be quizzed about their tablets is anyones guess.

Are you saying that every arriving or transiting pax at Dubai is interviewed about the medicines they may be carrying? That sounds like a recipe for chaos.

[ETOPS]

Yes - a few Tylenol in your flight case and no paperwork? Straight to jail...

[India Four Two]

Exedrin and Tylenol banned? Why?

[DaveReidUK]

Yes - a few Tylenol in your flight case and no paperwork? Straight to jail...

That wasn't what I asked.

[GrahamO]

Are you saying that every arriving or transiting pax at Dubai is interviewed about the medicines they may be carrying? That sounds like a recipe for chaos.

They have always had that option. It not chaos in the slightest as baggage scans would pick out those with suspicious amounts of anything in their checked luggage and those who have things in their hand baggage, where you would expect prescription medications would be taken to one side at the hand baggage check. You're making it sound like Club Pharma are on every diverted flight every time .

I think you're using the worry beads too much to 'pump up the issue'.

[HundredPercentPlease]

Sodium Chloride 0.45%


Are they worried that the importing of salty water might de-value their existing salt water resources?

[glad rag]

Sounds like the usual ME power trip.

[Radgirl]

This has been an issue for decades. The list contains some items that are not authorised for possibly political reasons such as saline from Kuwait. Saline from St Albans is fine.

Other drugs such as the antibiotic augmentin wont get you thrown in jail provided you declare it, have only enough for your personal use and provided you have the prescription and the pharmacy label on the box. However, this rule is fairly standard. It certainly applies in the US and New Zealand :eek:

The issue is certain banned substances such as ephedrine found in many cough and cold remedies in europe. This too is banned in Australasia, but they simply take it off you. In the UAE you may be facing a more difficult time especially if you bought it over the counter. Tramadol and codeine are other problems.

[msbbarratt]

...to set and enforce the rules they want. There's nothing for anyone else can complain about.

[DavidK99]

Not an airline professional, just a pax, but I've been traveling the world all my adult life. Earlier this year arriving DXB I had every little thing in my luggage picked through for the better part of an hour, with great attention and suspicion paid to the medical kit I always carry. I travel in remote areas and bring all sorts of emergency meds with me, which did not go over well at all. I had no idea that UAE was so strict about these things, even over the counter stuff. I carry a blood pressure cuff and even that raised a great deal of suspicion, for reasons I can't understand. I was asked whether I smoked and answered no, then they found a cigarette lighter and gave me all sorts of grief over that. My honest explanation that I might use it to light a candle, or a lady's cigarette, was not received well. In the end they let me keep everything, even the prohibited items, but it was a very unpleasant experience that I wouldn't want to repeat. So yeah, watch it with meds or anything even remotely unusual when entering the UAE.

[beamender99]

Many years ago a friend passed through Jeddah Airport customs with a packet of Fuggles from Boots the Chemist ( so they must have been a medical item he told them)
The "Religious" police then tap ones ankles with a cane trying to find miniatures in ones socks.
In the same period sugar was not acceptable at Tripoli as they believed it was not for sprinkling on the morning cereals.
Best get advice in advance from trusted locals

[sceh]

The reason is obvious - it is to avoid competition with their local products!
Er, wait a minute, there aren't ANY

[Capt Ecureuil]

I do believe this thread evolves from a missive from a certain Big Airway to it’s crews. Apparently the rules changed from Oct 16th.
See here for the preapproval one needs

Issuing permission to import medicines for personal use. - Ministry of Health and Prevention - UAE (http://www.mohap.gov.ae/en/services/Pages/361.aspx)

[A Squared]

Mods - this ruling affects aircrew worldwide who may find themselves in Dubai one day. Either don't take these medicines with you or get the correct prescription.

Unauthorized Medicines - Ministry of Health and Prevention - UAE (http://www.mohap.gov.ae/en/AwarenessCenter/Pages/UnauthorizedMedicines.aspx)

Just how they would cope with an en-route diversion where large numbers of passengers were not expecting to be quizzed about their tablets is anyones guess.

