thaimeds

Can you bring Codeine (Codeine cough syrup, Co-codamol) to Thailand?

Pain. Used for mild to moderate pain and dry cough.

Codeine, including over-the-counter codeine cough syrup and co-codamol, needs a Thai FDA permit applied for at least 15 days before you travel. In Thailand it is only available through hospitals on prescription.

Bringing it into Thailand

Thai FDA permit needed before you travel

Current Thai FDA guidance says medicines containing Schedule II or Schedule III narcotics both need a Thai FDA carry-in permit, and that includes low-dose codeine cough syrups and codeine painkillers you can buy without a prescription at home. Apply online for a Thai FDA carry-in permit at permitfortraveler.fda.moph.go.th at least 15 days before you travel (some embassy pages say 14 days); late applications are refused. Current Thai FDA guidance allows up to 90 days of prescribed use (older embassy pages still say 30 days), and you need your prescription or a doctor's letter, a passport copy, your exact travel date and arrival port. Keep the medicine in its original labelled packaging and show it with the permit and documents at the Customs Red Channel on arrival.

Getting it in Thailand

Hospital or specialist clinic only

Codeine is not sold in ordinary Thai pharmacies. Since 2003, codeine-containing products may only be sold to healthcare facilities that admit inpatients, so in practice you get them from a hospital doctor on prescription.

Thai classification
Narcotic, Category 2 (codeine itself); codeine-containing combination products such as cough syrups and codeine-paracetamol tablets are Narcotic, Category 3
Last checked
13 November 2026
Source quality
Medium: official and secondary sources

What to carry

  • Original packaging with the label visible
  • Prescription or doctor's letter in English, with the generic name and dose
  • Thai FDA permit (IC-2), applied for at least 15 days before travel
  • Show the medicine and permit at the Red Channel on arrival

Good to know

  • Codeine cough syrups and codeine-paracetamol tablets sold without prescription abroad still count as narcotics in Thailand.
  • Some older embassy pages say only Category 2 narcotics can be carried; current Thai FDA guidance covers both Category 2 and 3 with a permit.
  • Leaving Thailand with codeine prescribed there needs a separate carry-out permit.

Rules change. Before you travel, confirm with the Thai FDA (permitfortraveler.fda.moph.go.th) or the Royal Thai Embassy in your country. This page is information, not medical or legal advice.

Sources

  1. Thai FDA guidance for travellers carrying personal medication (revised version 5, 21 Sep 2024), hosted by Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  2. Thai FDA one-page guidance for travellers carrying narcotic medications (revised version 4, 2022), hosted by Thai MFA
  3. Thai MFA consular guidance: bringing medication into and out of Thailand (older version, names codeine, morphine, oxycodone as Category 2)
  4. TAT News: Thailand FDA issues traveller-friendly guidelines for importing personal health products (Nov 2024)
  5. Thai Ministry of Public Health: Ministerial Regulation controlling sale of Category 3 narcotic codeine-containing formulations, B.E. 2546 (2003)