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As far as I am concerned all the relevant information about bringing methadone and other narcotics or psychotropics into Thailand has now been answered. I now have all the knowledge I need. ThaiVisa.com and it's forums are a GREAT resource for things like this. There is always someone or several someones who have real knowledge they are willing to share about almost any topic related to Thailand. And that turned out to be true in this case, too.

Thanx to everyone who contributed to this thread.

As the OP I am now requesting that this thread be closed. It is beginning to descend into pointless, irrelevant, personal bickering that has nothing to do with the topic of the thread.

10 hours ago, Sheryl said:

An unhelpful post has been removed.

 

The FDA permit does not have to be done by "snail mail" and does not take a month.

 

E-mail, few days.

Yes, you can apply online and via email, but the original documents still have to be sent by snail mail. Documents like the doctor's certificate. Yes, these can be scanned and emailed, but the Thai FDA still wants the original documents.

But you are saying that despite this it is possible to get an answer, a final decision, from the Thai FDA just based on an electronic application with scanned documents? And what about the permit itself, will they send you this by email, too? I thought you had to wait for a snail mail letter from the FDA with a signed & stamped original permit.

I hope you are right and I am wrong in this! Becuase this would make things so much easier and faster.  :-)

8 hours ago, grollies said:

Er, by posting the topic and requesting responses you made it everyone's business on TVF.

Sure. Whatever you say.

6 hours ago, greenchair said:

Yes, but why are you contacting the Thai embassy ?

This is all none of your business! !!!

It's certainly none of yours!

What an odd response.

9 minutes ago, ajnamoon said:

Correct me if I'm wrong but never heard of Lithium being used for back pain !!!

The only claim made here in regards to lithium is that it is classed as a "regular" drug by the Thai FDA under it's rules. That means that it is NOT classed as a narcotic or a psychotropic (by the Thai FDA).

http://permitfortraveler.fda.moph.go.th/

This is from the FAQ of the Thai FDA:

Question 8. We are planning to arrive in Thailand within the next two weeks, and my husband needs to use medication for his back pain. I would like to know if
it is enough for us to have the prescription from his doctor to accompany the medication, or do we need a permit (Form IC-2) from the Thai FDA for Tramadol, which is not found on your list of narcotic drugs. We intend to bring into Thailand a one-week dosage of this medication.

Answer from Thai FDA:
Tramadol is classified as a medical preparation according to the Drug Act B.E. 2510 (1967). It is not classified as a narcotic or a psychotropic substance.  Therefore, you are not required to apply for a permit to bring Tramadol into Thailand. A patient under treatment of medications such as Tramadol is allowed to carry those medications into Thailand for personal use in a quantity NOT EXCEEDING 30 DAYS OF PRESCRIBED USAGE when accompanied by a valid prescription and/or medical document from the prescribing physician. In your case, as you already have the prescription from the prescribing physician to accompany the medication in question, if you have nothing else to declare you are allowed to pass through the Green Channel at airport customs without declaring the medication because it is then considered as personal belongings.
---

I am not on Tramadol, but on lithium which is also "not classified as a narcotic or a psychotropic substance". But for years I have travelled into Thailand with 2-3 months worth of this medication with just a letter from my doctor in Europe. But now I find out I have been breaking the law...  :-(

What would have happened to me if I had been stopped at the airport in Bangkok. Would they just have confiscated all my lithium except for a 30 day supply or would I have been fined or arrested or deported?

So now I have to get lithium from a doctor in Thailand, I guess.

Or have I misunderstood something - again?

No, I was wrong, it is possible to get up to 200 mg methadone a day in my country. But 150 mg is still a lot.

5 hours ago, SteveMack said:

Hi, 150 mls of methadone a day is a lot, enough to knock a normal person out or put you in hospital, if he loses or breaks the bottles, whats he going to do, That amount of Methadone is highly addictive, I,d think twice about coming, Methadone is a Heroin substitute, maybe better wait until he is free from drugs, Hope this Helps.

I thought about that, too. I know it is a very high dose - the highest that can be prescribed by a doctor in my home country.

He will be bringing the methadone in tablet form, not as a liquid. Is that any better, though? (exept that pills do not break like glass bottles can do)

Her is a nice link that mentions prison in connection with methadone & Thailand:

https://rehabthailand.com/bringing-medication-to-thailand-a-guide/

If you want something done, do it yourself, I guess.

