Quick answer
Pack a small kit of fever, stomach, allergy and first-aid basics, plus your prescription medicines for the trip and a week extra, in original packaging with a prescription. The UAE, Japan and Singapore restrict some common medicines, including codeine syrups, strong painkillers and sedatives. After visiting a yellow fever risk country such as Kenya, you need a vaccination certificate to avoid quarantine back in India.
Key takeaways
- Carry prescription medicines in original packaging, in hand luggage, with a prescription and a doctor's letter listing generic names.
- UAE, Japan and Singapore restrict some common medicines; controlled drugs need approval before you travel.
- Check codeine cough syrups, tramadol, sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medicines against the destination's rules.
- Arriving in India within six days of leaving a yellow fever risk country without a certificate can mean quarantine.
- Get the yellow fever vaccine at least 10 days before departure at an authorised centre; one dose is valid for life.
What should a basic travel medical kit contain?
Keep it small, in a clear pouch, in your cabin bag. Liquids over 100 ml go in checked baggage unless they're prescribed medicines.
| Purpose | What to pack |
|---|---|
| Fever and pain | Paracetamol tablets; children's paracetamol syrup in a small bottle |
| Stomach | ORS sachets, an antacid, and an anti-diarrhoeal your doctor approves |
| Allergy and colds | A non-drowsy antihistamine, saline nasal spray, throat lozenges |
| Motion sickness | Tablets your doctor suggests, especially for ferries and hill roads |
| First aid | Plasters, antiseptic cream, a crepe bandage; small scissors in checked bags |
| Bites and sun | Insect repellent with DEET or picaridin, sunscreen, calamine lotion |
| Tools | A digital thermometer, a few face masks, hand sanitiser |
For Southeast Asia and Africa, insect repellent matters most, because dengue and malaria are spread by mosquitoes and there's no widely available dengue vaccine for Indian travellers. Ask your doctor before packing antibiotics; carrying a course "just in case" isn't a good idea without advice.
How should you carry prescription medicines?
- Pack enough for the whole trip plus a week, in case of delays.
- Keep medicines in their original strips and boxes, with labels showing the drug name and strength.
- Carry a recent prescription and a short letter from your doctor listing your diagnoses and each medicine by its generic name and dose. Brand names differ abroad.
- Split your supply between your cabin bag and a travelling companion's, so one lost bag doesn't leave you without medicine.
- Insulin, injections and liquid medicines over 100 ml are allowed in cabin baggage with a prescription; tell the security officer at screening. Keep insulin cool but not frozen.
Indian combination medicines can look unfamiliar to customs officers abroad. A doctor's letter in English saves a long conversation.
Which countries restrict common medicines?
UAE
The UAE classifies some medicines as controlled or semi-controlled, including many strong painkillers, sedatives, sleeping pills, some anti-anxiety and anti-epileptic drugs, and codeine-containing products. To bring these in, you generally need approval in advance through the Ministry of Health and Prevention's online service for travellers, plus your prescription. For ordinary prescription medicines, carry no more than about three months' supply, with the prescription. Penalties for carrying controlled drugs without approval are severe, even when the medicine is legal in India.
Common Indian medicines worth checking before a Dubai trip include codeine-based cough syrups, tramadol, pregabalin, gabapentin, alprazolam, clonazepam and other benzodiazepines, and zolpidem.
Japan
Japan is strict about stimulants and some cold medicines.
- Up to one month's supply of prescription medicine, and up to two months of most over-the-counter medicines, can come in for personal use without a permit.
- More than that needs an import certificate, known as a Yakkan Shoumei, applied for before you travel.
- Stimulants, including amphetamine-based ADHD medicines, are prohibited.
- Some cold and allergy medicines containing pseudoephedrine are prohibited, and codeine products are restricted.
- Narcotic medicines, such as strong opioids, need a separate permit from Japan's health ministry.
Check the guidance from Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare before you pack.
Singapore
Singapore's Health Sciences Authority generally allows up to three months' supply of personal medicines. Controlled drugs and psychotropic substances, including many sleeping pills, anti-anxiety medicines and strong painkillers, need HSA approval before you travel, so apply a couple of weeks ahead.
If you take any medicine for anxiety, sleep, ADHD, epilepsy or chronic pain, check the destination's rules a month before you fly. The fix is usually an online form, as long as you do it in advance.
What are the yellow fever rules?
Yellow fever is a mosquito-borne disease found in parts of sub-Saharan Africa and tropical South America. India takes it seriously because the mosquito that can spread it is present here.
- Coming back to India: anyone arriving within six days of leaving, or transiting through, a country on India's yellow fever risk list must show a valid vaccination certificate. Without one, you can be quarantined for up to six days.
- Countries on the list include popular safari and travel destinations such as Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Ethiopia, and Brazil, Colombia and Peru in South America. Check the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's current list for every country on your route, including transit stops.
- Entering the destination: some countries, such as Tanzania and South Africa, may ask for the certificate if you arrive from or transit through a risk country. A Kenya and Tanzania safari is the classic case.
How do you get vaccinated?
- Go to a centre authorised by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, such as an Airport or Port Health Organisation or a designated government hospital. Only authorised centres can issue a valid certificate.
- Book ahead; some centres vaccinate only on set days.
- Get the shot at least 10 days before you arrive in the risk country, because the certificate becomes valid 10 days after vaccination.
- One dose is valid for life, so an older certificate still counts.
- Carry the original International Certificate of Vaccination, the yellow booklet, with your passport.
Pregnant women, very young babies and people with weakened immunity may not be able to take the vaccine; the centre's doctor can advise on an exemption letter.
What other vaccines should you think about?
- Routine boosters: tetanus every 10 years, and a flu shot if you're over 60 or travelling in winter
- Hepatitis A and typhoid: often suggested for Southeast Asia and Africa
- Meningococcal vaccine: required by Saudi Arabia for Haj and Umrah pilgrims
- Malaria prevention: tablets may be advised for parts of Africa; discuss with a travel medicine doctor
Worked example: a Kenya and Tanzania safari
A Mumbai family of four books a nine-night Masai Mara and Serengeti safari in August. Six weeks before departure:
- They book yellow fever shots at an authorised centre in Mumbai for three weeks before departure. The children, aged 8 and 13, are old enough to be vaccinated.
- Their doctor advises malaria tablets, plus typhoid and hepatitis A vaccines for the children, and reviews the father's blood pressure medicines.
- They pack repellent, long sleeves for evening game drives, ORS, and two weeks of the father's medicines with a doctor's letter.
- On landing in Mumbai, the airport health desk checks the yellow booklets and waves them through.
See the Kenya trip cost and Tanzania trip cost guides, and our packing lists for the rest of the bag. A travel policy won't pay for medicine refills abroad, only emergencies, so compare cover through our travel insurance service and read do you need travel insurance for Asia trips for what hospital bills cost abroad.
Frequently asked questions
Can I carry prescription medicines from India to Dubai?
Do I need a permit to take medicines to Japan?
Is a yellow fever certificate required for Indians travelling to Kenya?
Where can I get a yellow fever vaccine in India?
How long is a yellow fever certificate valid?
What should be in a basic travel medical kit?
How we checked this page
Last reviewed
Written and fact-checked by the Elitech Travels editorial desk in New Delhi, drawing on our consultants' day-to-day booking work and the official sources below. Rules, fares and fees change — always confirm anything critical with the issuing authority before you travel. Our editorial policy.
