Bringing narcotic or psychotropic medicines and Schengen certificates

Key rules

• Schengen certificate limit: A Schengen certificate covers a maximum of 30 days of treatment.
• Arriving from outside Schengen: You need AEMPS authorisation before you travel, not a Schengen certificate.
• Endorsement: The certificate only works once your doctor has completed it and the health authority has endorsed it.
• Packaging: Carry the medicines in original packaging with your paperwork.

Do the paperwork before you travel

Controlled medicines need the right paperwork before you leave. Which paper you need depends on where you arrive from. Arriving without it can mean the medicines are held at the border.

Check whether your medicine is controlled

Narcotic medicines include morphine, oxycodone, fentanyl, methadone and codeine-type preparations. Psychotropic medicines include benzodiazepines such as diazepam, alprazolam and lorazepam, zolpidem, and stimulants for ADHD such as methylphenidate. Some products are classed differently, so check your exact medicine against the current lists from the AEMPS, Spain's medicines agency.

If you arrive from a Schengen country

You need a Schengen certificate. This is how it works:

1. Your prescribing doctor completes the certificate.
2. The health authority of the country you are leaving endorses it. Procedures differ by country, so ask that authority how it works.
3. You need one certificate per country of origin and per medicine group.

The certificate is valid for the period on the form, which is your trip length. It covers a maximum of 30 days of treatment.

If you arrive from outside Schengen

You need prior authorisation from the AEMPS, through its narcotics and psychotropics service. Apply before you travel with a medical report or prescription and your trip details. You then show the authorisation at the border. The AEMPS sets the amount in the authorisation, based on your trip length and prescribed dose. Ask the AEMPS for the current form and procedure, and allow time for a reply.

What to carry

Keep the medicines in their original packaging. Carry the endorsed certificate or the authorisation, plus a copy of your prescription.

If you will stay longer

Treatment beyond the covered amount needs a Spanish prescription. Arrange a Spanish doctor's appointment soon after you arrive, so you do not run out.

The timeline, checklist and questions below walk through the steps.

Timeline and deadlines

• Work out which paperwork applies: Schengen certificate or AEMPS authorisation: before you start planning your trip

• Get the certificate completed by your doctor and endorsed, or apply to the AEMPS with a medical report and trip details: before you travel

• Check the quantity: a Schengen certificate covers a maximum of 30 days of treatment: before you pack

• Carry the certificate or authorisation with the medicines in original packaging: when you cross the border

• Get a Spanish prescription for treatment beyond the covered amount: if your stay is longer than the days covered

Checklist

• Find out whether you arrive from a Schengen country or from outside Schengen, because that decides which paperwork you need.

• Ask your prescribing doctor to complete the Schengen certificate if you arrive from a Schengen country.

• Take the completed certificate to the health authority of the country you leave and ask them to endorse it.

• Apply to the AEMPS, Spain's medicines agency, for authorisation before you travel if you arrive from outside Schengen, with a medical report or prescription and your trip details.

• Pack the medicines in original packaging with the endorsed certificate or authorisation and a copy of your prescription.

Frequently asked questions

Does my ADHD medicine count as a narcotic or psychotropic medicine?

Yes, most ADHD stimulants such as methylphenidate count as psychotropic medicines, so they need the controlled-medicine paperwork. Benzodiazepines such as diazepam, alprazolam and lorazepam, zolpidem, and opioids such as morphine, oxycodone, fentanyl, methadone and codeine-type products are also covered.

Who fills in and signs the Schengen certificate?

Your prescribing doctor fills in the Schengen certificate, and the health authority of the country you leave must then endorse it. Carry the endorsed form with the medicines in original packaging and a copy of the prescription.

What if I am arriving from outside the Schengen area?

If you arrive from outside Schengen, you need prior authorisation from the AEMPS, Spain's medicines agency, instead of the Schengen certificate. Apply in advance through its narcotics and psychotropics service with a medical report or prescription and your trip details. Show the authorisation at the border.

What if I need more than 30 days of treatment?

For stays that need longer treatment, you need a Spanish prescription, because the certificate only covers 30 days. With the AEMPS route, the amount is set in the authorisation and depends on your trip length and prescribed dose.