Can I get medication in the UK for a six-month trip to France?

Can I travel to France with medication from the UK? And, if so, can I get enough medicine supplies to last for a six-month trip to France?

It is possible to bring medication from the UK to France. French pharmacists can technically provide patients with medication based on a UK prescription, however supplies of more than three months cannot be prescribed by UK GPs.

Travelling with prescription medication from the UK to France 

French customs states that if you are bringing medication into the country “the quantity must not exceed a personal use corresponding either to the duration of treatment provided for in the medical prescription or, in the absence of a prescription, to a three-month treatment period”.

It could be useful to keep your prescription handy in case customs or airport staff ask about the medication. You must have a prescription if travelling with narcotic or psychotropic drugs. 

Additionally, it could be – in very rare instances – possible that medication prescribed in the UK is banned in France or banned by certain airlines. You should consult your UK GP before travelling to France to check this. 

It is unlikely to be the case for you as the UK was obliged to apply EU standards until the end of 2020. 

Maximum three-month prescriptions in UK

Under UK law, GPs in the UK are not supposed to give out prescriptions for treatment lasting more than three months, several GP practices in the UK confirm. Beaconsfield Medical Practice states: “The NHS’s duty of care ends when a person has been absent or intends to be away from the United Kingdom for a period of more than three months. 

“A supply of medications for up to three months can be made to allow the patient to find a prescriber at their destination

“Two three-month prescriptions would not be acceptable under current legislation.”

Short-term travel

Post-Brexit, UK passport holders can only spend up to 90 days in France at a time without obtaining a visa so medication supply is not an issue for short trips.

Six-month trips with a visa

One option for UK citizens with second homes in France is to apply for visas that allow them to stay in France for up to six months at a time. 

The UK’s three-month prescription rule can be an issue in this case.

One solution, if you have a repeat prescription, could be to try to use the UK prescription at a French pharmacy. 

France’s Ordre National des Pharmaciens states that pharmacists can give patients who have prescriptions from non-EU countries medication if the prescription “appears authentic and understandable”. This means French pharmacists may provide UK citizens with the necessary medication if they show their British prescription, but this is not an automatic right as it is with properly filled-out EU prescriptions.

Another option would be to book an appointment with a French GP to see if they will give you a French prescription based on the UK one or your symptoms.

In general in France, GP appointments cost €30. This can be partially or fully reimbursed for people in the French health system depending on whether or not they have top-up health insurance. 

For people outside the French system the amount would have to be paid in full (similarly for the cost of medicines) but you can obtain some of this back if you have an Ehic/Ghic or medical insurance.

Moving permanently to France

People who move to France on a permanent basis should enter the French health system and find a French doctor to register as their médecin traitant (regular personal GP). 

One UK citizen known to The Connexion who did this said that he showed his UK NHS medical records to his French GP who was able to set up new French prescriptions based on this. 

The GP, though, was opposed to prescribing one of the pills and suggested an alternative. 

This can sometimes occur due to the countries’ differences in preferences for treatments.