How should you prepare your medication for a trip or holiday?
A practical guide so that an older person who takes several medicines can travel with peace of mind, within Spain or abroad.
In short
- Carry all medication in your hand luggage, in its original packaging and with a few days to spare.
- Print your active medication sheet: in another Spanish region the pharmacy only sees what is due to be dispensed.
- With your health card you can collect your electronic prescription at any pharmacy in Spain.
- Leaving Spain with narcotic or psychotropic medicines may require an AEMPS certificate, which takes at least 10 days.
Travelling with medication without surprises mainly takes planning one or two weeks ahead: check how many doses will be needed, carry them in your hand luggage with some spares, and keep the list of treatments on your phone and on paper. If the person takes many medicines, preparing doses by day and time before leaving helps prevent missed or doubled doses.
In this guide we go through what Spain's Ministry of Health, the AEMPS (Spanish Agency of Medicines) and Aena (the Spanish airport operator) say, and how to organise everything if you are travelling with your mother or father.
| What will you find in this article? |
What should you prepare before leaving?
The essentials are to work out the medication needed for the whole trip plus a few extra days, check that prescriptions are active, and carry an up to date list of treatments. Do it in good time, because some medicines may need to be ordered from the pharmacy or need an authorisation.
| What | Why | When |
|---|---|---|
| Count the doses of each medicine | Avoids running out away from home | Two weeks before |
| Check the electronic prescription | Confirm there are packs available to collect during the trip | Two weeks before |
| Print the active medication sheet | It lists doses, times and instructions for the whole treatment | Before leaving |
| Prepare doses by day and time | Reduces mistakes when routines change | Before leaving |
| Ask for a medical report for special medication | Customs or airport staff may ask for it | As early as possible |
If you want to review how digital prescriptions work, there is more detail in our article on what the electronic prescription is for.
Can I collect my medicines in another Spanish region?
Yes. According to Spain's Ministry of Health, anyone with an individual National Health System health card can collect medication prescribed on an electronic prescription at a pharmacy in another autonomous community. You only need to show the card and say which region issued the prescription.
- The pharmacy only sees the medicines due to be dispensed at that moment, not the whole treatment. That is why the Ministry recommends carrying the active medication sheet when travelling.
- Without the health card the pharmacy cannot access the prescription, so nothing can be dispensed.
- Pensioners pay according to their contribution code. If they go over their contribution cap outside their region, they must claim a refund in their home region with the pharmacy receipt.
- People covered by MUGEJU and ISFAS are excluded from this interoperable system, and for MUFACE it is only partly in place.
How should you carry medicines on a plane?
Aena recommends always keeping all medication in your hand luggage. Liquid medicines needed during the trip are exempt from the liquid restrictions, although it is advisable to carry the prescription.
- Keep medicines in their original packaging, with the leaflet, so they can be identified easily.
- If you carry syringes, for example for insulin, take a medical certificate, as Aena advises.
- Follow the storage conditions in the leaflet, especially for medicines that need to be kept cold.
- Put a spare supply in another hand bag in case one goes missing.
- If you are travelling outside the EU, check with the airline and the destination country's embassy beforehand.
What about narcotic and psychotropic medicines?
Spanish law allows you to travel with personal medication, but narcotic and psychotropic medicines have their own requirements. To enter or leave Spain with them you may need a certificate or permit from the AEMPS, which must be requested at least 10 days in advance.
The AEMPS states that the permit is valid for a maximum of three months and that the application must include a medical report with the name of the medicine, the daily dose and the total quantity. The permit only covers Spain: for the destination country you need to check with its health authority. Ask your doctor or pharmacist whether any medicine in your treatment falls into this category, such as some opioid painkillers or certain anxiolytics.
If you are travelling within the European Union, also take your European Health Insurance Card, which is requested from Spain's Social Security.
A practical example: Carmen goes to the seaside for ten days
Let us take the case of Carmen, 82, who takes 9 medicines a day and is going to spend ten days with her daughter in Alicante, although her prescription is from Madrid.
- Two weeks before: her daughter counts the doses and sees that one medicine will run out during the trip. She checks that the electronic prescription has packs available.
- Before leaving: she prints the active medication sheet and prepares the doses by day and time of day for the whole trip, with two days spare.
- During the trip: everything goes in the hand bag. In Alicante they collect the missing pack at a pharmacy with Carmen's health card.
- Back home: they check whether any dose was left over, a sign that one was missed, and mention it to the pharmacist.
How can IMA Health help?
If your relative takes many medicines, at IMA Health we coordinate with a specialised pharmacy that prepares medication by day and time of each dose in a personalised dosage system (SPD), with home delivery and personalised follow-up. Before a trip, letting us know in good time makes it possible to plan the preparation for those weeks. You can see how it works in what an SPD is.
Sources
- Spanish Ministry of Health: FAQs on the interoperable electronic prescription
- AEMPS: certificates for travellers with narcotic and psychotropic medicines
- Aena: medicines in hand luggage
- Comunidad de Madrid: electronic prescription
This article is for information only and does not replace advice from your doctor or pharmacist.