I think there's been some misunderstanding about what that page represents. It looks more to me like a list of medical products which have been recalled by the manufacturer or regulator. Note that the action recommended for each is "pull the product" which sounds to me more like retail sales regulation something applicable personal possession. Note also that on of the "unauthorized medications" is the "DePuy Sigma HP FB Tibial Tray Impactor" which is you look it up, you find that it's a set of surgical instruments for reconstructive knee surgery, which ... wait for it ... have been recalled by the US FDA

[Feathers McGraw]

http://www.mohap.gov.ae/Files/MOH_Service/361/ANNEX%20TO%20TRAVELLERS%20GUIDELINES%2028-10-2018.pdf

At this link you will find the list of drugs and an explanation of the need for either a suitable prescription or the statement about whether it is permissible at all for each drug in the list.

Having read about people being imprisoned in various bits of the ME for something as innocent as a single poppy seed from a bread roll being found in a pocket of a jacket, I know what my own preferences are regarding travel in these countries, namely I don't go there or go via there to anywhere else.

[infrequentflyer789]

Just how they would cope with an en-route diversion where large numbers of passengers were not expecting to be quizzed about their tablets is anyones guess.

It's potentially worse than that, the newest rules require declaration of medication prior to flight, with jail threat if it's not done.

How that will be applied to those landing there unexpected due to diversion is... unknown. Relying on common sense and humanity from customs is risky anywhere, but at Dubai? They don't have the best record for conditions in detention, including provision of needed medication, either.

As a pax who needs a dozen pills a day to stay alive, if I got diverted to DXB and there was any option to stay on the plane rather than be taken to a hotel, I'd definitely be doing that - just not worth risking their attitude :(.

[Chris2303]

Yet another reason to avoid the sandpit!

[lapp]

...to set and enforce the rules they want. There's nothing for anyone else can complain about.

Sovereignist stance out of place. It's very right to complain when their "rules" are applied to whom travel through their country - and pays for that. And their "rules", as mentioned in other postings here, are arbitrary, inconsistent with international standards, and not explained to travelers and crew when they book or are assigned to a flight there.

[Sorry Dog]

This has been an issue for decades. The list contains some items that are not authorised for possibly political reasons such as saline from Kuwait. Saline from St Albans is fine.

Other drugs such as the antibiotic augmentin wont get you thrown in jail provided you declare it, have only enough for your personal use and provided you have the prescription and the pharmacy label on the box. However, this rule is fairly standard. It certainly applies in the US and New Zealand :eek:

.

I believe that you are confusing prescriptions and controlled substances. In the U.S., while you need a script to purchase medicines like antibiotics, it is not criminal to possess them in most jurisdictions. Controlled substances are whole nother animal, though.

[ShotOne]

“Using worry beads “. ..so being banged up for four years isn’t an issue? As for “suspicious quantities”; like a single headache tablet?

[msbbarratt]

Sovereignist stance out of place. It's very right to complain when their "rules" are applied to whom travel through their country - and pays for that. And their "rules", as mentioned in other postings here, are arbitrary, inconsistent with international standards, and not explained to travelers and crew when they book or are assigned to a flight there.

There's no such thing as an international standard for this kind of thing. Most countries have different rules at some level, and even more variable social expectations. If it were otherwise there'd be only one country in the world.

[lapp]

If it were otherwise there'd be only one country in the world.
Very insightful. Imagine the guy travelling with some medicines for dental abscess saying vive la difference from a jail there.

[ironbutt57]

they are just giving travelers more reasons to avoid that place....

[ShotOne]

“Rule is fairly standard, certainly applies in US and NZ..”. No it’s not: there’s nothing standard about the threat of four years in prison for what in most of the world is a widely-used over the counter medicine.

[msbbarratt]

“Rule is fairly standard, certainly applies in US and NZ..”. No it’s not: there’s nothing standard about the threat of four years in prison for what in most of the world is a widely-used over the counter medicine.

