How Spanish pharmacies (farmacias) actually work

Key rules

• Medicines: Only a farmacia can sell you medicines, so do not look for them in a parafarmacia or supermarket.
• Prices: Medicines paid for by the public health system cost the same everywhere, while other medicines can vary by pharmacy.
• Online: Buy medicines online only from authorised farmacias showing the EU logo.
• Closed pharmacy: Use the farmacia de guardia when your local one is shut.

Where to buy medicines

Go to a farmacia. Medicines, with or without a prescription, can only be sold in a farmacia, not in a parafarmacia or supermarket. You will spot one by its green cross sign.

What a farmacia is

A farmacia is a regulated health outlet run by a licensed pharmacist (farmacéutico), who must own it. The regions control where new ones can open, so you will usually find one in every neighbourhood and village. Farmacias also hand out medicines under public health system prescriptions, so you take your prescription there.

The pharmacist can answer simple health questions and advise on minor problems such as colds, stomach upsets or small injuries. Ask before you buy.

What a parafarmacia or supermarket sells

These sell only non-medicine items:

• cosmetics and hygiene products
• dietary and food supplements
• baby products
• orthopaedic items and some medical devices

Some parafarmacias are run by pharmacists. They still cannot sell you medicines.

Prices

Medicines paid for by the public health system cost the same in every farmacia. The price is printed on the box. Non-prescription medicines outside the public system have free prices, so the same product can cost more in one farmacia than another. If you buy often, compare.

Buying online

You can buy non-prescription medicines online only from authorised farmacias, which show the common EU logo. Prescription medicines cannot be sold online to the public.

Opening hours

Most farmacias open on weekdays in the morning and again in the late afternoon, with a shorter Saturday morning in many places. Some stay open all day. Hours vary by region, town and pharmacy. When yours is closed, a duty pharmacy (farmacia de guardia) covers the night and holidays. The timeline below shows how to find one.

Quick answers

The questions below cover refusals, leftover medicines and what to bring when you collect a medicine.

Timeline and deadlines

When a farmacia is open

• Go in the morning session on a weekday: Monday to Friday, usually from 9:00 to 13:30 or 14:00

• Go in the afternoon session on a weekday: Monday to Friday, usually from 16:30 or 17:00 to 20:00 or 20:30

• Go on a Saturday if you need to: Saturday morning only in many places, with shorter hours

• Check for a pharmacy that stays open all day: Some pharmacies open continuously, with no midday break

• Find the duty pharmacy (farmacia de guardia) when yours is closed: Outside normal hours, nights, Sundays and holidays: every pharmacy takes turns on the rota, and the closed pharmacy's door usually lists the one on duty

Pharmacy quick answers

Does a medicine cost the same in every pharmacy in Spain?

Prescription medicines paid for by the public health system cost the same in every pharmacy, because their price and the pharmacy margin are fixed. Non-prescription medicines have free prices, so one pharmacy can charge more than another. Fixed-price boxes show the price with VAT printed on them.

When can a pharmacist refuse to sell me a medicine?

A pharmacist must refuse a prescription-only medicine if you have no valid prescription, or if it is expired, incomplete or forged. They can also refuse if they see a health risk, such as a suspected error, a dangerous interaction or signs of misuse of strong painkillers. Recalled medicines are never handed over. In limited cases of vital need for ongoing treatment, a pharmacist can give you a medicine without a prescription.

Where do I take expired or leftover medicines?

Take them to any pharmacy and put them in the SIGRE container, which almost every pharmacy has and which shows the SIGRE logo. Do not throw medicines in the household bin or down the drain. Put in the packaging and leftovers together.

Do I need ID or my health card to collect a medicine?

For a public-system prescription, bring your tarjeta sanitaria (health card), because the pharmacy uses it to read your electronic prescription, even if it was issued in another region. ID is not normally needed but may be requested. A private prescription needs the paper or electronic private prescription, and non-prescription medicines need no documents.