What do I need if I take my medication outside the Netherlands?

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Find out more about" data-cookieurltext="cookies" data-stats="publisher:buza;subject:travelling outside the netherlands|;type:faq;uuid:cdce8754-cd53-45a3-a170-886ff5a1e77a;pagetype:vraag en antwoord;ftgtype:uitlegger;issued:2016-03-23t09-47;modified:2023-03-03t13-07" > <script nonce="YjY3MjU1NjU5ZGYzNDRiZTg4NzMzYTc0YWEwZGE2YTc="> (function(window, document, dataLayerName, id) { window[dataLayerName]=window[dataLayerName]||[],window[dataLayerName].push({start:(new Date).getTime(),event:"stg.start"});var scripts=document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0],tags=document.createElement('script'); function stgCreateCookie(a,b,c){var d="";if(c){var e=new Date;e.setTime(e.getTime()+24*c*60*60*1e3),d="; expires="+e.toUTCString()}document.cookie=a+"="+b+d+"; path=/"} var isStgDebug=(window.location.href.match("stg_debug")||document.cookie.match("stg_debug"))&&!window.location.href.match("stg_disable_debug");stgCreateCookie("stg_debug",isStgDebug?1:"",isStgDebug?14:-1); var qP=[];dataLayerName!=="dataLayer"&&qP.push("data_layer_name="+dataLayerName),isStgDebug&&qP.push("stg_debug");var qPString=qP.length>0?("?"+qP.join("&")):""; tags.async=!0,tags.src="//statistiek.rijksoverheid.nl/containers/"+id+".js"+qPString,scripts.parentNode.insertBefore(tags,scripts); !function(a,n,i){a[n]=a[n]||{};for(var c=0;c<i.length;c++)!function(i){a[n][i]=a[n][i]||{},a[n][i].api=a[n][i].api||function(){var a=[].slice.call(arguments,0);"string"==typeof a[0]&&window[dataLayerName].push({event:n+"."+i+":"+a[0],parameters:[].slice.call(arguments,1)})}}(i[c])}(window,"ppms",["tm","cm"]); })(window, document, 'dataLayer', '17953060-0014-4821-b579-e7b24c408376'); </script><noscript><iframe src="//statistiek.rijksoverheid.nl/containers/17953060-0014-4821-b579-e7b24c408376/noscript.html" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <div id="mainwrapper"> <header> <div class="skiplinks"> <a href="#content-wrapper">Go to content</a> </div> <div class="logo"> <div class="logo__wrapper"> <a href="/" class="logo__link"> <figure class="logo__figure"> <img src="/binaries/content/gallery/government/channel-afbeeldingen/logos/beeldmerk-rijksoverheid-desktop.svg" data-fallback="/binaries/content/gallery/government/channel-afbeeldingen/logos/beeldmerk-rijksoverheid-mobiel.svg" alt="Logo Government of the Netherlands – To the homepage of government.nl" id="logotype"/> <figcaption class="logo__text"> <span class="logo__sender">Government of the Netherlands</span> </figcaption> </figure> </a> </div> </div> </header> <div id="navBar"> <div class="wrapper"> <nav class="breadCrumbNav" aria-labelledby="breadCrumbNavLabel"> <span class="assistive" id="breadCrumbNavLabel">You are here:</span> <a href="/">Home</a> <a href="/topics">Topics</a> <a href="/topics/travelling-outside-the-netherlands">Travelling outside the Netherlands</a> <a href="/topics/travelling-outside-the-netherlands/question-and-answer">Question and answer</a> <span class="assistive" aria-current="page">What do I need if I take my medication outside the Netherlands?</span> </nav> <div id="searchForm" role="search" class="searchForm" data-search-closed="Open search box" data-search-opened="Start search"> <form novalidate method="get" action="/search" id="search-form" data-clearcontent="Clear content"> <label for="search-keyword">Search within English part of Government.nl</label> <input type="text" id="search-keyword" class="searchInput" name="keyword" title="Enter search terms here" placeholder="Search" /> <button id="search-submit" class="searchSubmit" name="search-submit" type="submit" title="Start search"> Search</button> </form> </div> </div> </div><main id="content-wrapper" tabindex="-1"> <div class="wrapper"> <div class="article content"> <h1 class="faq"> What do I need if I take my medication outside the Netherlands?</h1> <div class="intro"><p>If your medication falls under the Opium Act, you will need to apply for a Schengen Area certificate or a medical certificate, depending on what country you will be visiting. Opiates include sleeping pills, strong painkillers, medication for ADHD and medical cannabis. A medication passport can be useful when you are travelling; it is not, however, a travel document.</p></div> <h2>Information on medicines that fall under the Opium Act</h2> <p>Ask your pharmacist if your medicine falls under the Opium Act, or consult lists I and II of the Opium Act, which list the active ingredients. <a href="https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0001941/#BijlageI" class="external" aria-label="Heavy painkillers and Ritalin, for example, are on list I (opent externe website)">Heavy painkillers and Ritalin, for example, are on list I</a>. <a href="https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0001941/#BijlageII" class="external" aria-label="Sleeping pills and drugs to reduce anxiety are on list II (opent externe website)">Sleeping pills and drugs to reduce anxiety are on list II</a>.