Travelling with Prescription medicines

[feelap]

Hi guys,

I take prescription medication everyday and I'm travelling to Berlin next month for 5 days so am wondering what the rules are for taking them into Germany.

Thanks

[boxtops]

Is it tablets or liquid, feelap? You are allowed to take prescription meds as long as you carry them in your hand luggage, I always carry mine separately in their original packaging with the prescription label, in a separate clear food bag. However if it's liquid, as you know you can only carry 100mls in your hand luggage, so you would have to put that in your hold baggage.

[feelap]

Hey boxtops

Thanks for that- its tablets I take. Hmm, do I have to keep them in their original packet cos I wanna save space. I have this 7 day pill organiser thing- will that be confiscated?

[Buenchico]

If liquids are involved, see here:
http://www.direct.gov...avelintheUK/DG_078179

Otherwise, since the free movement of goods is permitted throughout the EU anyway (meaning that there are no customs checks), you shouldn't have any problems. Even so, it would be sensible to keep any medications in their original packaging, so that (in the extremely unlikely chance of any type of check being made) it would be immediately apparent what the drugs were for.

Chris

[grasscarp]

I have a pill organiser in my bag with an assortment of vitamins in the compartments. Security has never shown the slightest interest as it isnt sharp and it isnt a liquid.

[Buenchico]

Our posts crossed there, Feelap.

There are no customs checks, so there's hardly any chance that your pills will even be noticed anyway.

[boxtops]

I agree with chris - I take vitamins and supplements too, and I pack them in the 7-day organiser in my hold baggage, because it wouldn't be distastrous if they took them off me for analysis. However as Chris says, if you turn up with a strip of white tablets etc in an organiser, they could be anything, and it would be awful if they took them off you. Much better just to take with you as many prescription doses as you need, and squash up the box so it doesn't take up too much room.

[boxtops]

Disagree chris - OH has a prescription spray which we carry separately in hand luggage, it was checked last time we flew as it showed up on the scanner, they fished it out and hand-scanned it.

[Buenchico]

That's not 'customs', Boxtops; that's 'security' (which you're far more likely to encounter before you fly than afterwards).

[grasscarp]

security at Madrid stopped me last week. I had no idea what he wanted as his
English not very good, but turned out it was my ambre solaire containing half an inch of liquid. Left it behind happily.

[SpikeyBush]

I am type 1 diabetic and travel a lot for business, sometimes being away for extended periods so I tend to take a lot of insulin with me. Never had an issue with bringing over 100ml on board with me. I never place this in checked in baggage, first of all because it would be a disaster if it went missing and secondly the hold temperature can drop to minus 22 degrees C, and if my insulin freezes it becomes useless.

Only twice have my sharps been found by security, once in Glasgow and once in Hong Kong. I keep a letter from my GP with them to cover me in these instances.