Using an EU prescription abroad
Under the EU Cross-Border Healthcare Directive, a prescription from one EU/EEA country is recognised in the others, provided it carries the prescriber’s details and the medicine’s common (active-substance) name rather than the brand, which varies by country. Limits apply: the dispensing country’s own rules govern quantity and validity, e-prescriptions often need a paper copy abroad, and controlled drugs are not covered.
UK prescriptions after Brexit
A UK prescription is generally not dispensable in most EU countries, because cross-border recognition is an EU/EEA mechanism. The practical reality is that you will usually need a local doctor, or telemedicine, to issue a local prescription, even for a medicine you already take. The main exception is Ireland, where a UK prescription remains valid if it carries the required information.
If you run out mid-trip
- Before you go: carry enough for the whole trip plus extra, keep medicines in original labelled packaging, and carry a copy of the prescription listing the active-substance name.
- If you run out: see a local doctor or a travel telemedicine service for a local prescription; a pharmacist can often supply a generic equivalent if your usual brand is unavailable.
Controlled and restricted medicines
Countries are not obliged to recognise prescriptions for narcotics or psychotropic substances, and rules vary sharply. UK controlled drugs include codeine, diazepam, morphine and methylphenidate. Greece treats codeine as a controlled substance and is strict on antibiotics; Spain allows up to a three-month personal supply with a prescription. Schengen travel with some controlled drugs may need an Article 75 certificate. Check the destination’s rules weeks ahead using the active-substance name.
Finding a pharmacy
Pharmacies run a duty rota so one is always open at night and on Sundays: the farmacia de guardia (Spain), pharmacie de garde (France), farmacia di turno (Italy), farmácia de serviço (Portugal) or Notdienstapotheke (Germany). Look for the green cross, lit when open; the duty pharmacy is posted on closed pharmacy doors. Antibiotics need a prescription across the EU, and in Spain even paracetamol is sold only in pharmacies.
Common questions
Can I use my UK prescription in Spain or elsewhere in the EU?
Generally no. Post-Brexit a UK prescription is not dispensable in most EU countries; Ireland is the exception. You normally need a local doctor or telemedicine to issue a local prescription, even for a medicine you already take.
What do I do if I run out of medication abroad?
See a local doctor or a travel telemedicine service for a local prescription, and ask a pharmacist about a generic equivalent. In Spain, The Holiday Doctor can review a continuation supply online where safe and appropriate. Carry your prescription with the active-substance name.
Is codeine legal in Greece?
Greece treats codeine as a controlled substance and is strict on antibiotics, so you cannot bring in over-the-counter codeine medicines without a prescription. Check the rules before travel.
Can I buy antibiotics over the counter in Europe?
No. Antibiotics require a doctor’s prescription across the EU; pharmacists cannot dispense them over the counter.
What is a farmacia de guardia?
It is the duty pharmacy in Spain that stays open at night and on weekends on a local rota. France calls it a pharmacie de garde. The nearest one is posted on closed pharmacy doors.
Check it yourself
Rules change, so the official source is the final word.
- European Commission: prescriptions in another EU country
- gov.uk: taking medicine in and out of the UK
- TravelHealthPro: medicines and travel