Import of narcotics

Legal foundations

The provisions governing the importation of narcotics can be found in the Narcotic Drugs Act (Betäubungsmittelgesetz - BtMG) and in the Ordinance concerning the Foreign Trade in Narcotics (Betäubungsmittel-Außenhandelsverordnung - BtMAHV).

What are narcotics?

Narcotics are the substances and preparations listed in Annexes I to III of the Narcotic Drugs Act.

Competent authority

The Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte - BfArM) is the authority that has competence for supervising the traffic in narcotics (cultivation, production, trade, import, export, supply, sale, and other forms of marketing or procurement), and the production of excepted preparations.

Cooperation by the customs authorities

The customs offices cooperate in monitoring the import, export, and transit of narcotics into, out of, and through Germany.

What is meant by import within the Narcotic Drugs Act?

Import is defined as the movement into the territory covered by the German Narcotic Drugs Act, that is, physical movement into Germany.

There are special arrangements that apply to the transit of narcotics.

What documents do I need?

In order to import narcotics, in addition to the licence to trade in narcotics, for every shipment you need an authorisation from the Federal Opium Agency (Bundesopiumstelle) adjoined to the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices.

Insofar as the material is a medicine containing narcotics, you must also observe the arrangements relating to the import of medicinal products.

Arrangements concerning the import of medicinal products

Clearance of imports at an authorised customs office

Narcotics may only be imported into Germany through a customs office that has been authorised by the Federal Minister of Finance. A customs transit procedure from a German border customs office to an inland customs office may only take place between authorised customs offices, and only if a valid import authorisation has been submitted.

The customs offices that have been authorised for the clearance of narcotics are announced periodically in the Federal Gazette (Bundesanzeiger) and are identified in the Customs administration’s directory of customs services with the note "Abfertigung von Betäubungsmitteln zur Ein-, Aus- und Durchfuhr gemäß § 21 Betäubungsmittelgesetz" (Clearance of narcotics for import, export, and transit pursuant to Section 21 of the Narcotic Drugs Act).
The narcotics must be declared - and shown if requested - at these offices, accompanied by a copy of the relevant import authorisation.

Customs services (in German)