Can medicine be shipped to France from overseas?
It is easier to bring medicine for personal use through border yourself
A limit to the amount of mediciation that can be brought or sent over is in place
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Reader Question: Is it possible to send medication through the post? The medicine is sealed and would be sent from the US to top up my supply while we visit our second home.
Rules on posting drugs into France depend both on the laws in place in the country the drugs are potentially sent from, and France’s and the EU’s own rules.
This includes sending medicine from non-EU/EEA countries such as the UK or the US, as well as from EU countries.
The sending of medications sent into France from outside the EU/EEA is regulated by France’s medicine safety agency (Agence nationale de sécurité du médicament, ANSM).
It states that a medicine can be sent to France via the post with no specific additional authorisation if it adheres to the following rules:
Or
It is authorised in the country it is being sent from
And the recipient presents a prescription from a doctor in origin country for the medicine, and it is for personal use only
And you are sending no more than three months’ worth of the medicine, or the exact amount prescribed
In the latter case, you would have to include supporting documents attached to the parcel, so they could be consulted by French customs.
Outside of such conditions, you would need to obtain specific appproval from the ANSM, which may be a lengthy procedure.
Having said this, according to the US Postal Service (USPS), only DEA-registered distributors should post prescription drugs out of the US, so it appears that personal posting from this country is not authorised to individuals.
In most cases, it would therefore be simpler to bring the medicine with you physically across the border, also bringing your prescription with you in case of any questions.
This is, however, not mandatory (unless you have more than three months’ worth of medicine with you).
Medicines classified as narcotic or psychotropic can only be brought across the border physically, and not sent through the post, and may be subject to further restrictions – the rules for these can be found here.
Finally, check that any courier service you wish to use accepts medicines, and what insurance cover there is should the parcel be lost or damaged.
Use a prescription in France
An alternative may be to use a prescription for your medicine at a French pharmacy.
Non-EU/non-EEA prescriptions are sometimes – but not always – accepted in French pharmacies, and this may be an alternative.
Another option would be to make an appointment with a French doctor, who may be able to provide you with a French prescription for the medicine (or a French equivalent) for the duration of your trip.
