# UK Prescription



## jpram (Oct 18, 2013)

Help please. I need my UK prescription sent to Spain, they will be collected by family in the UK, can anyone suggest a way of doing this, e.g. DHL, Royal Mail etc., maybe you are already doing this or have in the past.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

jpram said:


> Help please. I need my UK prescription sent to Spain, they will be collected by family in the UK, can anyone suggest a way of doing this, e.g. DHL, Royal Mail etc., maybe you are already doing this or have in the past.


I should imagine they can send it by post - & just hope that no-one opens it..... since I'm pretty certain that it's illegal.....


do you live in Spain?


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## jpram (Oct 18, 2013)

Yes we live in Almeria.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

My parents needed a UK prescription sent over here on the orders of their Spanish doctor so that he could see the medication prescribed in the UK for them. It was certainly not for use here as it simply connot be used here. They had it sent via the postal system with no issues.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

jpram said:


> Yes we live in Almeria.


in that case it definitely IS illegal for you to be getting prescriptions from the UK

you need to register with a doctor here & get your medication that way


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Does he mean he wants his medicines sent from UK?? I thought he meant the bit of paper, ie the prescription. Sending drugs via the post is illegal and anyway if you live in Spain, as Xabi says, you need to be registered with a Spanish clinic and doctor. It is entirely possible that you could simply buy your drugs over the counter from a chemist...


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

thrax said:


> Does he mean he wants his medicines sent from UK?? I thought he meant the bit of paper, ie the prescription. Sending drugs via the post is illegal and anyway if you live in Spain, as Xabi says, you need to be registered with a Spanish clinic and doctor. It is entirely possible that you could simply buy your drugs over the counter from a chemist...


I assumed, maybe wrongly, that he meant the meds

a UK prescription wouldn't be much use here in any case


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## jpram (Oct 18, 2013)

Just to clarify, we live part of the year in Spain and part in the UK, being away from the UK for 4 months means that we need a repeat prescription while in Spain as the maximum period a UK prescription covers is 3 months.
Hope this helps.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

But is it the actual drugs you want to be sent over?


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

i can see it coming !
opcorn:


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## jpram (Oct 18, 2013)

Special medication, not sure you'd call them drugs.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

jpram said:


> Just to clarify, we live part of the year in Spain and part in the UK, being away from the UK for 4 months means that we need a repeat prescription while in Spain as the maximum period a UK prescription covers is 3 months.
> Hope this helps.


that's because if you are in Spain for 3 months you're supposed to register as resident - in fact - you ARE resident whether or not you register... 

doing all the paperwork for that seems daft though, if you're leaving a few weeks later


have you tried simply buying the meds over the counter?

or if you can't, then you'd need to see a private doctor


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## jpram (Oct 18, 2013)

Thanks for all your replies, it's obvious that we cannot have medication shipped from the UK, we will need to resolve our problem another way.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

jpram said:


> Just to clarify, we live part of the year in Spain and part in the UK, being away from the UK for 4 months means that we need a repeat prescription while in Spain as the maximum period a UK prescription covers is 3 months.
> Hope this helps.


I was in a similar position, I had a word with my English doctor, he gave me a prescription for six months supply.

I also priced up the prescription at the Spanish chemist, I found that they were so cheap and that I could obtain them over the counter, no questions asked.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Here is a link of prohibited substances, that cannot be posted through Royal Mail to international addresses. It appears that you can post your prescribed drugs, only controlled drugs are prohibited, viz Cannabis Opium, etc,

Prohibited goods


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## jpram (Oct 18, 2013)

Thanks Hepa, will give the Royal Mail a call and give them some specifics.


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

jpram said:


> Just to clarify, we live part of the year in Spain and part in the UK, being away from the UK for 4 months means that we need a repeat prescription while in Spain as the maximum period a UK prescription covers is 3 months.
> Hope this helps.


This should have been discussed with the UK doctor before coming to Spain.surely you could have planned this better beforehand.


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## siobhanwf (Mar 20, 2009)

UK doctors will if requested write a prescription for 6 months. Or in some cases give you 2 x 3 months


Just tell them you are going travelling for that time.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Since thousands of people get prescription drugs over the internet from abroad, how can it be illegal to send them through the post?


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Alcalaina said:


> Since thousands of people get prescription drugs over the internet from abroad, how can it be illegal to send them through the post?


not the sending them through the post bit, necessarily - although that would depend upon exactly what the meds were

the use of a UK prescription in the first place, when you're not a UK resident... that's the 'iffy' bit...


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

jpram said:


> Thanks for all your replies, it's obvious that we cannot have medication shipped from the UK, we will need to resolve our problem another way.


As Hepa has said, it can be posted through the postal service. I can vouch for that having been a Royal Mail manager. 
We had to deal occasionally with drugs that were illegal, but prescription drugs are fine. As it is essential medication, I would advise registering the item as a precaution against mis-delivery as you will need to sign for the package.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

The NHS stance on this would be that if you need urgent prescription medication while abroad you should obtain it from a doctor in the country that you are in - prescriptions are the responsibility of the clinician whose signature is on the bottom of it and therefore that clinician needs to be in the same country at least!

Longer term, repeat prescriptions can be given over any length of time depending on the medication. It maybe that its a medication that requires checks regularly.

So posting them to a different country isnt and wont be condoned by your doctor as he will be responsible for what may or may not happen to you.

Speak to him is the answer!

Jo xxx


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

jojo said:


> The NHS stance on this would be that if you need urgent prescription medication while abroad you should obtain it from a doctor in the country that you are in - prescriptions are the responsibility of the clinician whose signature is on the bottom of it and therefore that clinician needs to be in the same country at least!
> 
> Longer term, repeat prescriptions can be given over any length of time depending on the medication. It maybe that its a medication that requires checks regularly.
> 
> ...


When I spoke with my doctor just as we were moving to Spain, that was exactly what I was told. They allowed me a prescription lasting 6 months so I had time to organise something in Spain. A note was put on my medical file to that effect.


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## fergie (Oct 4, 2010)

Do you have an EHIC card, which you should have while travelling and living part-time abroad, you could then ask at a Spanish surgery for a prescription, alternatively you could make an appointment at the many private GPs surgeries and get a prescription from them.
You should by rights be, registered on the padron where you live, have an NIE number, and Residencia, if you are paying Spanish taxes and working then you can register with a GP here. If you are a UK pensioner then you are entitled to Spanish health care anyway, as long as the people in the pensions dept in Newcastle know, and register properly, if younger than pensionable age you need to get Private Health care.


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