How to access medicines in the UK as a tourist or visitor: a guide to NHS and private care
The UK can be a fantastic vacation spot, so whether you’re here for the first time or you’re a seasoned visitor: welcome! First and foremost, because this guide discusses how to access medical care, if you have a life-threatening emergency, call 999 now and ask for an ambulance. If your issue is not serious or not life-threatening, this guide is for you.
One common problem we see facing travellers when they come to the UK is when they need medicine. The laws and regulations here are specifically designed to safeguard and prevent easy access to certain medicines, but when you’ve lost your own prescription or are feeling unwell, it’s a complicated system to navigate.
In this guide we’ll break down how you can access medicines in the UK as a non-resident.
Context
The first thing to understand is that the system is designed to restrict access to certain medicines. Local pharmacies, GPs and urgent care centres are not being deliberately difficult when they tell you they can’t honour the prescription from your country - they are prevented from doing so.
If you regularly take prescription medicines, typically those medicines are likely to be classed as Prescription Only in the UK as well. This is a legal category that means only a legally recognised prescription can be dispensed.
There is a mixture of regulations and legal parameters around dispensing prescriptions, which we have broadly summarised for you below:
If you have a non-UK prescription from a prescriber in your home country, and they are:
Registered as a prescriber/clinician in a country within the European Union or the European Economic Area, your prescription could be accepted provided it meets the legal requirements of a UK-based prescription. That means it usually is expected to meet this mixture of legal requirements and good-practice guidance:
contain your full details (name, date of birth, home address),
the prescriber full details (name, work address, contact number and email),
have the full details of the prescribed medicine(s) (name, strength, formulation, quantity and directions),
be signed and dated (within the last 6 months for most medicines, within the last 28 days for controlled drugs),
be the original (paper) hand-signed copy
the pharmacist dispensing the prescription must be confident they are safely able to understand the language it is written in
If your prescription is electronic: it cannot ordinarily be accepted as the UK no longer has access to the MyHealth@EU network as we no longer operate under the EU Directive 2011/24/EU.
Registered as a prescriber/clinician in a country outside the European Union or the European Economic Area, your prescription cannot be accepted as a legal prescription in the UK - meaning it can’t be dispensed.
If your regular prescriber can be verified independently (their registration is documented digitally online) then it’s possible any electronic or paper records you have from them may be accepted as proof of what you regularly take. This is important for obtaining the medicine in the UK.
My prescription doesn’t meet the requirements. Now what?
If you do not have a prescription, or your prescription does not meet UK legal requirements (see above), then you will need to obtain a prescription from a UK-based prescriber (or EU/EEA prescriber as above) in order to get your medicine dispensed in the UK. You will typically need to provide evidence or proof of any regularly prescribed medicines in order to obtain a UK-based prescription.
If you are ill and requiring treatment, remember that the NHS is free at the point of use for everyone. In a life-threatening emergency you should call 999 and ask for an ambulance.
If you have a non-urgent medical problem, you can still access NHS services. However, many people choose not to do this due to concerns about waiting times, accessing primary care (GP surgeries) and unknown later costs. You can find out more about estimated treatment costs for non-residents here.
You can read more about accessing NHS services as a non-resident here.
Your other option is to look at private providers. This is where we come in.
Private Healthcare
Private healthcare is one option you could explore. Typically to access private care, you will pay a fee for a set service out-of-pocket, and then provide evidence of your visit to insurance if you would like to claim back. Private healthcare can be a quicker option for non-life-threatening and non-serious issues.
At Pharmacy Clinic Edinburgh, we provide a consultation and prescription service, which includes the cost of a 20-minute consultation with a prescriber, and the provision of a private prescription. You can access this service online from anywhere in the UK, or in-person at our premises in Edinburgh.
We are specialised in helping tourists and visitors to the UK access their medicines. We often see queries including:
Lost prescription medicines
Cellulitis
Shingles
Urinary tract infections
Chest infections
Forgotten medicines
Infected insect bites
… and many more.
Please note that we are unable to assist with providing prescriptions for schedules 1, 2 and 3 controlled drugs. These can include amphetamines, barbiturates and cannabinoids.
For online services:
We see you at your booked time, and if you receive a prescription you receive it electronically, during the consultation. You can take the electronic prescription code to any UK-based pharmacy.
For in-person services:
We operate a convenient setup: as we are a GPhC registered pharmacy, if we see you in person we may also be able to dispense your medicine (subject to availability) at an additional dispensing charge. This means you make one visit, and leave with everything you need.
Most of our patients are seen immediately, and leave having completed a service with us within 30 minutes of arriving, allowing you to get back to your vacation.
I want to be seen today
We can see you same-day 6 days a week as a walk-in appointment, or online 7 days a week at our sister clinic Arcadia Health Care, which operates a premium service.
If you want to claim back on your insurance, we are able to provide documentation to assist you for an additional administrative cost. We suggest contacting your insurance first to find out if you are covered for this type of treatment, and to ask for any specific details they require on documentation in order to reimburse.
Sources (As accessed on 11/07/2026)
The Human Medicines Regulations 2012 Part 12 Chapter 2: Prescription Only Medicines
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/1916/part/12/chapter/2/crossheading/prescription-only-medicines
The Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 (SI 2001/3998) Regulation 16: Provisions as to supply on prescription
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2001/3998/regulation/16
British National Formulary (BNF): Prescription Writing Guidance
https://bnf.nice.org.uk/medicines-guidance/prescription-writing/
The National Health Service (Cross-Border Healthcare and Miscellaneous Amendments etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2019/777/contents
National Health Service Scotland Advice for Accessing Care: Healthcare for Overseas Visitors - Tourists and Holidaymakers
https://www.nhsinform.scot/care-support-and-rights/health-rights/access/healthcare-for-overseas-visitors#tourists-and-holidaymakers
Official UK Government Guidance for Pharmacists on Prescriptions from the EEA and Switzerland
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prescriptions-issued-in-the-eea-and-switzerland-guidance-for-pharmacists
British Medical Association: Access to Healthcare for Overseas Visitors
https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/ethics/refugees-overseas-visitors-and-vulnerable-migrants/access-to-healthcare-for-overseas-visitors
This article was written by
Sally Proudman
Pharmacy Manager
