Until September 30, 2026, a traveller landing in Canada with three months of an ADHD stimulant or an opioid painkiller was carrying more than the rules allowed. The federal exemption for travellers stopped at a 30-day supply of narcotics and controlled drugs. On October 1, 2026, the new Controlled Substances Regulations raised that limit to 90 days.
What did not change: the rules turn on what the label says, and a Canadian pharmacy cannot fill a prescription written abroad. A label in Tagalog or Farsi leaves both the border officer and your next Canadian doctor guessing.
Below: what Canada requires on the way in and out, what changes when you move here, what other countries demand, and when a translation helps.
How much medication can I bring into Canada?
Up to a 90-day supply or a single course of treatment, whichever is less, based on the directions for use, for yourself or a person in your care travelling with you. That is the limit in Health Canada's guidance Bringing health products into Canada for personal use (GUI-0116), last updated July 13, 2026.
The medication must be in the package dispensed by the pharmacy or hospital, in its original retail package, or carry its original label, and the label "must clearly say what the health product is and what it contains."
Your status matters:
- Visitors may bring a personal quantity. Those staying more than three months may receive "an additional 90-day supply" every three months by mail or courier, and must be ready to prove visitor status, for example with a passport copy or a student or work visa.
- Residents of Canada generally "are not allowed to bring prescription drugs into Canada", carried or mailed. Health Canada may permit a personal quantity in four situations: drugs prescribed and filled in Canada; treatment that "was required to be initiated while abroad"; foreign-sponsored clinical trials; and "recently landed immigrants or refugees seeking continued treatment."
| What you carry | Canadian limit | Packaging | At the border |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prescription medication, not controlled | 90-day supply or single course, whichever is less | Pharmacy package, original retail package or original label | Residents: only in the four permitted situations |
| Medication with a controlled substance | 90-day supply, based on the daily dose on the label | Container from a health care provider with a full patient label | Must be declared |
| Over-the-counter medicine, natural health products | 90-day supply or single course | Original package or label | Some need a prescription in Canada |
| Prescription drugs containing cannabis (Epidiolex, Sativex) | 90-day supply | As dispensed | Permitted, subject to requirements |
| Other cannabis, including CBD | Not allowed without a Health Canada exemption | Not applicable | Must be declared if you have it |
What changed for controlled medication on October 1, 2026?
The 90-day limit now covers controlled medication too. The Controlled Substances Regulations (SOR/2025-242) replaced the Narcotic Control Regulations, the Benzodiazepines and Other Targeted Substances Regulations and the travellers' exemption that had capped narcotics and controlled drugs at 30 days.
Section 225 lets you bring in a substance from the regulations' Schedules 1 to 3 when four conditions are met:
- Personal use: yours, an accompanying person's, or an animal in your care travelling with you.
- Declared to a customs officer at the port of entry.
- In a container obtained from a health care provider, labelled with the patient's (or animal's) name, the provider who authorized it, the drug's name or brand name, its form, strength and quantity, its drug identification number if any, and the authorized daily dose.
- No more than a 90-day supply "based on the daily dose shown on the label."
Section 226 applies the same conditions, minus the declaration, when you leave Canada. The schedules cover opioids such as oxycodone (Schedule 1), amphetamines and methylphenidate (Schedule 2), and benzodiazepines such as lorazepam and clonazepam, plus the sleep medication zolpidem (Schedule 3).
Health Canada adds that you "cannot send products containing a controlled substance into Canada by mail," that a doctor's note is optional, and that anyone staying in Canada longer than 90 days should contact its Exemptions Section.
Can I bring medical cannabis or CBD into Canada?
Not without Health Canada's authorization. The CBSA states that taking cannabis across the border in any form, including oils containing THC or CBD, "remains a serious criminal offence," with or without a medical document. If you arrive with cannabis, you must declare it.
The exception is market-approved prescription drugs containing cannabis, such as Epidiolex or Sativex, allowed up to a 90-day supply. Other medical cannabis needs an individual exemption, which travel.gc.ca says is issued "only in rare and exceptional circumstances."
Do I need a translated prescription to bring medication into Canada?
No Canadian rule requires one. GUI-0116 and the Controlled Substances Regulations list what a label must show, but neither says it must be in English or French, and the CBSA's traveller guidance mentions no translation requirement.
What the rules require is information: what the product is, whose it is and, for controlled medication, the prescriber and the daily dose. On a Korean or Arabic label that information exists, but nobody at the counter can read it, and travel.gc.ca warns that medications "may be closely inspected" on entry. Carry the prescription or a doctor's letter and, when it is not in English or French, a certified translation of each.
Moving to Canada: what happens when your supply runs out?
You need a new prescription from someone licensed to prescribe in your province. Health Canada states that "prescriptions that are issued abroad may not be filled in Canada," and the Food and Drug Regulations define a practitioner as a person entitled "under the laws of a province" to treat patients with a prescription drug.