</p><h2>Schengen Area certificate or medical certificate for medication</h2> <p>If you are travelling to a Schengen Area country with medicines that fall under the Opium Act, you will need to apply to the <a href="https://www.hetcak.nl/regelingen/medicijnen-mee-op-reis" class="external" aria-label="Central Administrative Office (CAK) for a Schengen Area certificate (opens external website)">Central Administrative Office (CAK) for a Schengen Area certificate</a> (in Dutch only). The certificate is valid for 30 days. If you are going away for more than 30 days, you must have multiple, successive Schengen Area certificates. A Schengen Area certificate is valid for travel in up to 4 Schengen Area countries.</p> <p>You will need a medical certificate for countries outside the Schengen Area. The certificate is valid for a year and is also valid in Schengen Area countries that you pass through to reach your destination outside the Schengen Area. You can find an <a href="https://www.hetcak.nl/medicijnen-mee-op-reis/regelen/engelstalige-medicijnverklaring-download/" class="external" aria-label="example of a medical certificate (opent externe website)">example of a medical certificate</a> on the CAK website.</p> <p>You will find <a href="https://www.hetcak.nl/regelingen/medicijnen-mee-op-reis/schengenlanden/welke-landen-binnen-schengenverdrag" class="external" aria-label="a list of destination countries on the CAK website (opens external website)">a list of destination countries on the CAK website</a> (in Dutch only) which tells you what you need to do to apply for a Schengen Area certificate or a medical certificate for the country in question. For some countries, for example, your medical certificate has to be legalised. Sometimes you need to contact the country's embassy to ask about additional rules and requirements.</p><h2>Medication passport not a valid travel document</h2> <p>A medication passport is not a travel document; it only lists the medication that you use or what drugs you are allergic to. This is useful if you visit a pharmacist or doctor while you are outside the Netherlands. You can get a medication passport from your family doctor, pharmacy or consultant. A medication passport is sometimes referred to as a European Medical Passport.</p><h2>Keep medicines in their original packaging</h2> <p>When you go abroad, keep your medicines in their original packaging. This makes it clear to foreign officials that the drugs are medicines, not illegal drugs.</p></div> <div class="fullWidthSection"> </div><aside> <div class="brick banner"> <a href="/contact"> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" id="Layer_1" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 270 160" x="0px" xml:space="preserve" y="0px"> <style type="text/css"> .stijl01 { fill: #FFFFFF; stroke: #CBD2E3; stroke-width: 4; stroke-miterlimit: 10; } .stijl02 { fill: #111111; font-size: 23px; font-family: "RO Sans", Calibri, Verdana, sans-serif; } .stijl03 { fill: #17628c; font-weight: bold; font-size: 31px; font-family: "RO Sans", Calibri, Verdana, sans-serif; } </style> <rect class="stijl01" height="160" width="270"/> <text class="stijl03" transform="matrix(1 0 0 1 64 43)">Questions?</text> <text class="stijl02" transform="matrix(1 0 0 1 49 95)">Contact the Public</text> <text class="stijl02" transform="matrix(1 0 0 1 41 125)">Information Service</text> </svg></a> </div> <div class="brick belongsTo"> <h2>Ministry responsible</h2> <ul> <li><a href="/ministries/ministry-of-foreign-affairs">Ministry of Foreign Affairs</a></li> </ul> </div> </aside><div id="follow-up"> <div class="block"> </div> </div> </div> </main> <footer class="site-footer"> <div class="wrapper"> <div class="column"> <h2>Service</h2> <ul> <li > <a href="/contact">Contact</a> </li> <li > <a href="/rss">RSS</a> </li> <li > <a href="/sitemap">Sitemap</a> </li> <li > <a href="/help">Help</a> </li> <li > <a href="/archive">Archive</a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="column"> <h2>About this site</h2> <ul> <li > <a href="/copyright">Copyright</a> </li> <li > <a href="/privacy">Privacy</a> </li> <li > <a href="/cookies">Cookies</a> </li> <li > <a href="/accessibility">Accessibility</a> </li> <li > <a href="/reporting-a-vulnerability">Report vulnerability</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> <nav class="languages" aria-labelledby="languageMenuLabel"> <div class="languages__wrapper"> <p id="languageMenuLabel" class="languages__label">This website in other languages:</p> <ul class="languages__list"> <li class="languages__list-item selected"> English</li> <li class="languages__list-item "> <a href="https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/" class="languages__link" lang="nl">Nederlands</a> </li> <li class="languages__list-item "> <a href="https://www.gobiernodireino.nl/" class="languages__link" lang="pap">Papiamento</a> </li> <li class="languages__list-item "> <a href="https://www.gobiernudireino.nl/" class="languages__link" lang="pap">Papiamentu</a> </li> </ul> </div> </nav> </footer> </div>  <script src="/webfiles/1728237806798/behaviour/core.js"></script>  <script src="/binaries/content/assets/government/javascript/government-survey-bar.min-20230526.js"></script> </body> </html>

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What do I need if I take my medication outside the Netherlands? | Government.nl