Can You Bring Medicine into China? Rules and Limits (2026)

Short answer: Yes. Customs allows a small, reasonable amount of medicine for personal use, with no fixed number of boxes or days: carry what your trip needs, in its original packaging, with a prescription or diagnosis certificate. Narcotic and Class I psychotropic medicines are capped at one prescription and need a medical diagnosis certificate.

The rules

Type of medicine	What the official guidance says
Ordinary medicine (painkillers, allergy, stomach, antibiotics)	A small amount for personal use. Customs judges what is “reasonable”.
Narcotics and Class I psychotropics	Allowed only up to the maximum for a single prescription. You need a medical diagnosis certificate from a medical institution and your passport.
Anything you are unsure about	Call the Shanghai Customs hotline 021-12360, or ask a Chinese embassy before you fly.

Local government customs guidance tells travellers to bring supporting documents such as a prescription, medical record or certificate of diagnosis. It also tells them to declare the medicine to customs officers at the port. Bring no more than you need for your trip, with the prescription.

Controlled drugs can include strong painkillers, sleeping pills and some ADHD medicines. If your medicine could fall in this group, check it with the 12360 hotline or a Chinese embassy before you travel.

What to do, step by step

1. Check the medicine. Look up the active ingredient, not just the brand name. If it could be a narcotic or psychotropic, contact a Chinese embassy or the 12360 hotline first.
2. Get your paperwork. Ask your doctor for a letter or prescription that lists your name, the medicine’s generic name, the dose and the length of treatment. An English letter is useful, and a Chinese translation can help at the counter.
3. Pack it in your carry-on. Keep every medicine in its original, labelled box or bottle. Do not decant pills into unlabelled bags.
4. Bring only what you need. Take enough for the trip plus a small buffer, not months of stock.
5. Declare it on arrival. Fill in the arrival card and tell customs officers about the medicine. Official customs information is at english.customs.gov.cn.
6. Add it to your packing list. The trip checklist covers other items to prepare. For entry rules, see the visa-free checker.

If you get it wrong

Customs decides case by case. A large quantity, missing documents or an undeclared controlled drug can lead to questioning, confiscation or further checks. Carrying a controlled medicine above a single prescription is not covered by the personal-use allowance. Do not rely on a “small risk”.

Common mistakes

• Packing a large stock “just in case” instead of a trip-sized supply.
• Removing packaging, which makes the medicine hard to identify.
• Assuming brand names are enough. Officers look at the active ingredient.
• Not carrying the prescription for anything stronger than a basic over-the-counter remedy.
• Mailing medicine instead of carrying it. Carrying and mailing follow different rules, and this guide covers only what you carry.

FAQ

How much medicine can I bring to China?

There is no fixed number in the official guidance. The test is “reasonable quantity for personal use”. For narcotics and Class I psychotropics, the cap is one single prescription.

Do I need to declare medicine at customs?

Chinese local government guidance says to declare medicine to customs officers at the port of entry. Declaring is the safer choice, especially with prescription or controlled medicine.

Can I bring ADHD or strong painkiller medicine?

Possibly, but these may count as controlled drugs. You need a medical diagnosis certificate and a quantity within one prescription. Confirm with the 12360 hotline or a Chinese embassy before you travel.

Next steps for your trip

Official sources: english.shanghai.gov.cn · english.shanghai.gov.cn · english.cq.gov.cn · english.customs.gov.cn. Rules change; check before you travel.