Can I bring DF118 to Korea?

Q: Can I bring DF118 to Korea?

DF118 requires prior approval from the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) before you travel. Korea lists dihydrocodeine in annex 1 of the Narcotics Control Act enforcement decree. UK-style dihydrocodeine tablets (DF118, co-dydramol) need written MFDS approval before entry. The carve-out that saves Korean cough syrups, 10 mg or less per dose in a multi-ingredient product, does not cover the 30 mg-per-tablet strengths prescribed in the UK. Source: Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (Permit to Bring in Narcotics) (last verified 2026-08-23).

Dihydrocodeine · DF118 · Co-dydramol · Trezix

Approval
Required사전 승인 필요

MFDS permit

Required, 3-4 wks ahead

Max quantity

Approved amount, max 90-day supply

Declare at customs

Yes, goods-to-declare channel

How many can I bring? Enter your daily dose:

tablets/capsules per day

DF118 (active ingredient: Dihydrocodeine) requires prior approval from the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) before you travel.

Korea lists dihydrocodeine in annex 1 of the Narcotics Control Act enforcement decree. UK-style dihydrocodeine tablets (DF118, co-dydramol) need written MFDS approval before entry. The carve-out that saves Korean cough syrups, 10 mg or less per dose in a multi-ingredient product, does not cover the 30 mg-per-tablet strengths prescribed in the UK.

How to apply for MFDS approval →

How Korea classifies it

Under the Narcotics Control Act, Dihydrocodeine is a narcotic (마약), listed in annex 1 of the enforcement decree, the decree's first narcotics schedule, which covers opium-derived and related substances. The classification attaches to the substance itself, so it applies to every product, brand, and dosage form that contains it. That is why the entry rule does not depend on how much you carry or whether your home prescription is valid: the substance triggers the permit requirement on its own.

Before you fly

1.Apply for the MFDS self-treatment permit at least 3 to 4 weeks before departure, online at nedrug.mfds.go.kr or by email to narcotics@korea.kr. Results are issued within 10 business days.
2.Prepare a passport copy, your flight itinerary, the prescription, and a doctor's note stating diagnosis and daily dose, in Korean or English. The permit covers up to a 90-day supply.
3.Pack the medication in its original packaging with the pharmacy label attached. Loose pills in an unmarked container invite questions you do not want at the border.
4.On arrival, take the goods-to-declare channel and show the permit with the medication.

If you refill in Korea

디코데서방정(디히드로코데인타르타르산염), the Dihydrocodeine product sold in Korea, official MFDS photo — 디코데서방정(디히드로코데인타르타르산염) (하나제약(주)), as dispensed in Korea. Photo: Ministry of Food and Drug Safety pill identification database. The product you carry from home may look different; this is what a Korean pharmacy would hand you.

Questions

Is dihydrocodeine used within Korea?

Yes, in two very different forms. A prescription extended-release tablet exists as a controlled narcotic, and low-dose combination cough syrups fall under the exempt-narcotic carve-out and are handled as ordinary medicines. Your imported tablets follow the narcotic rules, not the syrup rules.

Related medications

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Methadone

Source Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (Permit to Bring in Narcotics)
Verified 2026-08-23

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