Prescriptions from a private doctor, paid at full price

Key rules

• Price: You pay the full price for medicines on a private prescription, with no public subsidy.
• Paper prescription: Any pharmacy in Spain should accept a private paper prescription that has all the required details.
• Electronic prescription: Whether a pharmacy can dispense it depends on the doctor's platform, so ask which pharmacies work.
• Insurance: Most private insurers do not repay pharmacy medicines, so check your policy before assuming cover.

You pay the full price

A private prescription is paid in full. No public subsidy applies, and most private insurers do not reimburse medicines bought at the pharmacy. Budget for the whole cost of each medicine.

The public and private routes are compared in the table below.

Who can write it

A doctor, dentist or podiatrist registered in Spain can issue a private prescription, within their own field. It can be on paper or electronic. Many private doctors use their own forms or the medical college's forms. More and more use private e-prescription platforms.

Before you leave the consultation, check that the prescription shows:

• your identification
• the medicine (active ingredient or brand), strength, form, pack size, dosage and duration
• the doctor's name, professional registration number, contact details and workplace
• the doctor's signature and the date

An electronic prescription also needs the doctor's advanced electronic signature. The platform normally adds it for you.

Stricter rules apply to narcotics and other special-control medicines. Ask the doctor what you will need for those.

Where you can fill it

Any pharmacy in Spain should accept a private paper prescription that meets the content requirements above.

Electronic prescriptions depend on the platform. Some are connected to pharmacies through the national pharmacists' systems and work in most pharmacies. Others only work at participating pharmacies. Ask the doctor which pharmacies can dispense yours before you go. Confirm with the pharmacy if you are unsure.

Insurance

Private health insurance usually covers consultations, tests, hospital care and procedures, and medicines given during a hospital stay. It usually does not cover medicines you buy at the pharmacy. A few policies or add-ons offer limited pharmacy reimbursement. Read your policy conditions, and keep the pharmacy receipt if yours does.

The documents list, checklist and common questions are below.

Public and private prescriptions side by side

Public and private prescriptions differ in three ways: who writes them, what you pay and where you can use them.

What to check on a private prescription

• Paper: it must carry your details, the medicine (name or active ingredient, strength, form, quantity, dosage and duration), and the doctor's name, registration number, contact details and workplace. It must also have the doctor's signature and the date. A pharmacy can refuse one that is missing these.
• Electronic: it needs the doctor's advanced electronic signature. Some platforms link to most pharmacies, while others work only at participating ones.
• Strong painkillers and other controlled medicines: extra rules apply, so ask the doctor how to get and use the prescription.

Which one will you get?

The route you take decides it. If you see a doctor through the public system, you get a public prescription and pay only your share. If you see a private doctor, you get a private one and pay the full price, even for a medicine that would be subsidised on a public prescription.

Contribution percentages and caps are revised from time to time, and some regions add their own refunds. Check current figures with your regional health service or your pharmacy.

Documents you need

• A prescription from a doctor, dentist or podiatrist registered in Spain, on paper or electronic, written within their field of practice.

• Your identification on the prescription, plus the medicine (active ingredient or brand), strength, form, pack size and dosage with duration.

• The prescriber's name, professional registration number, contact details, workplace, signature and date on the prescription.

• For an electronic prescription, the prescriber's advanced electronic signature, which the doctor's platform adds.

Checklist

• Ask the doctor whether the prescription will be on paper or electronic.

• Ask which pharmacies can dispense it if it is electronic.

• Check the prescription shows the doctor's registration number, signature and date before you leave.

• Read your insurance policy conditions for any pharmacy reimbursement.

• Keep the pharmacy receipt if your policy offers limited pharmacy cover.

Check with the pharmacy whether your doctor's e-prescription platform works there, and check your policy for pharmacy cover.

Frequently asked questions

Can any pharmacy in Spain dispense my private paper prescription?

Yes, any pharmacy in Spain accepts a private paper prescription as long as it has the content the law requires. That includes your details, the medicine, dose and duration, and the doctor's name, registration number, signature and date.

Can every pharmacy dispense a private electronic prescription?

Not always, because it depends on the doctor's e-prescription platform. Some platforms connect to most pharmacies, while others work only at participating ones. Ask the doctor which pharmacies accept it, or ask for a paper prescription.

Will my private health insurance pay for medicines from the pharmacy?

Most likely not, because most private insurers in Spain do not reimburse medicines bought at the pharmacy.