Buying medicine online

Buying medicine online

The types of non-prescription medicine that you can purchase online depend on the EU country to which you want the medicine shipped. Different countries allow different types of medicine to be sold over the internet.

Before you attempt to make a purchase, check the national registers of online medicine retailers to make sure that the retailer you are buying from is authorised in its home country to sell medicine online.

List of national registers of online medicine retailers

EU logo

Pharmacies or retailers registered with their national authority to sell medicine online should display on their website the common EU logo for the online sale of medicines. The logo consists of the flag of the EU country where the pharmacy or retailer is registered and the words 'Click to verify if this website is operating legally'.

Only the flags of the EU countries plus Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein can be used. A logo displaying the EU flag, for example, would be fraudulent.

When you click the logo, you will be redirected to the website of the corresponding national authority. There you will find a list of all legally operating online retailers in that EU country. If you are not redirected to the register of retailers or if your online pharmacy does not appear in the list, do not continue with the purchase.

Buying prescription medicine online

There are no EU rules on buying prescription medicine online. Some EU countries allow it, but some do not. Each country's national register of online medicine retailers should tell you whether or not online sales of prescription medicine are allowed.