4. Advice for Travellers to Thailand carrying Medications
- Those travellers carrying medications containing narcotics of category 2 are
required to declare the medications they are carrying into/out of Thailand.
Please have all medications and documents prepared and available for inspection:
- Entry into Thailand: you must present the medications/documents at the
Customs Dept. Red Channel
- Exit from Thailand: you must present the medications/documents at the
Customs Dept. official upon request
All related documents should be kept with the traveller throughout their stay in
Thailand.
- Those travellers carrying all other medications into Thailand (including medications
containing psychotropic substances of Categories 2, 3, and 4) do not have to declare
their medications at the Customs Dept. Red Channel if the medication is for personal
treatment in a quantity not exceeding 30 days of prescribed usage and
accompanied by a certificate/medical prescription from the prescribing physician.
Those medications are then considered personal belongings. The
prescription/certificate should be kept with the traveller throughout their stay in
Thailand.
- The medications must be kept in the original prescription bottles with the contents
clearly marked.
- Travellers to Thailand are forbidden to sell or supply their medications to others.
- Travellers must not assume that medications which are legal in foreign countries are
also approved for use in Thailand. Those products may be illegal in Thailand. In the
case that a traveller's medications are prohibited from import into Thailand, the
traveller should consult their doctor to determine alternate medications.
- As requirements concerning medications may change, travellers should check the
requirements on http://permitfortraveler.fda.moph.go.th/ for the
importation/exportation of medications prior to each visit.
 

Here are the new regs from September 2009:

Personal Medications Containing Narcotic Drugs/Psychotropic Substances into Thailand

This guidance issued by the Narcotics Control Division, Food and Drug Administration, provides travellers to Thailand under medical treatment with current regulations concerning the transport of personal medications containing narcotic drugs of Category 2, or psychotropic substances of Categories 2, 3, and 4. The transport of any medications into/out of Thailand for personal use may be subject to a range of stringent import and export controls. The import and export of narcotics and/or psychotropic substances into/out of Thailand are general prohibited. Those travellers to Thailand under treatment who need to carry medications containing narcotic drugs and/or psychotropic substances into/out of Thailand must follow the applicable regulations strictly.

With the exception of medications containing narcotic drugs of Category 2 under the Narcotics Act B.E. 2522 (1979), or psychotropic substances of Categories 2, 3, and 4 under the Psychotropic Substances Act B.E. 2518 (1975), the importation/exportation of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances into/out of Thailand is prohibited.

1. Carrying Personal Medications into Thailand

A. Medications containing narcotic drugs of category 2

The Ministry of Public Health issued the Ministerial Regulation B.E. 2552 (2009) under the Narcotics Act B.E. 2522 (1979), amended by the Narcotics Act B.E. 2545 (2002). It became effective on September 29, 2009. According to the new regulation, travellers to Thailand under medical treatment are allowed to carry medications containing narcotic drugs of Category 2 for personal treatment in a quantity not exceeding 30 days of prescribed usage and must follow the
applicable regulations strictly. Travellers to Thailand under treatment of these medications are required to obtain a permit (Form IC-2) issued by the Food and Drug Administration before travelling to Thailand. The quantity of the medication transported into Thailand must not exceed 30 days of prescribed usage.

To request for the permit, please apply using online service on http://permitfortraveler.fda.moph.go.th/ at least two weeks before the arrival date. The original copies of the documents must still be sent by post - airmail if possible.

The following documents must be submitted:

1.1 Application form (Form IC-1)
1.2 Copy of passport
1.3 Medical prescription written by the physician who provided the medical treatment, which must contain the following:
-the name and address of the patient
-the identified medical condition
-the name of the medications and the reason that those medications were prescribed for the patient's treatment
-the posology and total amount of medications prescribed
-the name, address, and license number of the prescribing physician and/or
1.4 Certificate issued by a competent authority of the country of departure to confirm the patient’s legal authorization to carry those medications for personal use. [see Appendix A. Model Form of the Certificate for the Carrying by Travellers under Treatment of Medications Containing Narcotic Drugs and/or Psychotropic Substances]

The category of substances can be searched from http://permitfortraveler.fda.moph.go.th/

Examples of narcotic drugs in Category 2 according to The Narcotics Act B.E. 2522 (1979),: Codeine, Dextropropoxyphene, Dihydrocodeine, Fentanyl, Hydrocodone, Hydromorphone, Methadone, Morphine, Oxycodone and, Pethidine.

