DXB banned medicines - 4 years jail
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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
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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
.
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.
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“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..
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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
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.
Unauthorized Medicines - Ministry of Health and Prevention - UAE
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.
Jon
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.
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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.
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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....
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....
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
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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.
Jon
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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.
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.