Is modafinil legal in the UK?
Prescription onlyPrescription-only medicine (POM); not a controlled drug· Last checked 23 October 2026
UK legal status
Short answer Verified
Modafinil is a prescription-only medicine in the UK. It is not a controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, but selling or supplying it without a prescription is an offence under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. The lawful route is a UK prescription dispensed by a GPhC-registered pharmacy.
- Status
- Prescription only
- Verified
- Schedule or class
- Prescription-only medicine (POM); not a controlled drug
- Regulator
- MHRA
- Medicine class
- Wakefulness-promoting agent
- CAS / ATC
- 68693-11-8 · N06BA07
- Identifiers.
What modafinil is
Modafinil is a wakefulness-promoting medicine. In the UK it is licensed only for excessive sleepiness associated with narcolepsy, following a European review in 2011 that withdrew its other indications. It is widely misused as a study or work aid, and much of what is sold online without a prescription comes from unregistered overseas sellers.
Status in other markets
- United States
- Controlled drugSchedule IVDEA / FDA
- Verified
- Australia
- Prescription onlyS4 (prescription only)TGA
- Inferred
- European Union
- Prescription onlyPrescription only (narcolepsy indication, EMA 2011)EMA / national competent authorities
- Unverified
Licences needed to import
- Importing modafinil into Great Britain from India, which is not on the approved country for import list, needs an MHRA manufacturer's licence of the appropriate type.
- Distributing it by way of wholesale dealing needs a wholesale dealer's licence, and licensed wholesalers must follow Good Distribution Practice.
- The product must hold a UK marketing authorisation, or be supplied as an unlicensed medicine under the specials rules with the MHRA notified before import.
37 Indian export portals in our Nagpur dataset name modafinil on their profiles. We do not list them on this page. To check a specific business, use the UK verification request.
Personal import
Possession for personal use is not an offence, but parcels from unregistered overseas sellers can be seized at the border.
Any pharmacy supplying medicines to UK patients, online or in person, must be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). You can search the GPhC register by name or registration number.
Penalties
- Selling or supplying a prescription-only medicine other than in accordance with a prescription is an offence under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 (reg. 214). On indictment the maximum is 2 years' imprisonment, a fine, or both.
- Possessing a prescription-only medicine for personal use is not in itself an offence.
- Parcels of medicines sent by unregistered overseas sellers can be detained and seized at the border.
Maximum sentences. Actual outcomes depend on the facts of each case.
Sources
- Human Medicines Regulations 2012
- Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
- GPhC register of pharmacies
- DEA: Controlled substances, alphabetical order
- TGA Personal Importation Scheme
- Human Medicines Regulations 2012, reg. 17 (manufacturer's licence)
- Human Medicines Regulations 2012, reg. 18 (wholesale dealer's licence)
- MHRA: Import a human medicine
General information, not legal advice. Entries marked Inferred or Unverified have not been confirmed against a primary source. See our methodology and corrections policy.