Posting your regular medicines from your home country to Spain

Key rules

• Outside the EU: Parcels of medicine from outside the EU can be held, returned or destroyed by customs.
• Quantity: Personal import is limited to small quantities for your own treatment, with a prescription.
• Controlled substances: If your medicine is a controlled substance, you need extra authorisation before sending it.
• Carriers: Postal services and couriers can refuse medicines even when customs would allow them.
• Ask first: Check with AEMPS or Aduanas before shipping, because decisions are made case by case.

Customs and medicines rules are applied case by case, so confirm your specific medicine with AEMPS or Aduanas before posting it.

Posting is riskier than carrying

Posting medicines to Spain is legally and practically riskier than carrying them in your luggage. The risk is highest for parcels from outside the EU, including the UK and the US. Customs can stop, hold or destroy them. If you can carry your supply, do that. The comparison below sets out your options.

Parcels from outside the EU

These parcels face customs and health checks. Customs (Aduanas) and AEMPS, the Spanish medicines agency, can inspect them.

• Sending medicines by post to individuals is generally not allowed for commercial supply.
• Medicines not authorised in Spain, and prescription-only items, can be stopped, held or destroyed.
• Personal import is limited to small quantities for your own treatment, with a prescription.
• Controlled substances need extra authorisation before you send them.
• Customs duties and VAT may also apply.

Customs and AEMPS decide case by case. Ask AEMPS or Aduanas before you ship anything.

Parcels from another EU country

There is no simple right to post medicines to Spain for personal use, even within the EU. Customs duties do not generally apply between EU countries.

• Medicines authorised in Spain, bought on a prescription from a legal online pharmacy showing the EU common logo, are allowed in principle.
• Prescription-only products usually need a prescription that Spain recognises.
• Medicines not authorised in Spain still need AEMPS approval.

Check the rules with AEMPS before you order.

Carriers may refuse

Whatever customs allows, the carrier can say no. Correos and other national postal services generally restrict or ban prescription medicines. Express couriers such as DHL, FedEx and UPS usually take medicines only through special healthcare services, or with conditions. Those conditions are usually the original packaging, a copy of your prescription and compliance with import rules. They often refuse controlled substances and items that need temperature control. Even when a carrier accepts the parcel, it still faces Spanish customs.

If customs holds your parcel

Customs can hold the parcel and send you a notice. You normally have a short time to reply, so answer quickly.

You can get the medicine back only if the authorities accept that it is lawful. Show them your prescription, a medical report and proof of personal use. Otherwise the goods are sent back or destroyed. You can file an administrative appeal against the decision.

Larger quantities, controlled substances and products from unlicensed online sellers can lead to fines or, in serious cases, criminal proceedings. Buying prescription medicine from online sellers without authorisation is illegal.

Before you send

Use the checklist below. Posting is a backup, not a plan. Keep enough with you to cover the time it takes to see a Spanish doctor.

Carry, post or buy locally: ways to keep your supply

Carrying your medicine is usually the safest way to keep your supply. Posting it is the riskiest. Buying locally can work well, but it depends on whether the medicine is sold in Spain and whether it needs a prescription.

Carry it

Take enough to cover the move and the first weeks in Spain. Keep it in your hand luggage, in its original packaging, with a copy of your prescription or a doctor's letter. That makes it easy to show the medicine is yours and is for your own use.

Post it

Treat posting as a last resort. If the parcel is stopped, you may be left without your medicine at the time you need it most. Never rely on a posted parcel as your only supply.

Buy it locally

This route works best for common medicines with a Spanish equivalent. Two things decide it:

• Availability. The brand or exact formulation you use may not be sold in Spain. A pharmacist or doctor can tell you whether an equivalent exists.
• Prescription status. Some medicines you buy freely at home need a prescription in Spain. If yours does, you will need a Spanish doctor to prescribe it, so book that appointment before your carried supply runs out.

What to do

Carry as much as you reasonably can. Use local purchase to replace your supply over time. Keep posting only as a backup. Check your specific medicine with a Spanish pharmacy or your doctor before you rely on any route.

Checklist

• Ask AEMPS or Spanish customs (Aduanas) whether your medicine can be posted to Spain before you send it.

• Confirm with the carrier that it accepts medicines for Spain, and ask what packaging and paperwork it needs.

• Keep the medicine in its original packaging and include a copy of the prescription and a doctor's report.

• Check whether your medicine is a controlled substance and, if so, get the extra authorisation before sending.

• If you are posting from another EU country, check that the prescription is recognised in Spain and that the pharmacy shows the EU common logo.

• Keep proof of personal use, such as your prescription and medical report, ready in case customs holds the parcel.

• Reply to any customs notice quickly, and file an administrative appeal if you need to contest the decision.

What to watch out for

• Parcels from outside the EU can be seized: Medicines posted from outside the EU, including the UK and US, face customs and health checks. Prescription-only or unauthorised medicines can be held, returned or destroyed. Carry your medicines in your luggage instead where you can. If you must post them, ask AEMPS or customs first.

• Carriers may refuse your medicines: Correos and most international postal operators restrict or ban prescription medicines. Express couriers often refuse controlled and temperature-controlled items on standard services. Ask the carrier in advance about its healthcare service and its packaging and paperwork rules.

• Online sellers without authorisation are illegal: Buying prescription medicine from non-authorised online sellers is illegal. Larger quantities, controlled substances or unlicensed sellers can lead to fines or, in serious cases, criminal proceedings. Use only a legal online pharmacy that shows the EU common logo, and keep quantities to personal treatment.

• Duties and VAT may add cost: Parcels from outside the EU may be charged customs duties and VAT on arrival. Ask the carrier what charges you or the recipient may have to pay.

Frequently asked questions

Can I post prescription medicine to Spain from another EU country?

Yes, but only if the medicine is authorised in Spain and you have a prescription that Spain recognises. A legal online pharmacy showing the EU common logo is the safest route. Controlled substances need extra authorisation, and customs duties do not generally apply within the EU.

Will a courier like DHL, FedEx or UPS carry my medicines to Spain?

Sometimes, but usually only through a special healthcare service or with conditions such as original packaging and a prescription copy.

Can I get my medicines back if customs holds my parcel?

Possibly, if you can show the medicine is lawful for your personal use. A prescription, a medical report and proof of personal use are what you would send. You normally have a short time to reply to the customs notice and can file an administrative appeal. If the authorities do not accept your proof, the parcel is sent back or destroyed.