Preparing your medicines before you leave for Spain

Key rules

• Doctor's letter: Use generic (active ingredient) names, not only brand names, so a Spanish doctor can match each medicine.
• Non-EU prescriptions: A prescription from a non-EU country is not valid for dispensing in Spain.
• Spanish prescription: You need a Spanish doctor to issue a Spanish prescription for prescription-only medicines.
• Shipping: Do not rely on shipping medicines to Spain later.

What to do before you leave

Get two things from your doctor before you go: a letter that names each medicine by its generic name, and a bridging supply that covers the gap until Spanish prescribing starts. Brand names change between countries. The generic (active ingredient) name is what a Spanish doctor or pharmacist can match.

The documents below list what the letter must contain. The checklist below gives the order to do things in.

Why you need a bridging supply

Plan for about 3 months of each medicine, and longer for chronic medicines. Getting a Spanish prescription can take weeks to months.

The wait comes from the steps to public health care. You register with the social security system (INSS). You receive a health card from your regional health service. Then you are assigned a GP (médico de cabecera), who can issue Spanish prescriptions. The time this takes depends on your region and on the residency paperwork you need. If your registration is likely to be slow, bring more.

Do not plan to have medicines shipped to you later. Count on what you carry.

If you have private insurance, you can often see a doctor within days. You still need a Spanish prescription, so the letter helps you here too.

Your doctor's letter

Ask your doctor to write it in English. Spanish also works. Include the diagnosis and your treatment history, because a Spanish GP will want both. Bring recent reports and test results to your first appointment.

What a Spanish GP will do with it

Public GPs generally read foreign reports, especially in English, and use them to continue your treatment or refer you. A GP does not have to prescribe what your report recommends. Expect them to re-evaluate you and perhaps repeat tests.

No national rule requires a sworn translation for medical care. A sworn translation is needed only for formal purposes, such as a disability assessment or legal proceedings. A clinician can still ask for a translation, so ask your health centre if a report is in a language other than English or Spanish.

Can you use a home-country prescription in Spain?

Only in some cases.

• EU/EEA prescription: A Spanish pharmacy can fill it if it is valid and complete, the medicine is authorised in Spain, and the pharmacist is satisfied it is genuine. The pharmacist decides. You pay in full, and the public system does not reimburse you.
• Non-EU prescription: It is not valid for dispensing in Spain.
• Controlled medicines: Narcotics and some psychotropic medicines have stricter rules. You will generally need a Spanish prescription.

Either way, a prescription-only medicine long term needs a Spanish doctor to issue a Spanish prescription. That is why the bridging supply matters.

Timeline and deadlines

• Get your doctor's letter and a bridging supply of about 3 months of each medicine, or longer for chronic medicines: before you leave

• Register with the social security system (INSS): soon after you arrive

• Receive your health card from the regional health service: after you register

• Be assigned a GP (médico de cabecera) who can issue Spanish prescriptions: from a few weeks to several months after you start, depending on your region and residency paperwork

• If you have private insurance, see a doctor to get a Spanish prescription: often within days of arrival

What your doctor's medicine letter must contain

• A letter on your doctor's letterhead, signed and dated.

• Your full name, date of birth and passport number.

• Your diagnosis, which is the condition each medicine treats.

• Each medicine by its generic (active ingredient) name and its brand name.

• The dose, how often you take it, how long the treatment lasts and the total quantity you are carrying.

• A statement that the medicines are for your personal use.

• Your prescriber's name, licence number and contact details.

• The letter in English or Spanish. Spain has no general rule requiring a translation for medicines, and English is commonly accepted. A sworn translation (traductor jurado) is only needed for formal or administrative purposes, such as a disability assessment.

Checklist

• Ask your doctor for a letter that lists each medicine by its generic name.

• Ask your doctor to write the letter and any medical reports in English.

• Ask your doctor or pharmacy for a bridging supply of about 3 months, or longer for chronic medicines.

• Gather your recent reports and test results to take to your first Spanish GP appointment.

• Ask your Spanish health centre whether it needs a translation of any report not in English or Spanish.

Frequently asked questions

Does a Spanish GP need my medical report translated?

Usually no, because Spain has no national rule requiring a sworn translation for clinical use, and reports in English are generally read and used. A doctor can still ask for a translation, so ask your health centre.

Will my Spanish GP prescribe what my foreign report recommends?

Not automatically, because your Spanish GP will review your case and may repeat tests before prescribing. The report helps them continue your treatment or refer you on.

Can a Spanish pharmacy fill a prescription from my home country?

Only if it was issued in another EU/EEA country, and then only if it is valid, the medicine is authorised in Spain and the pharmacist is satisfied it is genuine. Prescriptions from non-EU countries are not valid for dispensing. Controlled medicines generally need a Spanish prescription, and you pay for dispensed medicines yourself.

Can I see a doctor faster if I have private insurance?

Yes, with private insurance you can often see a doctor within days, but you still need a Spanish prescription for prescription-only medicines.