Well, good luck convincing a sovereign nation that it's point of view is wrong. Next thing we know you'll be saying American's shouldn't be allowed to vote because they do it wrong..

[jmelson]

Mods - this ruling affects aircrew worldwide who may find themselves in Dubai one day. Either don't take these medicines with you or get the correct prescription.

Unauthorized Medicines - Ministry of Health and Prevention - UAE (http://www.mohap.gov.ae/en/AwarenessCenter/Pages/UnauthorizedMedicines.aspx)

Just how they would cope with an en-route diversion where large numbers of passengers were not expecting to be quizzed about their tablets is anyones guess.

WOW! Antibiotics, SALT WATER, Excedrin? I can fully understand limiting strong painkillers and such, but if they go JUST a LITTLE farther, they can ban water and air, too!

Jon

[MarkerInbound]

The OP's initial list of "Unauthorized Medicines" is a list of recalled medicines, many of the recalls going back to 2010 time frame. Feathers MacGraw's post has a link to the substances that are prohibited in the UAE or limited to a one month supply with a prescription.

[A Squared]

The OP's initial list of "Unauthorized Medicines" is a list of recalled medicines, many of the recalls going back to 2010 time frame. Feathers MacGraw's post has a link to the substances that are prohibited in the UAE or limited to a one month supply with a prescription.

Oh, come on, lets not examine what the list actually represents. Much better to run around panicking because you think that the UAE is going to imprison you for 4 years for an non-prescription headache tablet.

[rcsa]

It'll be interesting to see how this works for passengers coming to and from all those countries where the vast majority of meds (including meds that are prescription-only in some 'grown-up' countries) are sourced over the counter, without a prescription. India, for instance, where you can buy every product you can imagine, as a walk-in customer - and which supplies a healthy proportion of Emirates' passenger load.
Especially as those pax are highly likely to find about this new law for the first time when they get pulled over by the cops while in transit through DXB....

[Radgirl]

For those who nitpicked my last post, I did say the RULES were the same in kiwiland and the US, not the punishment. Both New Zealand and the US have confiscated drugs which have been declared because of lack of paperwork. To be fair, you will NOT be thrown in jail at Dubai if you declare these drugs - they will just take them off you, and do so regularly. Jail happens or may happen if you dont declare. Many passengers dont read the rules and think it OK to wander into country B with drugs from country A just because they were prescribed in A. Caveat emptor

[jmelson]

The OP's initial list of "Unauthorized Medicines" is a list of recalled medicines, many of the recalls going back to 2010 time frame. Feathers MacGraw's post has a link to the substances that are prohibited in the UAE or limited to a one month supply with a prescription.

Thanks, that makes MUCH more sense!

Jon

[nicolai]

The "Attested medical report" requirement for many medicines is the onerous and unusual requirements. "Attested" by whom, too?

Most countries only require a prescription for most medicines - and since typically one exchanges the prescription (being an order to the pharmacist to dispense) for the drug, the packaging showing pharmacy labelling suffices.

The UAE has unusual, onerous, and poorly defined requirements for carrying medicines which are arbitrarily enforced.

[SMT Member]

And then there's the countries, like mine, where you don't get a prescription at all. It's all done electronically, where your doctor will place the prescription on a server. When you get to the pharmacy, any pharmacy, all you need is your national ID number and they'll pull the information from the server. There's of course a label on the packing, but that's all. And it's in the local lingo, commonly known as a throat disease with odd grammatical rules.

100K+ visitors from this country play tourists in Do-buy very year, and a significantly larger number use DXB as a transit point to somewhere more pleasant. Sooner or later one or more will hit the front pages of the tabloids.

[Monoccular]

I am so glad I read this post.
i have been planning a trip to Europe from Australia and was going to transit in DXB: I will now be avoiding it like the plague. I don’t carry “hard drugs” but if Panadol / Tylenol in your hand luggage can result in jail even in transit then this place is not for me.

[DaveReidUK]

Sooner or later one or more will hit the front pages of the tabloids.