For the move, the "recently landed immigrants or refugees" situation in GUI-0116 can cover up to a 90-day supply. Use those weeks for three tasks:
- Book a prescriber early: a family doctor, nurse practitioner or walk-in clinic. Some provinces, British Columbia among them, make new residents wait for health coverage; see provincial health cards and continuing care.
- Bring the paper trail: current prescriptions, a doctor's letter with diagnosis, doses and treatment history, and recent test results.
- Translate it before the appointment. A Canadian doctor cannot safely continue a treatment they cannot read; see medical records translation.
If your medicine is not sold in Canada, Health Canada points you to your doctor for a licensed alternative, and in limited cases a doctor can request a product through its Special Access Program.
Taking medication out of Canada: whose rules apply?
The destination's, and those of any country you transit. Canada asks only for the labelled container and 90-day cap on controlled medication, and Health Canada recommends you "carry a copy of your prescription with you when travelling."
Global Affairs Canada's travel advice shows how far apart countries are:
- Japan: lists Adderall, amphetamines, codeine, methamphetamines and pseudoephedrine as banned, even with a prescription. A one-month supply of non-narcotic prescription medication is allowed with a doctor's note giving your full name, address, reason for use and dosage; more, or narcotic medication, needs import certification in advance.
- United Arab Emirates: some medications legal in Canada, "such as codeine and psychiatric medications," are controlled there and need prior permission from the Ministry of Health and Prevention, requested online. Without it, expect confiscation, heavy fines or jail.
- Singapore: some prescription and over-the-counter medications legal in Canada are controlled, and the Health Sciences Authority decides whether you need permission.
For any destination, travel.gc.ca advises confirming the status of your medication with the country's embassy or consulate in Canada.
What should a translated prescription or doctor's letter show?
Everything on the original, line by line:
- The patient's full name exactly as in the passport, with date of birth.
- Each medicine's name as written, brand and generic. Nurofen 400 mg stays Nurofen 400 mg; the translator never swaps in a Canadian brand.
- Strength, dosage form, quantity, dose and frequency, with abbreviations written out.
- Duration, refills and diagnosis, where stated.
- The prescriber: name, specialty, licence number, clinic address and phone.
- Date, signature and every stamp or seal, described in square brackets.
- A signed Certificate of Accuracy identifying the translator and the document.
Why medication gets stopped or treatment stalls
- Stocking up abroad as a resident. Cheaper prices are not one of Health Canada's four situations, and officers may detain products that do not comply.
- Controlled medication without a patient label. A blister strip in a sandwich bag fails section 225.
- CBD oil in the toiletry bag. Legal at home, still cannabis at the Canadian border.
- Expecting a Canadian pharmacy to refill a foreign prescription. Newcomers who learn this in week ten, with two days of tablets left, lose time they did not have.
Checklist: medication documents before you travel or move
Questions people ask
How much prescription medication can I bring into Canada?
Up to a 90-day supply or a single course of treatment, whichever is less, for yourself or a person in your care travelling with you. Controlled medication is also capped at 90 days, must be in a labelled container and must be declared. Residents may bring prescription drugs only in situations Health Canada lists.
Do I have to declare my medication at the Canadian border?
Yes, if it contains a controlled substance: declaring it on arrival is a condition of section 225 of the Controlled Substances Regulations. Cannabis in any form must also be declared. Keep other medication labelled and with its prescription so any inspection is quick.
Does my prescription need to be translated into English or French?
No Canadian rule requires it. A certified translation still helps, because officers check what the medicine is and whose it is, and a Canadian doctor will need to read it after you move.
Can a Canadian pharmacy fill my foreign prescription?
No. Health Canada states that prescriptions issued abroad may not be filled in Canada, and the Food and Drug Regulations recognize only prescribers entitled to practise under provincial law. You need a Canadian prescriber.
Can my family mail my medication to me in Canada?
Generally not if you are a resident: residents may not import prescription drugs by mail or courier. Visitors staying more than three months may receive an extra 90-day supply every three months, and nobody may mail controlled substances into Canada.
Can I travel with medical cannabis or CBD oil?
Not without Health Canada's authorization, even with a medical document. Market-approved prescription drugs containing cannabis, such as Epidiolex or Sativex, may be carried up to a 90-day supply, subject to the destination's rules.
Can I take liquid medication over 100 ml in my carry-on?
Yes. CATSA allows prescription and essential non-prescription liquid, gel and aerosol medications over 100 ml, outside the 1-litre bag. Present them to the screening officer, ideally in containers with a pharmacy label.
How much does it cost to translate a prescription or medical letter, and how long does it take?
Official Translations charges CA$39.95 per page, a page being up to 300 words. Most one-page documents arrive as a signed PDF within 24 hours; longer medical records usually take one to three business days.
