Can I bring Exalgo to Korea?

Q: Can I bring Exalgo to Korea?

Exalgo requires prior approval from the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) before you travel. Korea lists hydromorphone in annex 1 of the Narcotics Control Act enforcement decree, its narcotics schedule. You need written MFDS approval before entering with it; the permit covers at most a 90-day supply. Hydromorphone is marketed in Korea only as 2 mg tablets and injections, so higher-strength or extended-release forms have no local equivalent. Source: Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (Permit to Bring in Narcotics) (last verified 2026-08-23).

Hydromorphone · Dilaudid · Exalgo

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

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

Korea lists hydromorphone in annex 1 of the Narcotics Control Act enforcement decree, its narcotics schedule. You need written MFDS approval before entering with it; the permit covers at most a 90-day supply. Hydromorphone is marketed in Korea only as 2 mg tablets and injections, so higher-strength or extended-release forms have no local equivalent.

How to apply for MFDS approval →

How Korea classifies it

Under the Narcotics Control Act, Hydromorphone 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

딜리드정2밀리그램(히드로모르폰염산염), the Hydromorphone product sold in Korea, official MFDS photo — 딜리드정2밀리그램(히드로모르폰염산염) (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

Can I refill Dilaudid in Korea?

Partially. Korea approves hydromorphone as Dilid 2 mg tablets and injections, but nothing matching US extended-release products such as Exalgo. If you use a higher strength or an ER form, plan the substitution with a Korean pain specialist before you run out.

Related medications

Oxycodone (OxyContin, Percocet, Roxicodone)
Hydrocodone (Vicodin, Norco, Lortab)
Morphine (MS Contin, Kadian, Zomorph)
Fentanyl (Duragesic, Durogesic, Matrifen)
Buprenorphine (Suboxone, Subutex, Norspan)
Methadone

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

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MedsToKorea is an independent site with no affiliation to the Korean government. Travel preparation only, not medical or legal advice. Regulations change: confirm with the MFDS, Korea Customs Service, or a Korean embassy before traveling. We store no searches and no health data.