Japan bans some medicines sold over the counter in Britain. Under its anti-stimulant drugs law it is illegal to carry Vicks inhalers, cold and flu remedies containing pseudoephedrine and some painkillers containing codeine, and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) says foreign nationals "have been detained and deported" for these offences.
Most trips with medicine are simpler than that: a prescription or a doctor's letter in your hand luggage does the job. The complications come from three places: controlled drugs, countries that want approval before you land, and pharmacists abroad who will not read an English prescription.
This guide covers each of them, what the letter should say, which countries want a translation, and bringing medicine into the UK.
What do I need to take prescription medicine out of the UK?
Proof that the medicine is yours, and the destination's rules checked in advance. GOV.UK's guidance on taking medicine in or out of the UK says:
- Controlled drugs travel in hand luggage. Medicine containing a controlled drug "may be taken away from you at the border if you cannot prove it was prescribed for you."
- Ask first. Your doctor or pharmacist can tell you whether a medicine contains a controlled drug; the Home Office's list includes common ones such as codeine, diazepam, pregabalin, tramadol and methylphenidate.
- Check the destination with its embassy, then carry "either a prescription or letter from your doctor".
The Home Office adds two warnings. You cannot usually travel with Schedule 1 drugs at all, and many controlled drugs "are not normally prescribed in quantities of greater than 1 month's supply", so check what your prescriber can lawfully give you before a long trip.
Do I need a Home Office licence to take controlled drugs abroad?
Not usually, for your own prescribed medicine. The Home Office's current guidance, last revised in April 2023, asks UK residents leaving with controlled drugs to prove the medicine is theirs with a prescription or a clinician's letter, and points them to its Drug and Firearms Licensing Unit (DFLU) for advice. NaTHNaC's TravelHealthPro factsheet still refers to an export licence for set quantities, "usually three months' or more supply". If you will carry three months' supply or more, email the DFLU at dflu.ie@homeoffice.gov.uk before you book.
What should a doctor's letter for travelling with medication say?
Enough for a stranger to match each packet to you and to a prescriber. The Home Office lists what it expects from visitors to the UK, and other countries ask for much the same. A letter that covers all of them includes:
| Item | Who asks for it |
|---|---|
| Your full name, matching your passport | Home Office; Greece says "The name on the prescription must match the name on your passport" |
| Your age | Vietnam |
| Your travel dates | GOV.UK, for medicine brought into the UK |
| The condition being treated | Egypt |
| Each medicine by name, with strength, dose and frequency | Home Office, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam |
| The total quantity you are carrying | Home Office, Egypt, Greece, Saudi Arabia |
| A statement that the medicine is for your personal use | Egypt |
| The prescriber's signature, address and professional registration details | Home Office, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia |
| A stamp from the clinic or hospital | Saudi Arabia |
| A recent date of issue | Qatar wants documents "issued within the last 6 months" |
TravelHealthPro adds the detail that matters most abroad: the letter should give "the generic names for the medications". Brand names differ between countries, and the FCDO's advice for several countries says to ask for a drug by its generic name.
Which countries want a permit or a translated prescription?
Rules vary widely, and they apply to over-the-counter medicines too. Examples from the FCDO's current travel advice:
| Country | What the FCDO says |
|---|---|
| United Arab Emirates | Approval in advance from the Ministry of Health for medicines it classes as narcotic, psychotropic, controlled or semi-controlled; usually processed within 5 working days; visitors may bring up to 3 months' supply, or 1 month for medicines needing approval |
| Qatar | A prescription and medical report "in English or Arabic", issued within the last 6 months; permits for controlled medicines through the Ministry of Public Health's online service |
| Saudi Arabia | Approval may be needed; carry a prescription, hospital note or GP letter with the amount, drug, dosage and the doctor's signature |
| Japan | Some common medicines are illegal, including Vicks inhalers and pseudoephedrine cold remedies; check with the Japanese Embassy |
| Vietnam | No more than 7 days of "addictive" or "psychotropic" medicine; the doctor's letter "can be in English" |
| Egypt | Some medicines need permission from the Ministry of Health before you arrive |
| Mexico | "You must get prescriptions issued outside of Mexico translated into Spanish", and pharmacies may still refuse them |
| Kazakhstan | To get prescription medicine there, a prescription from a local doctor or your UK prescription "translated into Kazakh or Russian" |
| Russia | A prescription for medicines with narcotic or psychoactive substances must be "translated into Russian, and notarised". The FCDO advises against all travel to Russia |
For countries not listed, TravelHealthPro points to the International Narcotics Control Board's country regulations for travellers carrying medicines containing controlled substances. The embassy remains the final word.
Does a UK prescription work in pharmacies abroad?
Sometimes. GOV.UK's healthcare guides say you can use a UK prescription to get medicines in Spain and in Ireland, though you pay for them. The FCDO says the opposite elsewhere: UK prescriptions are "not recognised" in Portugal and Malta, "not accepted" in Italy and Saudi Arabia, not accepted in Turkish pharmacies, and "not valid" in the US.
