Healthy policy in the European Union

Going to the pharmacy abroad

• Presenting a prescription

If your doctor gives you a prescription, that prescription is valid in all the EU because the origin of that prescription is from a doctor who is accepted in a EU country. However, sometimes there aren’t the same medicines in all countries so you might not be able to buy it.

You can have a cross-border prescription which is a presciption created to help understand the pharmacist (usually of another country of the EU because they don’t speak our language) what’s written in the prescription. These type of prescription describes the medicine, the ingredients in it and the amount the person must take.

For example: When I went to France, I had an asthmatic reaction and I needed the ventolin. So, I went to a pharmacy and they asked for a prescription, he said it didn't matter if the prescription was written in French or in Spanish.

• Medicines: costs & refunds

Usually, when you buy medicines in other countries they make you pay the full cost up.

That’s obviously not fair because you do not live there but that’s why you can claim it to the health insurer when you get home. They will just make you pay the rate of reimbursement of your country.