I am going abroad

Travelling abroad with medical cannabis

A UK prescription does not make your medicine legal in another country. What to check, what to carry and who to ask.

The short answer

A UK prescription does not make your medicine legal in another country. Before you book, ask the embassy of every country you will enter or change planes in whether you may bring it, and do not take it if the answer is no or unclear. Carry it in your hand luggage with your prescription or a letter from your prescriber, and no more than three months' supply.

Do it here

Write the email to the embassy

Fill in what you can. The email below is written as you type; you send it yourself. Nothing you type is sent to or kept by this site.

Subject: Travelling to [country] with a prescribed medicine containing a controlled drug

Dear Sir or Madam,

I live in the United Kingdom and plan to travel to [country] [your travel dates].

I am prescribed a medicine in the UK that contains a controlled drug. It is a cannabis-based medicine prescribed by a specialist doctor: [the name of your medicine, as on the label].

Please could you tell me in writing:

1. whether I may bring this medicine into [country];
2. how much I may bring;
3. whether I need a permit or certificate from you first, and how to apply for it.

I would carry it in my hand luggage, in the container the pharmacy dispensed it in, with a letter from my prescriber and a copy of my prescription.

Thank you for your help.

[your name]
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Keep the reply and take a copy with you. If the answer is no, or you cannot get a clear answer, do not take the medicine, and talk to your prescriber well before you travel.

Ask your clinic for a travel letter

It uses the country, dates and name you entered above. Some clinics charge a fee, shown as Travel Letter Fee in the clinic's price list.

Subject: Request for a letter to travel with my medicine

Hello,

I am travelling to [country] [your travel dates] and need a letter to carry with my medicine. Please could you write one for me.

The Home Office recommends that the letter includes:

- my name;
- the medicine I have been prescribed, with doses, strength and how often I take it;
- the signature of the person who prescribed it, and their professional registration details.

It should be clear from my travel dates and the amounts listed that I am carrying no more than three months' supply.

Please let me know if there is a fee and how long it will take.

Thank you,
[your name]
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Before you book: check the country

Medical cannabis products are controlled drugs. The government's guidance for controlled drugs is: "check the rules for the country you're going to with the embassy before you travel."

  • Ask the embassy or consulate in writing whether you may bring your medicine in, how much, and whether you need a permit or certificate from them first.
  • Keep the reply and take a copy with you.
  • If you change planes on the way, ask about that country as well. A stopover can put you under its rules.
  • If the answer is no, or you cannot get a clear answer, do not take the medicine. Talk to your prescriber well before you travel about what to do while you are away.

Leaving and re-entering the UK

The government's guidance says: "You must carry medicine containing a controlled drug with you in your hand luggage when entering or leaving the UK. It may be taken away from you at the border if you cannot prove it was prescribed for you." When you take medicine out of the UK, "you'll need to prove it's yours with either a prescription or letter from your doctor."

The letter to carry

The Home Office recommends a letter from your prescriber, and says you may need to show it at the border. It should include:

  • your name;
  • a list of the medicine you have been prescribed, with doses, strength and how often you take it;
  • the signature of the person who prescribed it, and their professional registration details.

It should be clear from your travel dates and the amounts listed that you are carrying no more than three months' supply. Many clinics will write this letter; some charge a fee, which is shown as "Travel Letter Fee" in a clinic's price list on its page here.

How much you can take

The Home Office notes that "many controlled drugs are not normally prescribed in quantities of greater than 1 month's supply." Plan your trip around what your prescriber can prescribe, and do not arrange for medicine to be posted to you abroad.

Keep it as dispensed

Carry the medicine in the container the pharmacy gave you, with its dispensing label, alongside your letter and a copy of the prescription. That is what shows a border officer that the product, the patient and the paperwork match.

If you are prescribed something abroad

If you live in the UK and are prescribed a controlled drug while abroad, the rules for visitors do not cover you. Contact the Home Office Drug and Firearms Licensing Unit before you bring it back.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. The Home Office says of its own guidance that it "should not be used in place of the law".

Sources

Checked on 5 October 2026. Laws and official guidance change, so read the source before you rely on anything here.

This guide has not yet been reviewed by a qualified professional. It summarises the official sources listed above. Read those, or take advice, before you rely on it.