All you need to know about new guidelines for traveling with medicines to Saudi Arabia
Riyadh: The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has issued new guidelines to make it easier for travelers carrying controlled medicines such as narcotics and psychotropic substances. The authority has launched an online clearance system that allows passengers to obtain permits digitally, avoiding delays and ensuring smooth travel.
New process through CDS platform
The clearance procedure has been centralized under the Controlled Drug System (CDS), accessible at https://cds.sfda.gov.sa. All travelers, whether arriving in or departing from Saudi Arabia, are required to obtain a permit if they are carrying such medications for personal or patient use.
What are controlled medicines?
Controlled medicines are drugs that can have a strong effect on the brain and body. Because of this, they can sometimes be misused or lead to dependence if not taken under medical supervision. Examples include strong painkillers, sleeping pills, medicines for anxiety, or some psychiatric treatments.
In Saudi Arabia, these medicines are strictly regulated under the law. Travelers are not allowed to bring them in or take them out of the country without official permission. Even if you have a valid prescription, you must get a clearance permit before carrying them.
To apply, passengers need to:
- Create an account on the CDS platform
- Submit an electronic permit request with personal and travel details
- Upload supporting documents including a valid prescription, a medical report, and proof of identity
- Declare medication details such as trade name, active ingredients, dosage, and quantity
- Confirm medical necessity of the drugs
- Agree to SFDA terms and conditions
Applicants can track the status of their request in real time under four categories: submitted, completed, rejected, or incomplete. Once approved, the permit can be downloaded and printed directly from the platform.
According to SFDA, the initiative balances patient accessibility with public safety. The move aims to prevent misuse of sensitive medicines, while ensuring genuine patients have uninterrupted access to their prescribed drugs.
By shifting the entire process online, the authority has reduced paperwork and in-person visits. Applications can now be submitted from anywhere, at any time, offering relief especially to patients with chronic illnesses or complex medical needs.
About the SFDA
Established in 2003, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority is an independent body under the Council of Ministers. Its mandate includes monitoring food, medicines, biological and chemical substances, medical devices, and cosmetics to protect public health in the Kingdom.
Key FAQs
Is a permit required for prescribed narcotic medicines?
Yes. A clearance permit is mandatory for all controlled drugs.
Where should travelers apply?
Applications must be submitted online via SFDA’s Controlled Drug System (https://cds.sfda.gov.sa).
What documents are needed?
A valid prescription, a medical report, proof of identity, and full details of the medicines.
Can applications be made on behalf of someone else?
Yes, provided the applicant can prove the medical need of the patient.
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Malian defence minister killed in attack that saw jihadis and rebels seize towns, military bases
Dakar (AP): Malian Minister of Defence Gen. Sadio Camara was killed in an attack as jihadi and rebel forces seized towns and military bases across the country, according to a military officer and two other sources on Sunday.
There was no immediate comment from the Malian government.
“Unfortunately, the Ministry of Defence, Gen. Sadio Camara, has been killed during the attack which targeted his house yesterday,” said a military official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he did not have permission to speak to the media.
Two other people, a civil society leader and a security member, confirmed the information.
Separatist fighters on Saturday joined Islamic militants in launching one of the biggest coordinated attacks on the Malian army in the capital and several other cities that left at least 16 wounded.
The separatists have been fighting for years to create an independent state in northern Mali, while al-Qaida and Islamic State group-aligned militants have been fighting the government for over a decade.
Malian troops and Russian mercenaries withdrew from the northern city of Kidal after the attacks, the rebels said Sunday.
A spokesperson for the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front, or FLA, a separatist group, said the Russian Africa Corps troops and the Malian military withdrew from the city after an agreement was reached for their peaceful exit.
“Kidal is declared free,” said FLA spokesperson Mohamed El Maouloud Ramadan.
The Malian army did not respond to requests for comment but in an earlier statement said they were “tracking down terrorist armed groups in Kidal.”
The separatists have been fighting for years to create an independent state in northern Mali. Kidal had long served as a stronghold of the rebellion before being taken by Malian government forces and Russian mercenaries in 2023. Its capture marked a significant symbolic victory for the junta and its Russian allies.
It was the first time the separatists worked alongside the al-Qaida-linked militant group JNIM, which also claimed responsibility for Saturday's attacks on Bamako's international airport and four other cities, including Kidal, in central and northern Mali.
“This operation is being carried out in partnership with the JNIM, which is also committed to defending the people against the military regime in Bamako,” Ramadan said.
Wassim Nasr, a Sahel specialist and senior research fellow at the Soufan Center security think tank, said that the coordination between the two groups, as well as the explicit call for the Russian military to leave, is new.
“The coordination, conducting attacks all over the country at the same time, real coordination on the military level but also on the political level because both claims of both groups they acknowledged that they worked together, this is a first,” said Nasr.
Mali government spokesperson Gen. Issa Ousmane Coulibaly said on state television late Saturday that 16 people were wounded, including civilians and military personnel, and that several militants were killed. He did not provide a death toll.
The governor of Bamako's district, Abdoulaye Coulibaly, announced a three-day overnight curfew, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.
The Economic Community of West African States has condemned the attacks and called on “all states, security forces, regional mechanisms and populations of West Africa to unite and mobilize in a coordinated effort to combat this scourge.”
The separatists called on Russia to “reconsider its support for the military junta in Bamako, whose actions have contributed to the suffering of the civilian population.”
Following military coups, the juntas in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso turned from Western allies to Russia for help in combating Islamic militants. But the security situation has worsened in recent times, with a record number of attacks by militants. Government forces have also been accused of killing civilians they suspect of collaborating with militants.
In 2024, an al-Qaida-linked group claimed an attack on Bamako's airport and a military training camp in the capital, killing scores of people.
Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, said that while the attacks were a major blow to the credibility of Mali's Russian partners, JNIM is unlikely to take control of Bamako in the near term due to opposition from the local population.
“The attacks are a major blow to Russia as the mercenaries had no intelligence about the attacks and were unable to protect major cities. They have unnecessarily worsened the conflict by not distinguishing between civilians and combatants,” Laessing said.