'Death's door' cancer sufferer Brit locked in hellhole Dubai prison says kindness of inmates is reason he survived (https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/deaths-door-cancer-sufferer-brit-11845046)

[nicolai]

Dubai has been off my list of places to transit or visit for leisure for some time because of this under-documented, over-enforced problem with medicines and illegal drugs. Frankly, they'd probably find nanograms of cannabis on my bags and shoes even though I've never consumed it in my life - simply from walking around the restaurant areas of Amsterdam on regular business visits there. Having to explain the medicines (not even controlled substances) I carry that keep me alive and hoping they don't decide to throw me in jail is not a strategy.

[Radgirl]

Just for clarity, most countries require BOTH a prescription and a LABEL on the packet with your name, the name of the drug, and the amount to be taken. If you have an on line prescribing system, it would be prudent to ask for a print out. And declare ALL drugs

The only differences are that some countries have an absolute ban on drugs that can be bought over the counter elsewhere - Beechams Powders are OTC in the UK but illegal in Australia. The US have an absolute ban on diamorphine, which is a controlled rug elsewher

The difference in Dubai is that if you dont declare and they find a drug they tend to be a bit more strict.

[A Squared]

Beechams Powders are OTC in the UK but illegal in Australia.

Really????? Aspirin and caffeine are illegal in Australia?

[infrequentflyer789]

Really????? Aspirin and caffeine are illegal in Australia?

No, but ephedrine is. Some variants of OTC cold/flu concoctions do contain ephedrine or a derivative and some varieties of Beechams Powders might well do.

[A Squared]

No, but ephedrine is. Some variants of OTC cold/flu concoctions do contain ephedrine or a derivative and some varieties of Beechams Powders might well do.

Being from the US, I'm not directly familiar with Beecham's Powders, but the information I googled didn't indicate there was anything other than aspirin and caffeine in them. As nearly as I can tell Beecham has more than one product, but only one is labeled "Beecham's Powders"

[Semreh]

Being from the US, I'm not directly familiar with Beecham's Powders, but the information I googled didn't indicate there was anything other than aspirin and caffeine in them. As nearly as I can tell Beecham has more than one product, but only one is labeled "Beecham's Powders"

It's also worth knowing that items sold under the same (or very similar) marketing name can have different formulations in different countries. I don't know if that is true for Beecham's Powders, but it is certainly true for some cough medicine formulations*. If you are not aware of this, it can catch you out.

And to emphasize what others have pointed out: being able to buy a medicine/remedy/drug Over-The-Counter (OTC) in the UK does not mean it is legal to possess in all countries outside the UK, and vice-versa.

*An example is (Canada) BENYLIN Regular Strength Cough and Chest congestion Syrup contains Dextromethorphan; (UK) BENYLIN Chesty Cough Original does not.

[rcsa]

I bet this is a text book case of left hand and right hand not knowing etc etc... 10 bucks says the Ministry of Health has introduced legislation to control / ban import and use of fake, expired and inappropriate meds, without considering implications for EK/tourism/transit pax/DAC etc etc.

Either this won't be enforced in the airport; or it will be, and there will be international outcry following a handful of arrests, and the law will be changed/muted; or EK and DAC will see passenger numbers fall (further) as a consequence.

I travel with a pod of antibiotics, some painkillers, a few other emergency meds. I'll vote with my feet, on principal and choice, and will just avoid EK + Dubai until there's some clarity.

One thing puzzling me, though - is this Dubai only, or UAE? I passed through AHD on the Unmentionable the other day and there was absolutely no sign of checks or searches, no signage, no warnings that I could see. The Unmentionable upgraded me to 1st, too :ok:- so maybe the solution is to fly EH or QR until Dubai gets their act together.

[ASRAAMTOO]

Like many things in the UAE it a rule, but perhaps not often enforced with any vigour. Until that is you upset someone more important or well connected than yourself. The real problem may be difficult to prosecute but sending you to jail for some cough medicine satisfies the local ego and you have no grounds to complain because you did actually break the law!