Question
Are there HIV positive restrictions on travel to Dubai, Malaysia or Hong Kong?
2 November 2024. Related: All topics, Living with HIV long-term.
I’m visiting Dubai, Malaysia and Hong Kong and I am wondering if it is safe to take my HIV medication with me?
I’m worried about being refused entry into one of these countries, should they find the pills in my suitcase.
Thanks
Answer
Hi there
i-Base is a treatment information service and I am sorry we don’t have detailed information about travel and visa’s.
Please see this website for these details on each country: www.hivtravel.org
You should also be able to get an official answer on entry restrictions to any country from their embassy or consulate. This should also be on their web site.
If you are calling by phone, it is best not to give your name or say you are HIV positive.
Informal advice is that in practice, many people travel with their meds and hope everything will be ok. Airport transfers through countries with restriction might be ok.
It can sometimes help to travel with a letter from your doctor. This can say you are receiving medical care in the UK but not mentioning HIV. The letter should say that you are fit to travel. This might help if you are unlucky and get stopped by a customs officer.
Some people decide on principle not to visit a country that discriminates again HIV.
Others decide they won’t let HIV stop them from doing everything they want in life. They decide that the relatively low risk of being questioned about meds is something they balance with the chance to travel and see the world.
Things can change over time. Both the US and China had entry bans against people living with HIV. Both countries later changed these policies and now allow us to visit.
Even before these changes though, many people still visited these countries. They travelled with their meds, and were lucky, without any problems.
This question was updated in November 2024 from an original post in May 2009.
Am Destiny hiv postive and I want to travel and work in Dubai,Turkey or UK one of the countries .so can I go with my meds or it’s not possible?
Hi John,
As you can see from the post above, the UEA isn’t a country that welcomes people who are positive.
If you chose to travel, you need to be aware of the possible risks of being deported.
I will like to visit Dubai, this year on vacation but i am scared “in a nonjudgmental way will like to see a Doctor over there and do some test..
Hi John, thanks. It isn’t clear whether you are still in Dubai and are asking about leaving? Or are you now in another country and want to go back to Dubai? The most up-to-date information about HIV and travel restrictions is at this site: https://www.hivtravel.org
I found out I was HIV positive in 2020 in Dubai. I would like to go for vacation, is there a posibililty that I can’t enter the country?
Hi CM,
Travel rules for countries can be found here: https://www.hivtravel.org/
It’s up to an individual if they wish to risk traveling to a country where positive people aren’t welcome.
Are people who are HIV positive and just staying for a few days admitted or not?… There seems to be a lot of nuance here….
Hi Joseph,
Unfortunately i-Base does not provide advice or information about Faith with regard to HIV. But i-Base does provide evidence-based information on HIV treatment for everyone who is HIV positive, regardless of faith, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class or age.
However, in the Koran the Prophet Muhammad says, “Let what good you give be for parents and kinsfolk, and the orphan, and the needy, and the son of the road.” It looks like nobody is excluded.
I am conflicted with the Emirate’s policy against entry by HIV/aids patients, and their Islamic Faith. Did Allah or Mohammed mention people with sickness?
Does Allah exclude anyone?
Hi Precious,
ARVs aren’t allowed to be taken into the UAE. Please see the above post for more info.