So, you’ve been prescribed medication and now you’re preparing to move to another country. You may be wondering how you’ll be able to fill your prescription after starting your new life abroad.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of obtaining medication while you’re living overseas, including some of the challenges you may face.
Getting medication abroad: how to fill a prescription when moving overseas
When moving abroad, navigating the local pharmacy system may vary depending on the country’s healthcare regulations. Some nations might require a new prescription from a local doctor, while others accept international prescriptions.
It’s essential to understand the process early on, including which medications are available, how to get refills, and whether you need to find alternative brands due to availability or regulations.
Please note
This article is intended for people planning to move to a foreign country as an expatriate or digital nomad.
If you are going to a foreign country on holiday, you should speak to your doctor or pharmacist about securing additional stock of prescribed medications, and check that your destination country allows the import of those medications before travelling.
Preparing to move abroad if you’re on prescribed medication
If you are currently taking prescribed medication, there are some steps you’ll need to take in order to prepare for your move abroad.
What is a prescribed medication?
A prescribed medication is a form of restricted medicine that only a licensed medical practitioner has the authority to administer.
Any doctor (including dentists) can legally prescribe restricted medicines, although you can also receive certain prescriptions from licensed nurses, pharmacists and optometrists.
1/ Take out international health insurance
Wherever you plan to move in the world, international health insurance can be very helpful – especially if you are taking regular medication.
International health insurance ensures that if you need help obtaining medication in a foreign country, or run out of essential medication while living abroad, you will have access to emergency healthcare services.
With international health insurance, you may be able to:
- Fund the cost of emergency prescriptions
- Help you find doctors and pharmacies in a foreign country
- Ensure you are protected when you travel to a different country to the one you’re living in
With international health insurance, you will also be covered for the cost of new prescriptions, i.e. prescriptions written for medical conditions you develop while living abroad and already insured.
Can international health insurance cover the cost of my ongoing prescriptions?
If you take out a new health insurance policy, you may not be covered for any pre-existing conditions. Be sure to read our guide to pre-existing conditions to learn more.
2/ Make sure you have a copy of your prescription
Before you leave, visit your GP to obtain a notarised copy of your prescription along with a cover letter.
These should record the name of the medication prescribed, and the condition(s) it is intended to treat. They should also identify you as the person to whom they are prescribed – for this reason, it’s important to make sure the name on your prescription and cover letter matches the name on your passport.
While travelling through the border of a foreign country, you should keep any medication containing a controlled drug in your hand luggage along with a copy of your prescription and cover letter. You must be ready to declare these medications, to show your doctor’s note, and to prove that you are the person identified in your cover letter.
If you are travelling by air, remember that the amount of liquid you can take in a single container via hand luggage must be no more than 100ml, meaning you may need to decant liquid medication into separate vials.
What is a controlled drug?
A controlled drug is a type of medication containing, or composed entirely of an active ingredient that cannot be legally purchased without a prescription in that country. Every country has its own list of controlled drugs, and you should check in advance whether the medication you are carrying is controlled in the country you wish to visit, along with the laws concerning the import of specific substances.
Failure to comply with the law on controlled drugs may lead to medication being confiscated at the border, and you may even face a fine or criminal sentence.
On the other hand, non-controlled drugs are those that can be freely bought and sold without a prescription. They are sometimes known as ‘over-the-counter drugs’, because they can be bought and sold in pharmacies and even supermarkets without restrictions (although most countries place a minimum age limit on the sale of certain medicines, and a limit on the amount you can buy at one time).
Non-controlled drugs include common painkillers, insulin, asthma inhalers and blood pressure and cholesterol medications.
3/ Do you need to get your prescriptions translated?
Whether you’re crossing the border or visiting a foreign pharmacy, some countries may accept a copy of your prescription and cover letter in English, while many others will only accept these documents in the local languages.
Before setting off, you should check which language your prescription and cover letter should be in. If in any doubt, speak to a medical translation specialist.
Remember, you will need to provide your original prescription and cover letter in a notarised format, i.e. signed by your doctor and/or written on letter headed paper. Therefore, you may wish to return to your doctor to have your translated copy notarised, or alternatively bring both the original and translated copies with you.
4/ Ask for additional stock of your medication
If you take medicine regularly in the form of a repeat prescription, you may be entitled to receive a stock of up to three months’ worth of your prescription. This is to help tide you over while you complete the move to a foreign country.
It should be noted that, after you arrive in a foreign country, your healthcare supplier may relinquish responsibility for you, at which point you will be required to register with a healthcare provider in your new country of residence in order to receive your prescription moving forward.
It should also be noted that some nations may restrict the supply of medicine you are allowed to bring into the country. For instance, if you are travelling between Schengen states, you will only be allowed to carry up to one months’ worth of medicine.
