Ordering medicines online

Always ensure the following:

  • Make sure you know which country you are ordering medicines from. Restrictions within the EU and the EEA are different from those of non-EU and non-EEA territories. Even if an online shop has a website in Finnish or Swedish, it can in actual fact be located for example in Asia.
  • Make sure that the online pharmacy from which you order is legal. See the website of the Finnish Medicines Agency on how to recognise legal online pharmacies. Ordering products from illicit online pharmacies is prohibited, as products ordered from them can be hazardous to health.

Ordering medicines from outside the EU and EEA

Ordering medicines from outside the EU and the EEA is prohibited.This means that you are not allowed to order medicines from for example the United Kingdom, the United States, China or other Asian countries. The prohibition concerns both non-prescription medicines and prescription medicines such as antibiotics, erectile dysfunction drugs and scabies medication (ivermectin).

Moreover, the prohibition concerns medicines meant for animals, such as anti-parasitic medicines.

The EEA countries include the EU Member States as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

Ordering medicines from the EU and EEA

You can order medicines from EU and EEA countries. However, there are restrictions to ordering products.

You can only order a prescription medicine when you have a prescription for it. This means you cannot order for example antibiotics, erectile dysfunction drugs or scabies medication (ivermectin) without a prescription even from the territory of the EU. Your prescription must be valid when the medicine arrives in Finland.

A passenger can import medicines in a quantity corresponding to three months’ use.

More information on restrictions on ordering medicines is available on the Fimea website.

The EEA countries include the EU Member States as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

Medicine or not?

There are differences between various countries as to what products comprise medicines, natural health products and food supplements. For example, a product advertised as a food supplement or as skin cream in a foreign web store can be classified as a medicine in Finland.

If you are not certain if a product is a medicine, you can check the Fimea list of medicines or contact Fimea with a form.

Read more about food supplements.

Frequently asked questions

Sending medicines to Finland from abroad

Private persons are not allowed to send medicines from abroad to Finland.

This means you cannot receive medicines or medicinal products from abroad from another private person. The nationality of the sender or the recipient is of no significance.

If you send medicines abroad from Finland

There are no export restrictions on medicinal products sent by mail. However, every country has its own legislation determining what can be brought in or sent to the country.

It is your responsibility to find out the restrictions that apply in the country of destination. Finnish Customs does not have any information on the provisions of other countries.

You can get more information about the restrictions for example from the embassy or authorities of the country of destination.

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.

Other things to note