Is zopiclone legal in the UK?
Controlled drugClass C, Schedule 4 Part 1· Last checked 23 October 2026
UK legal status
Short answer Verified
Zopiclone is a Class C controlled drug in the UK, listed in Schedule 4 Part 1 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001. It is available only on prescription, supplying it without one is an offence, and importing it by post from an overseas seller is not lawful.
- Status
- Controlled drug
- Verified
- Schedule or class
- Class C, Schedule 4 Part 1
- Regulator
- Home Office / MHRA
- Medicine class
- Hypnotic (Z-drug)
- CAS / ATC
- 43200-80-2 · N05CF01
- Identifiers.
What zopiclone is
Zopiclone is a short-term treatment for insomnia, usually prescribed for no more than 2 to 4 weeks because of the risk of dependence. It is one of the medicines most often sold online without a prescription.
Status in other markets
- United States
- Controlled drugSchedule IV (since 2005)DEA / FDA
- Verified
- Australia
- Prescription onlyS4 (prescription only)TGA
- Inferred
- European Union
- Prescription onlyVaries by member stateEMA / national competent authorities
- Unverified
Licences needed to import
- Importing zopiclone 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.
- Because zopiclone is a controlled drug in the UK, the import also needs a Home Office licence, in addition to the MHRA licences above.
57 Indian export portals in our Nagpur dataset name zopiclone on their profiles. We do not list them on this page. To check a specific business, use the UK verification request.
Personal import
No specific UK personal-import rule is recorded for this medicine.
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
- Supply, or possession with intent to supply: up to 14 years' imprisonment, an unlimited fine, or both.
- Importing without a Home Office licence is an offence under the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979, s.170, except a medicine carried in person for your own use.
- A medicine carried in for your own use should be in its original packaging with your prescription.
Maximum sentences. Actual outcomes depend on the facts of each case.
Sources
- Home Office letter to ACMD on zopiclone and zaleplon
- Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001
- Customs and Excise Management Act 1979, s.170
- 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
- Home Office: Controlled drugs licences, fees and returns
General information, not legal advice. Entries marked Inferred or Unverified have not been confirmed against a primary source. See our methodology and corrections policy.