5/ Check if your prescribed medication is banned or not available overseas
Before you set off, you should research the availability of your prescribed medication in the country you are moving to. In some cases, you may find that your prescribed medication is:
- Prohibited for sale in your new home country
- Not widely available, or not available at all
- Extremely expensive, i.e. out of your price range
This may be especially true for opioid-based painkillers, psychotropic substances and medical marijuana.
You may also find that your prescribed medication is not available from reputable suppliers. This means that, while the medication may be listed as available, it may be distributed by a different manufacturer.
The efficacy of the drug may therefore not be as great as the one you are currently taking, and you may also run the risk of receiving counterfeit medication. If you fear this may be a possibility, you should research thoroughly whether it will be possible to receive your preferred medication through alternative channels.
Beware of counterfeit drugs
In some parts of the world, especially developing countries, you may run the risk of coming into contact with counterfeit drugs.
These are drugs manufactured by unlicensed companies and distributed via uncontrolled channels. They may look the same as the drugs you normally take, but could produce harmful effects.
Counterfeit drugs are extremely dangerous and account for hundreds of thousands of deaths every year. Purchasing and being in possession of counterfeit drugs may even be illegal in the country you are living in.
Counterfeit drugs may be hard to spot, but tell-tale signs include:
- Packaging that appears off-brand, discoloured, covered in typos, or cheaply manufactured
- Lack of an embossed serial number on the packaging
- Lack of an insert, i.e. a sheet of paper explaining the medicine and its side effects
- The medicine appears to be manufactured by a different company to the one you are familiar with, or the manufacturer is unidentifiable
- Tablets that appear cracked, mouldy or discoloured
- Bubbled or warped packets
If in doubt, take your medicine to a verified doctor or pharmacist to have it analysed.
6/ Can your doctor prescribe an alternative?
If your medication is banned or unavailable, or if you believe the supply will be undependable, you may wish to speak to your doctor about other options. Tell your doctor about your plans to move to another country, and see whether they might be able to prescribe an alternative medication.
7/ Can you get your medication through other means?
If your preferred medication is not widely available in your new home country, you may be able to find it via alternative channels.
If your new home country has a national formulary, this will list available, licensed drugs that can be prescribed as alternatives, or imported. A GP should be able to prescribe and/or procure these drugs for you. Unfortunately, many developing countries do not have national formularies, meaning you may need to try other routes.
If the same drug is not available and there is no equivalent alternative, you may need to consider these options to find a replacement:
- Contact a travel medicine specialist or a pharmacist in your home country. They will be able to access international drug databases to find exact or equivalent products that suit your needs.
- Contact your national embassy. They may be able to point you towards trusted pharmacies, or import drugs on your behalf.
- Contact your international health insurance provider – they may be able to point you in the direction of specialists.
- Check reliable, regulated online stores to see whether you can personally and safely purchase your medication and have it shipped to you.
Will my prescription affect my application for health insurance?
If you are taking medication for a long-term condition, this may affect your health insurance policy. Find out more about pre-existing conditions and how they impact your health insurance:
Finding a pharmacy overseas
Once you arrive in your new home, the first thing you should do is search for your nearest pharmacy. You may wish to pay them a visit sooner rather than later to show them your prescription and set up an account, which will make it easier for you to procure your essential medication moving forward.
You can also take this opportunity to start building a relationship with your new pharmacist – having a good rapport with your pharmacist can be very beneficial, especially if you will be visiting regularly and want to be seen quickly!
Types of pharmacy to look for
While living abroad, you may come across several different types of pharmacy. The type of pharmacy you will need will depend on your circumstances.
Retail pharmacy
Also known as a community pharmacy or high street pharmacy, this is a typical pharmacist’s shop that can be found in town centres, shopping centres, village high streets and so on. They may be independent or part of wider chains, such as Boots in the UK. Retail pharmacies employ pharmacists who work behind the counter serving prescriptions, prescribing medications for minor conditions and offering advice on medications.
Hospital pharmacy
Large hospitals have their own pharmacies, which are responsible for managing medications on behalf of the hospital. Hospital pharmacists work closely with healthcare professionals elsewhere in the hospital, synthesising drugs, filling prescriptions, hosting clinical trials, and consulting patients. If you require emergency medication, a hospital pharmacist may be able to fill your prescription.
Clinical pharmacy
Like hospital pharmacies, clinical pharmacies exist in smaller facilities, dentists offices and patient care homes. While visiting one of these facilities, you may be administered a prescription, which can be filled by the on-site pharmacist. You may also be able to attend a clinical pharmacy in an emergency.