Where a pharmacist can dispense from a foreign prescription, language is the next hurdle. Colombian pharmacies need prescriptions "written in Spanish, in the metric system and using the medicine's generic name". In Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, the FCDO says you may need your UK prescription translated into Russian or the local language. If you will need a refill, a translation made before you go saves finding a translator there.
How should a prescription or medication letter be translated?
In full and without interpretation. A pharmacist or border officer will compare it with the packets in your bag, so:
- Drug names stay as written. The translator keeps brand and generic names exactly as the doctor wrote them and never swaps in a local brand; choosing an equivalent is the pharmacist's job. If the letter gives brand names only, ask your GP to add generic names before you order.
- Doses and units are not converted. 500 mg stays 500 mg, and a figure is never rounded.
- Latin abbreviations are written out in the target language, so "bd" becomes "dos veces al día" in Spanish.
- The prescriber block is complete: name, practice address, registration number, signature and date.
- Your name matches your passport, which Greece checks.
Some countries want more than a translator's certificate. The FCDO's Russia advice asks for a notarised translation and notes that "Notarisation services are available in the UK from a notary public". Where a destination wants a notarised or apostilled translation, our certified translation can be notarised and apostilled through our apostille service. Our guide to certified and notarised translations explains the difference.
If you are moving abroad for good, a new doctor will want more than a medication list; our medical records translation guide covers the rest.
What are the rules for bringing medicine into the UK?
It depends on where you live. A visitor who is not a UK resident can bring up to 3 months' supply of most controlled-drug medicines prescribed at home, carried in hand luggage with "a letter of proof that the medicine was prescribed for you", giving your name, travel dates, each medicine with quantity, dose and strength, and the prescriber's signature. More than 3 months' supply will be taken away; you see a UK doctor for more.
For genuinely exceptional cases, the Home Office considers a personal licence. You email the DFLU a month before travel, and your evidence that you can legally travel with the medicine can be "a copy of an official government document or webpage, translated into English as necessary". A clinician's letter in another language is best sent with an English translation too.
UK residents prescribed controlled drugs while abroad are outside the visitors' policy and must contact the DFLU before bringing them back. Using a foreign prescription at a UK pharmacy is a separate question, covered in our GP registration guide.
Common mistakes with medicine abroad
- Medicine packed in the hold, where a controlled drug cannot be shown at the border.
- A letter listing brand names only, which pharmacists abroad may not recognise.
- No advance approval for the UAE, where medicine arriving without it "will not be allowed into the UAE".
- A letter more than 6 months old for Qatar.
- Over-the-counter remedies that are banned at the destination, such as pseudoephedrine in Japan.
- A translation without the notarisation the destination asked for.
Checklist: travelling with medication
Questions people ask
Do I need a doctor's letter to travel with medication?
For controlled drugs, GOV.UK says you must be able to prove the medicine is yours with either a prescription or a letter from your doctor. For other medicines a letter is still the simplest proof, and countries such as Egypt, Greece, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam ask for one.
Do I need a licence to take controlled drugs out of the UK?
Not usually for your own prescribed medicine: the Home Office's current guidance asks you to carry a prescription or clinician's letter. Because NaTHNaC still mentions an export licence for three months' supply or more, ask the Home Office's Drug and Firearms Licensing Unit before carrying that much.
How much medication can I take abroad?
Enough for the trip, within the destination's limits: the UAE allows visitors up to 3 months' supply, or 1 month for medicines needing approval, and Vietnam 7 days of addictive or psychotropic medicine. In the UK, many controlled drugs are not normally prescribed for more than a month at a time.
Do I need to translate my prescription to travel?
Only where the destination needs it. Mexico wants foreign prescriptions in Spanish, Kazakhstan accepts a UK prescription translated into Kazakh or Russian, and Russia wants prescriptions for narcotic or psychoactive medicines translated and notarised. Qatar accepts English, and Vietnam accepts a letter in English.
Can I take my medication to Dubai?
Only with approval from the UAE Ministry of Health in advance if the UAE classes your medicine as narcotic, psychotropic, controlled or semi-controlled. The FCDO says applications are normally processed within 5 working days, and medicine arriving without approval will not be allowed in.
Can I use my UK prescription in Spain or Portugal?
In Spain yes: GOV.UK says you can use a UK prescription to get medicines there, though prescription medicines are not free. In Portugal, the FCDO says UK prescriptions are not recognised, so carry enough medication or see a local doctor for a Portuguese prescription.
Can I bring my medicine into the UK as a visitor?
Yes, up to 3 months' supply in your hand luggage, with a letter giving your name, travel dates, each medicine with its quantity, dose and strength, and the prescriber's signature. More than that is taken away unless the Home Office has granted a personal licence in exceptional circumstances.
How much does it cost to translate a prescription or doctor's letter?
Official Translations charges £29.95 per page, a page being up to 300 words, with a signed certificate of accuracy. A one-page letter is usually delivered as a signed PDF by email within 24 hours, and a printed copy by post is £14.95 extra.