What I want is to be able to show the husband of my friend what happens if he is caught in Thailand by the police with a rather large quantity of methadone and no permit.

If I could show him a newspaper article on this about someone else who got a heavy prison sentence, then I would be able to (most likely) convince him to get the permit and do his vacation the safe way.

1 hour ago, grollies said:

There's an old thread on Thai Visa here

 

 

Be aware this is from 2006 and things change.

 

Good advice is to call the Thai Embassy in your home country for advice and any paperwork get translated into Thai (and certified) before he gets here.

 

Good luck.

The rules changed around 2008, I think. I know the rules & regs on this, what I don't know is what happens if you break them. That was my question in the original post.

When I contacted the Thai Embassy in my country in Europe they told me I had to apply by snail-mail to the Thai FDA and get a permit from them. I have even downloaded the form from the internet pages of the Thai FDA. And if I was the person on methadone, then I would have filled out the form, enclosed 2 passport-photos and a letter from my doctor and SENT IT. About a month later I would have gotten a reply, positive or negative. I know all this. But that was not my question.

The husband of a good friend of mine is going to Thailand on a 3-week vacation in November. He is going to bring 21 methadone-doses of 150 mg each with him. He is in a methadone program here Europe, so he gets the stuff from his doctor. I have told him that he needs to apply to the Thai Food & Drug Administration to get an IC-2 permit which he needs to carry with him and perhaps show to Immigration or Customs at the airport in Thailand when he arrives. But this man has friends who have gone on vacation to Thailand before with only a letter from their doctor in Europe - or even just a letter from the local pharmacy in Europe where they got the drugs - and they "had no problems". I guess what happened was that these friends were never stopped and searched at the airport or on the streets, so then there was no problem... I'm worried this idiot husband of a friend of mine will not listen to me, but to his idiot friends instead.

My question is: what will happen to someone who is caught in Thailand with 2-3 weeks worth of methadone without a permit from the Thai FDA? I'm guessing a letter from a European doctor won't help much. What are they looking at in terms of a prison sentence? Methadone is a Category II drug in Thailand up there with cocaine & opium. Would they get life in prison or "just" 10-20 years? Or would they be let off easy and only deported from Thailand? Has this happened already - are there any news reports on this? Or does anyone know someone this has happened to? Please help!

I am doing a 1-year extension of stay because of marriage next week at CM Immigration and I wondered if anyone knew if there is a preferred background color by Immigration on the 4x6 cm passport photos that go on the application? Someone told me the background should be white - and someone else told me it should be light blue. Or can it be any color without any problems? Thank you.

1 hour ago, nemrut said:

'Long-stay tourists' is just a euphemism for 'economic migrants.'

 

How many countries in the west are so accommodating to 'long-stay tourists' going so far as to publicly listen to them whine about lower living standards and lack of infrastructure...

It sounds like you are comparing Long-stay tourists not to economic migrants, but to refugees or illegal immigrants.

5 hours ago, happy Joe said:

 

True that Jomptien is faster, but personally I never had any problem in Chiang Mai.

 

If you listen to the whiners of the city, you never finished you worry. Starting from immigration as here through the fumes of Spring, the lack of water in the dry season and too much water in  monsoon, the police ethnic profiling and lack of decent hamburger.

 

Otherwise you have to eat at Dukes and meet between aged embittered criticize the country.

 

I think we should give a special medal to CM staff Immigration undergoing these people every day that God made.

"I have never had a problem" so therefore there is no problem. This is a common view on ThaiVisa. It is a very immature and very selfish view. So when do you renew your yearly extension, happy Joe? In June or July?

2 hours ago, evenstevens said:

 

 yes ,perhaps a little ray of sunshine may peep, through with the above comments, as respect is being shown

 

a far cry from your well documented comments on this board,which was totally  disrespectful to the immgr  dept in anyway who  read them

 

do hope the penny has dropped, and E/S will move on with fingers crossed,that services at the immgr dept may improve for all expats in Cmai

 

its paying respect late arvo to all

evenstevens - the perfect gentleman! or not...

http://www.thaiwater.net/DATA/REPORT/php/rid_dam_1.php?lang=en

I don't know if this is correct, but it would seem the Bhumibol Dam is only at 47% capacity. Couldn't it have been higher? To help limit the flooding south of that dam - in the Central Plains.

