Leaving from Finland for a trip abroad
You can normally take the prescription and over-the-counter medicines you need with you when you travel.
Proceed as follows
- Take your prescriptions, a patient instruction sheet printed out by your doctor or a summary of your prescriptions with you.
- You should carry the medicines in their original packaging in your hand luggage. If you are using a pill dispenser, take the medicine packaging, patient information leaflet and any possible blister pack with you.
You are only allowed to carry medicines prescribed to you personally.
Most countries have restrictions on imports of medicines. Finnish Customs does not have any information on the provisions of other countries. You should contact for example the authorities of the country of destination to find out about these provisions beforehand.
If you are carrying narcotic medicines or medicines that impact the central nervous system, you should find out with your country of destination whether you are allowed to bring them with you.
You may also need a Schengen certificate for your medicines. You will need a certificate when
- you are travelling to a Schengen country, and
- you are carrying certain medicines that mainly affect the central nervous system (called PKV medicines in Finland), or medicines that contain narcotics or psychotropic substances.
Certificates are available from pharmacies. If you are not sure if you need a certificate for your medicine, consult a pharmacy to be sure.
The Schengen countries are Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Read more about Schengen certificates (Fimea).
Arriving in Finland from abroad
The applicable regulations on importing medicines depend on whether you are arriving in Finland from an EEA country or from outside the EEA. The EEA countries include the EU Member States as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Check for EEA countries.
If you are arriving in Finland from an EU country or an EEA country, you can import medicines for personal use in a corresponding to no more than one year’s use.
If you are arriving in Finland from outside the EU and the EEA, you may bring in medicines for personal use in a quantity corresponding to no more than three months’ use.
If you are bringing prescription medicines to Finland, you must have a prescription for them.
From outside the EEA, you cannot bring any homeopathic products that are not registered in Finland. Read more about herbal medicinal products and homeopathic preparations on Fimea’s website.
Medicines classified as narcotics are an exception, and are subject to stricter restrictions. See the Fimea website for instructions on narcotics.
Different rules for different countries
Note that every country determines which preparations it considers medicinal substances. Even if a medicine is freely available in your travel destination, in Finland it may require a prescription or may be classified as a narcotic substance.
Always make sure beforehand if you are allowed to bring a particular medicine to Finland, and if you need a prescription for it. You can check the Fimea medicine search or by contacting Fimea with a form.
Proceed as follows
- Take your prescriptions, a patient instruction sheet printed out by your doctor or a summary of your prescriptions with you.
- You should carry the medicines in their original packaging in your hand luggage. If you are using a pill dispenser, take at least the medicine packaging with you.
You are only allowed to carry medicines prescribed to you personally.
When you return to Finland, check that the medicinal product prescribed to you is classified as a medicine in Finland, and not for example as a narcotic. Also request a patient instruction sheet and the prescription in English from the doctor.
To verify the nature of your medicine, check the Fimea medicine search or contact Fimea with a form.
Read more about importing medicines
- Bringing medicines to Finland (Fimea)
- Value limits – you can bring goods from outside the EU for a value of 300 or 430 euros free of tax
Each country determines for itself what substances are subject to a prescription. Therefore, a product available abroad without a prescription may however be a prescription product in Finland.
In Finland, Fimea is the authority responsible for determining whether a substance or a preparation is a medicine and whether it requires a prescription. The following is taken into consideration in the classification: the composition and purpose of use of the substance, the details provided in the marketing of the substance as well as scientific data.
In Finland, prescriptions are accepted in Finnish or Swedish. If you have a prescription written in another language you are required, when necessary, to inform Customs about its contents.
If you are travelling abroad, it is a good idea to request your prescription in English while still in Finland. You should also request your prescription in English if you are taken ill while travelling abroad and get a prescription to treat your illness.
If you are going on a trip to another EU or EEA country or to Switzerland and you know that you will buy medicines there, the prescribing professional can issue an electronic prescription called a “Medical prescription for purchasing medication abroad”. You should also request such a prescription from the doctor if you are taken ill in one of these countries and need a prescription to treat your illness there. The prescription is in English. Contact your doctor for more detailed information.
You are not allowed to carry medicines that belong to another person. Travellers must carry their own medicines in their own luggage. Medicinal products dispensed on prescription are always personal, and must be in the possession of the person to whom they have been prescribed.
If you are carrying medicines in a dispenser or in dose bags, you should have with you the original sales package, the patient information leaflet and any possible blister pack. When you have these items with you, controls will be faster and the products will be easier to identify.
Frequently asked questions
You may bring veterinary medicines to Finland if you have the pet with you. Remember to also have your prescriptions with you if the medicine requires a prescription in Finland.
Veterinary medicines may not be brought to Finland without the pet. Veterinary medicines may not be ordered by mail.
You can only bring in medicines for animals in a quantity corresponding to one month’s use. If the product can be bought in a store, make sure that the product does not contain biocides.
The Fimea website contains detailed instructions on medicines for animals.
A product can be sold as a food supplement in some countries and as a medicine in others. In Finland, the Finnish Medicines Agency, Fimea, decides whether a substance or a preparation is classified as a medicine. A product that may be advertised as a food supplement in another country or on the Internet may be a medicine in Finland.
If the active ingredient of the product is mentioned in one of the sources below, the product is most likely a medicine. Further information on classifications is provided by Fimea. You can also contact Fimea with a form.
- Fimea decision on the catalogue of medicines (Finlex)
- List of International Non-proprietary Names for Pharmaceutical Substances (INN) as recommended by the World Health Organization
- Classification system for medicines maintained by the WHO (ATC Index)
- Medicine search (FimeaWeb) (Fimea)
- Decisions on classification by Fimea (Fimea)
- Psychoactive substances banned from the consumer market (Finlex)
Other restrictions
- Substances regarded as doping products, VnA 705/2002 (Finlex)
- Substances regarded as narcotics, VnA 543/2008 (Finlex)
Read more
The concise instructions on this page are meant to answer only the most frequently asked questions. Always check the Fimea website for detailed instructions.
- Bringing medicines to Finland (Fimea)
- Herbal remedies and medicinal products (Fimea)
- Fimea medicine search
- Fimea contact form