# Travelling abroad with medical cannabis

Source: https://medcannaindex.com/guides/travelling-abroad-with-medical-cannabis

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.

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

The short version

- Your prescription is valid in the UK. Each other country sets its own rules, and some do not allow cannabis medicines at all.

- Check with the embassy of the country you are going to before you book.

- Carry the medicine in your hand luggage, with proof that it was prescribed for you.

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.
- GOV.UK: Take medicine in or out of the UK
- Home Office: Travelling with medicine containing controlled drugs
- Home Office: List of most commonly encountered drugs currently controlled

From MedCannaIndex. Fees and product details are as recorded there and should be confirmed with the clinic or pharmacy. This is not medical advice: which product is suitable, and how much, is for the prescribing specialist.