I don't know much about this topic, which is why I am asking. Why can't the storage levels/water levels be brought up to 99% or so temporarily to limit floods? I know the levels cannot stay at 99% for half the year or more because it is smart to have some extra capacity for water storage in case of massive new rainfall. But to do this for a month or even two, would that be dangerous as well? And could a dam break just from keeping it at 99% - or even a 100%? Can a dam overflow or is it always possible to open the spillways to prevent it from overflowing every time - and thus prevent the dam from eventually breaking?

On 1/12/2016 at 5:12 PM, Tywais said:

They do the same with reentry permits which is normally handled at Promenada. When you do your extension you can also do your reentry permit at the same time but only then. As for 90 day, sounds like the same exception.

I do 1-year visa extensions based on marriage - and these application have to go to Bangkok HQ for confirmation, and that takes a month. Can I get a Re-entry Permit at the same time that I put in my application for a 1-year extension? I thought I had to wait a month until my extension was approved and stamped into my passport before I could get a new Re-Entry Permit... But I guess I was wrong?

I am very happy to be wrong in this instance.

On 1/12/2016 at 5:12 PM, Tywais said:

They do the same with reentry permits which is normally handled at Promenada. When you do your extension you can also do your reentry permit at the same time but only then. As for 90 day, sounds like the same exception.

I do 1-year visa extensions based on marriage - and these application have to go to Bangkok HQ for confirmation, and that takes a month. Can I get a Re-entry Permit at the same time that I put in my application for a 1-year extension? I thought I had to wait a month until my extension was approved and stamped into my passport before I could get a new Re-Entry Permit... But I guess I was wrong?

I am very happy to be wrong in this instance.

On 1/12/2016 at 5:12 PM, Tywais said:

They do the same with reentry permits which is normally handled at Promenada. When you do your extension you can also do your reentry permit at the same time but only then. As for 90 day, sounds like the same exception.

This might be a stupid question, but how can they do a reentry permit for you if your new 1-year extension isn't ready yet - because the extension application has to be sent to Bangkok HQ and that takes a month. I thought I had to have the extension 100% finished before I could get a reentry permit. But I was wrong?

On 1/12/2016 at 5:12 PM, Tywais said:

They do the same with reentry permits which is normally handled at Promenada. When you do your extension you can also do your reentry permit at the same time but only then. As for 90 day, sounds like the same exception.

This might be a stupid question, but how can they do a reentry permit for you if your new 1-year extension isn't ready yet - because the extension application has to be sent to Bangkok HQ and that takes a month. I thought I had to have the extension 100% finished before I could get a reentry permit. But I was wrong?

On 9/13/2016 at 8:09 AM, elektrified said:

I too, have no complaints with Immigration whatsoever and hope for my sake, that nothing changes. Next year and next extension will be my 10th year of dealing with C.M. Immigration. They are always very courteous and friendly to me and my family on the rare occasion I need to go there (once a year). It couldn't be easier. In fact, it is no more difficult than going to the Department of Motor Vehicles in my home country and getting a drivers license renewed. I have never arrived before 8:30 A.M. and am usually on my way by 10:30-11:30. Sometimes it does take more than one visit as another poster mentioned. Sometimes I will need to go 2 or 3 times until the right moment arrives. Sometimes if my wife is out and about and near Immigration, she will stop in and chat with the ladies or the Officer and see if that day is a good day to come and will call and let me know. You just need to be patient and polite. Too often, foreigners are quite rude to government officials and if you live in Thailand, you should know by now that will only work against you. Once my wife lost her patience at Amphur Muang and snapped at a clerk there while trying to accomplish an important filing of documents. She went back 4 times and the same clerk put up a road block each time. She never forgot the incident... Meanwhile the statute of limitations date was quickly approaching. My wife had to ask a favor and get help to get around the situation.... She learned her lesson.

 

I have to say that I too am a little amused with the stories of people arriving at Immigration at 3:00-7:00 A.M. Fine with me........makes it much easier for those of us that get there at normal business hours (and there are quite a few of us that do).

In what month do you do your 1-year extension? Some months are A LOT busier than others. If you do yours in let's say June or July then, yes, maybe you can just stroll in at 8:30 AM and get it all done in a couple of hours...