POZ Community Forums
Main Forums => Living With HIV => Topic started by: Anqueetas on January 26, 2013, 09:23:09 am
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Hello everyone. I think about traveling to Dubai in about 2 months for vacation with my friends. I read about UAE being very strict about what medication can you bring into the country, HIV medication is not on the ban list. UAE. do ban people with HIV from entering the country. No HIV test for short visit though. Anyone with experience bringing HIV meds into UAE? Is it safe to go and would it be good idea to get a letter from my doc, regarding my medication?
Thank you. already experience traveler :)
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This is a frequently asked question around here.
The United Arab Emirates can prevent entry or throw someone out of their several states for being HIV+.
This site suggests that a letter from a doctor would be a BAD IDEA - as this identifies the use of your pills!
http://85.13.255.138/myhiv/Your-rights/Travel/Entry-restrictions
On the other hand, we have often heard that travelling with pills in their original manufacturers bottles is a good idea, into any foreign country, because it arouses less suspicion of illicit substances and it is just plain honest.
People have posted experiences of transiting through Dubai with no problem. I don't remember seeing posts from people who entered as tourists.
If I were going just for a week I might be tempted to ignore the ban, and also ignore the advice about pills in their real bottles, and just put my pills in other small travel sized bottles of some over the counter something or other. Or maybe some prescription bottle of a pill that looks pretty similar.
I dunno. But looking forward, like you, to hearing a bonafide experience of what has been successful.
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I would not go there even if I had a free trip with airfare included.
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Additional HIV restrictions travel link:
http://www.hivrestrictions.org/
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A possible additional consideration for you would be to check with your local government authorities. Restrictions may vary depending on your citizenship. Seem to remember from past exchanges that yours is Thailand. May very well be the same as US/Canada passport holders, but could be different. You must have a phone contact there that would be helpful. In the US it would be passport/consular offices or the department of state. Hope it helps a little and hope it all works for you.
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Additional HIV restrictions travel link:
http://www.hivrestrictions.org/
(http://i45.tinypic.com/518oe1.jpg)
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(http://i45.tinypic.com/518oe1.jpg)
Sorry the link did not work for you.
I just tried the link and it did work:
(http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx230/HonutSinti/UAE_zpsdffd111c.png)
Here is another link you may find helpful:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1050.html
(http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx230/HonutSinti/UAE_3_zps62ad8c86.png)
(http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx230/HonutSinti/UAE_4_zps6fc48f94.png)
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Thank you everyone for the information, I decided to go to Qatar instead. Easier with VISA and no stringent rule on entry.
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Additional HIV restrictions travel link:
http://www.hivrestrictions.org/
Thank you for the link OneTampa.
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Thank you everyone for the information, I decided to go to Qatar instead. Easier with VISA and no stringent rule on entry.
Could you please share the source of your information?
I understood Qatar to have the same HIV ban as the Emirates. You seem to think otherwise.
http://www.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/documents/priorities/201207_CountryList_TravelRestrictions_en.pdf
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I have a poz friend who visited Dubai in December 2012. He carried his meds in his hand baggage. No questions were asked and he sailed through immigration.
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Another reason I would never go there is because they have debtor prisons. If you have an auto accident and can't pay for any repairs or whatever they demand you are not leaving the country. Also if you end up with large expenses in a hospital or other situation you are SOL.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/47154236/Dubai_Debtors_Go_on_Hunger_Strike
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Could you please share the source of your information?
I understood Qatar to have the same HIV ban as the Emirates. You seem to think otherwise.
http://www.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/documents/priorities/201207_CountryList_TravelRestrictions_en.pdf
I have a friend living in Qatar, so I will be visiting him. Qatar do ban people with HIV but there are no health check at the Airport and they mostly not going to care much about what meds are you going to bring into the country, well unless you going to bring narcotic into Qatar. Qatar don't have a list of hundreds of ban medication, including birth control pill from entering the country like UAE. I been to Malaysia and Singapore too, and I don't have any problem with both country, they both ban POZ from entering.
Horror story about UAE security check everyone!
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I have a friend living in Qatar, so I will be visiting him. Qatar do ban people with HIV but there are no health check at the Airport and they mostly not going to care much about what meds are you going to bring into the country, well unless you going to bring narcotic into Qatar.
Isn't it the same with Dubai? This guy just carried his pills through, no questions asked. He had a good trip, hassle-free.
I've never heard of a country putting tourists (unlike for work or study) through health-checks at the airport, save for exceptions such as the SARS/ Bird Flu scare.
Well anyhow. Enjoy your trip to Qatar. :)