Skip to content
GOODS ACROSS BORDERS

ITEM RULE · TRAVELING

PROHIBITED

Kratom 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

VERIFIED · 2026-08-22MEDIUM CONFIDENCE

Kratom prohibited; penalties for import

ANSWER

Can I bring Kratom into United Kingdom?

PROHIBITEDVERIFIED · 2026-08-22MEDIUM CONFIDENCE

Kratom prohibited; penalties for import

DECLARATION

Required at the destination customs authority

SOURCE

gov.uk
Verify against the official customs authority before acting on this answer.Report a correction

Full details

Kratom prohibited; penalties for import. Enforcement in United Kingdom carries fines from GBP 0 to GBP 0 and imprisonment up to 10 years in aggravated cases. Because kratom is prohibited rather than restricted, there is no permit route for an ordinary traveller — attempted import is treated as smuggling regardless of intent. Arrival checks are carried out by His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC); when in doubt use the declare (red) channel — declared goods at worst attract duty or surrender, while undeclared goods attract penalties. Leaving United Kingdom with kratom is a separate question: prohibited — Kratom cannot lawfully be taken out of the United Kingdom — the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 makes exporting and supplying it an offence, though simple possession is not criminal.

PENALTIES

    0
  • Imprisonment up to 120 months
  • Criminal penalty

ENFORCEMENT

ActiveCustoms actively enforces this rule.

Leaving United Kingdom with kratom

PROHIBITEDKratom cannot lawfully be taken out of the United Kingdom — the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 makes exporting and supplying it an offence, though simple possession is not criminal.

The UK controls kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016: producing, supplying, importing, and EXPORTING a psychoactive substance are offences, while simple personal possession (outside custodial settings) is not. Taking kratom out of the country is therefore itself the offence — kratom found at departure screening is seized and the traveller risks prosecution for export. Most destination jurisdictions also control kratom; do not carry it across any border without verifying both sides.

PRACTICAL ADVICE

Do not carry kratom (Mitragyna speciosa), powder or leaf, into United Kingdom. UK Border Force treats it as a controlled substance with no personal-use permit; seizure plus prosecution is the standard response.

OFFICIAL SOURCES · VERIFIED 2026-08-22

AIR TRAVEL IS SEPARATE

This page covers destination customs rules in United Kingdom. Whether you can carry kratom through security, in carry-on, or in checked baggage depends on airline and screening rules — see air travel rules.

Related rules

Kratom rules in other countries

RULES5,339COUNTRIES85ITEMS111CARRIERS28GUIDES45UNIQUE SOURCES645LATEST VERIFICATION2026-08-22MethodologyChangelog