Ambulatory care pharmacy
For people who live in remote and rural regions, or who have mobility issues that prevent them from attending a pharmacy in person, an ambulatory pharmacy may exist to help bring medications to their doorstep. The ambulatory pharmacist may also check in with patients to monitor the efficacy of treatments. Ambulatory care pharmacists may also respond to patients in an emergency.
Which symbols to look for
Pharmacies are generally easy to spot while out and about, but different countries may use different symbols to identify their pharmacies. These symbols are derived from centuries of tradition, and may be helpful in identifying reputable and legitimate pharmacies.
![The green cross - the most common pharmacy symbol used worldwide]()
The green cross
The green crossBy far the most common pharmacy symbol used worldwide, the green cross may appear in any number of creative interpretations, but always as a regular Greek cross (all four points being the same length). Some green crosses include depictions of other logos listed below. The green cross became common throughout Europe during the early 20th century as a replacement for the red cross, which has since become the symbol for hospitals.
![Medical icon depicting the Serpent of Epidaurus coiling around the bowl of Hygeia]()
A serpent coiled around a staff
A serpent coiled around a staffAnother of the universal symbols for pharmacy, this image is based on the Classical Greek depiction of the Serpent of Epidaurus coiled around the Staff of Aesculapius (one of the Greek gods of medicine). The symbol became common in Britain after it was adopted from the crest of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, and has since become a worldwide symbol for the practice of pharmacy. The snake itself is particularly pertinent, as it represents wisdom, immortality and healing across many Asian cultures.
A serpent coiled around a bowl
A slightly different variant, this depiction again features the Serpent of Epidaurus, but replaces the staff of Aesculapius with the bowl of Hygeia.
A Greek goddess of health, Hygeia was Aesculapius’s daughter, and her symbol is commonly found across Central European pharmacies.
![A healthcare and medicine icon with two snakes coiled around a staff with wings]()
Two snakes coiled around a winged staff
Two snakes coiled around a winged staffYou’ve probably noticed a theme emerging by now. The staff in this case is the Caduceus, wielded by the Greek god Hermes. The symbol became particularly common throughout North America during the 19th Century and has since become widely known as a symbol of general medicine. Some pharmacies retain the symbol, most notably the US Navy Pharmacy Division.
![Portuguese pharmacy sign illuminated with green neon light]()
A serpent coiled around a palm tree
A serpent coiled around a palm treeOnce again the snake appears on this pharmaceutical symbol, which is particularly common in France and Portugal. However, by now all Classical associations have disappeared. The snake and tree in this case represent that connection between the animal and vegetable kingdoms, symbolising the medicinal effects of the natural world upon the human world.
![Healing herbs in a mortar with pestle icon]()
The pestle and mortar
The pestle and mortarIn the days before graphic design, the pestle and mortar was a common symbol for pharmacies across Britain. It represents the trade of the pharmacist, who in early modern times crafted medicines using traditional methods that often incorporated a pestle and mortar. The symbol is still widely used across Scotland and Scandinavia.
![RX - a widely used symbol for prescriptions and medicines during the late Medieval period]()
℞
℞Derived from the Latin word ‘recipere’ (recipe), this stylised ‘R’, which appears closer to an ‘Rx’, became a widely used symbol for prescriptions and medicines during the late Medieval period. Some also theorise it was taken from the astronomical sign for Jupiter, or from the Eye of Horus, an Ancient Egyptian symbol representing health. Whatever the case, this symbol is rarely used nowadays to denote a pharmacy, but you may still see this symbol on prescription forms around the world.
Paying for your prescription
As a foreign national, it is likely that you will have to pay for your prescriptions out-of-pocket when you first arrive in a foreign country. Depending on the type of medication you need, you may find the cost of drugs to be considerably higher than it was in your home country. However, there are several options available to help you manage the cost of your prescription abroad.
Seeking reimbursement
You may be able to claim back the costs of any prescription medication abroad from the national health insurer of your home country. While you will still need to pay the full cost of the medication at the point of sale, you will be entitled to claim back the full costs of any medications bought when you return to your home country.
Your access to this scheme will depend on the type of health insurance you have in your country of citizenship. For instance, EU citizens who are in possession of a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) will be able to claim back all expenses for any prescription medication bought anywhere in the world, so long as they are able to submit a receipt to the health insurer in their local country. For this reason, it is important you keep hold of any receipts given along with any medication.
Signing up to your local health system
Another way to reduce or manage the costs of your prescription medication abroad is to sign up with the local healthcare system. There are various steps you may need to take in order to achieve this, including gaining residency and paying healthcare taxes or national insurance. This process may not be possible in countries that use an out-of-pocket system for health insurance, such as the United States, where you may need to sign up to a private health insurance provider.
Claiming through international health insurance
As mentioned previously, if you have international health insurance, you will be covered for the cost of any new prescriptions you have written while living abroad. Find out more about how to make a claim through international health insurance here.
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