Finding a pharmacy on duty (farmacia de guardia) at night

Key rules

• Door notice: Every pharmacy must show a notice at its door listing the nearest pharmacies on duty.
• Prescription: Bring your prescription if the medicine needs one.
• Night surcharge: Ask whether a surcharge applies before you pay, because it depends on your region.
• Regional rules: Each region runs its own rota, so use your own province's colegio for the exact list.

Who is open at night

Outside normal hours, a rota of on-duty pharmacies serves each area, so there is always one open near you. A pharmacy on duty is called a farmacia de guardia. Pharmacies take turns, usually for a night (guardia de noche) or a day, and the rota covers nights, weekends and holidays.

Each region sets its own rules. The provincial colegio oficial de farmacéuticos usually organises the rota town by town or health area. Some pharmacies, mostly in large cities, stay open 24 hours all year.

How to find the nearest one

Use whichever of these is quickest:

• The door of any pharmacy. Every pharmacy must display a notice listing the nearest pharmacies on duty. If you are already out, walk to the closest pharmacy and read it.
• Your provincial colegio's website. Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Sevilla, for example, publish today's on-duty pharmacies there. Search for the colegio oficial de farmacéuticos of your province.
• Your regional health service. Some also publish the list.
• The national council of pharmacists' associations. It has a general pharmacy finder. Try it if you cannot find your province's page.

Pages differ by province, so check your own colegio for the exact one.

What happens when you arrive

At night the pharmacy is usually served through a bell (timbre) and a small window or hatch. Ring and wait. The pharmacist asks what you need.

Bring your prescription if the medicine needs one. Without it, the pharmacist may refuse to hand over prescription-only medicine.

Will it cost extra?

Possibly. In several regions a night surcharge (recargo nocturno or tasa de urgencia) may be added to items that do not need a prescription. In many places there is no extra charge on publicly financed prescriptions. Rules vary by region, so ask before you pay.

The checklist below gives the steps in order, and the resource list shows where to check open pharmacies and medicine supply.

Checklist

• Look for the notice on the door of the nearest pharmacy, which lists the closest pharmacies on duty.

• Search your province's pharmacists' association website for today's pharmacies on duty in your town or health area.

• Try the national pharmacy finder if your province's page is hard to find.

• Check whether a 24-hour pharmacy is open near you if you are in a large city.

• Ring the bell and wait at the small window when you reach the pharmacy on duty.

• Ask whether a night surcharge applies before you pay.

Where to check open pharmacies and medicine supply

• Your provincial pharmacists' association (colegio oficial de farmacéuticos): Look up the pharmacy on duty (farmacia de guardia) for your province on the association's website. Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Sevilla all publish their lists.

• Your regional health service: Check its website if your province's association page is hard to find. Some regional health services also publish the pharmacies on duty.

• National council of pharmacists' associations (Consejo General de Colegios Oficiales de Farmacéuticos): Use its general pharmacy finder to find a pharmacy near you.

• The nearest pharmacy's door: Read the notice every pharmacy must display.

• AEMPS, Spain's medicines agency (CIMA website, supply problems section): Search by medicine name, active ingredient or national code (código nacional). Open the entry to see whether there is a supply problem, its dates, the expected recovery and any alternatives.

• Pharmacist: Ask for an alternative with the same active ingredient if your medicine is in short supply.

Pharmacy-on-duty pages differ by province, so check the page of your own provincial pharmacists' association. Supply dates are estimates and change often.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to pay extra at a night pharmacy?

Yes, in some regions you may pay a night surcharge on non-prescription items, but not everywhere. In many places publicly financed prescriptions carry no extra charge. Ask the pharmacist about any extra fee before you pay.

Is there a pharmacy open 24 hours in Spain?

Yes, some pharmacies are open 24 hours all year, but they are mostly in large cities. In smaller towns, a pharmacy on duty covers the night in turns. Check your province's list to see which one is open.

How do I get served at a pharmacy on duty at night?

You usually ring the bell (timbre) and are served through a small window or hatch. The pharmacist asks what you need. Have your prescription ready if the medicine requires one.