Prescription translation for travellers and residents bringing personal medicines into the UAE. If your prescription or medical report is not in Arabic or English, we translate it into either language so the Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE) and officers at the port of entry can read the patient name, medicine, dose and duration.
Trusted Credentials
Before You Pack Your Medicines
Most everyday medicines can be carried with a prescription. Narcotic and psychotropic medicines, the ones the UAE classes as controlled, need more care: the right documents, the right quantity, and in some cases a permit. Check the current official list before you travel; this page explains the documents, not whether your medicine is allowed.
The "Issue of Permit to Import Medicines for Personal Use" service, previously offered by the Ministry of Health and Prevention, is now on the Emirates Drug Establishment portal (ede.gov.ae). For travellers it is optional: a prior approval for narcotic and psychotropic medicines that saves explanations at the airport. Residents who import personal narcotic or psychotropic medicines through a shipping company need the approval. You apply with UAE PASS and upload the prescription and medical report.
According to the EDE service card, the prescription must show the patient's full name, the medicine with its dose, dosage form and treatment duration, the issue date and the doctor's name, be issued within the last three months and be stamped by the treating facility. The medical report must show the full name, diagnosis, treatment plan, issue date and doctor's name, be issued within the last year and be stamped too. A translation is only useful if every one of those details survives it.
EDE does not publish a language rule for these documents. Documents in Arabic or English are normally readable as they are. A prescription written in German, Russian, Chinese or Urdu is a different matter: whoever reviews it has to match the patient, the medicine and the dose. A clear English or Arabic translation, attached to the original, removes that doubt. If you are unsure whether you need one, ask EDE on 80033784 or info@ede.gov.ae before you travel.
Documents We Translate
Into Arabic or English from 50+ languages, and from Arabic into other languages for residents travelling abroad with their medicines.
Medicine names (brand and generic), strength, dosage form, frequency and duration, exactly as the doctor wrote them.
Diagnosis, clinical history and treatment plan, the report EDE asks for alongside the prescription.
Letters confirming the condition and the need to carry the medicine, including for insulin pens, injectables and devices.
Dispensing labels and pharmacy printouts that link the medicine in your bag to the prescription.
Stamps and authentication notes from the treating facility or health authority, translated with the document.
Arabic prescriptions and reports from UAE doctors, translated for the rules of the country you are visiting.
How It Works
Look up your medicine in EDE's controlled and semi-controlled medicines list, attached to the permit service card, and confirm the quantity you may carry. Some substances on it are prohibited.
WhatsApp clear scans of the stamped prescription and medical report. Tell us your travel date and whether you will apply for the EDE permit.
Medicine names, strengths, doses, dates and the patient's name are checked against the original and the passport. Nothing is "corrected" or added.
You receive a stamped PDF the same day for many documents. Upload it with the originals, and keep paper copies with the medicine in your hand luggage.
Who Reads Your Documents
Transparent Pricing
Excl. 5% VAT
We translate documents only. We do not advise whether a medicine is permitted, apply for permits on your behalf or give medical advice. EDE lists the permit as free at the time of writing. We confirm our price on WhatsApp before we start.
FAQ
Only if the prescription and medical report are not in Arabic or English, and even then EDE publishes no formal language rule. In practice, a document the reviewer cannot read is a risk, especially for controlled medicines. A translation into English or Arabic, attached to the original, lets EDE and officers at the port of entry match the medicine to your documents. If in doubt, ask EDE before you travel.
The Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE), through its portal ede.gov.ae. The service was previously offered by the Ministry of Health and Prevention, so older guides still mention MOHAP. EDE lists it as free, with a completion time of one working day, at the time of writing.
EDE describes it as optional for travellers coming to the UAE: it is a prior approval for narcotic and psychotropic (controlled) medicines. Residents who import personal narcotic or psychotropic medicines through a shipping company need the approval. Without a permit, EDE says a traveller may carry the medicine with the prescription or medical report, within the quantity limit.
According to EDE's FAQ at the time of writing, the maximum is three months' supply for narcotic and psychotropic medicines and six months for prescription-only medicines. Its controlled medicines list says, for most listed items, the quantity for the period of stay or three months, whichever is less, and marks some substances as prohibited. Check the current list for your specific medicine.
Per EDE: the prescription needs the patient's full name, the medicine with dose, dosage form and duration, the issue date and the doctor's name, issued within three months and stamped by the treating facility. The medical report needs the full name, diagnosis, treatment plan, issue date and doctor's name, issued within a year and stamped. If any of these is missing in the original, a translation cannot add it; ask your doctor for a new document.
EDE's FAQ says that for narcotic or psychotropic medicines the traveller must carry the prescription and medical report, authenticated by the health authority where the patient is being followed up. It does not mention embassy attestation. Requirements can change, so confirm with EDE for your case.
Check EDE's controlled and semi-controlled medicines list, attached to the personal medicines permit service on ede.gov.ae. It is alphabetical by generic name, so look up the active ingredient, not the brand. Some medicines sold freely elsewhere, including certain codeine combinations and gabapentin, appear on it. We cannot tell you whether a medicine is allowed; EDE can.
EDE's FAQ says approval is not required if you do not leave the airport during transit. Keep your prescription with the medicine anyway, and check the rules of your final destination, which may be stricter.
Yes. UAE prescriptions and reports are often in Arabic or partly in Arabic. We translate them into English or the destination country's language. Some countries have their own permit systems for controlled medicines, so check with that country's embassy before you fly.
A prescription or doctor's letter is usually a single page. In English or Arabic it is AED 60 per 200-word page, excluding 5% VAT; French is AED 100, German, Turkish and Italian AED 150, and other languages AED 250. Same-day delivery is available for many documents, so do not leave it to the night before your flight.
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Get an instant estimate — final quote via WhatsApp
Send the prescription and medical report on WhatsApp with your travel date. We quote per page and deliver the same day for many documents. Check EDE's current list and rules before you fly.