Travelling In Europe: How To Request A Cross-border Prescription?

From now on, when you travel within the European Union, you can easily obtain your treatment thanks to the cross-border prescription. We suggest you find out what this prescription is and which doctor to ask for it.

What is it for?

As its name suggests, the cross-border order has the particularity of being valid within all countries of the European Union and even within the European Economic Area, i.e. Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

This prescription will be very useful if you are used to traveling within this zone and if you are undergoing long-term treatment. Indeed, when traveling in Europe, you will no longer have to worry about running out of medication.

You will only need to present this cross-border prescription at any pharmacy in the countries concerned to benefit from the renewal of your usual treatments.

What information should be included?

For a cross-border order to be valid within the European Union, it must meet certain formal criteria defined by the Decree of December 23, 2013.

In practice, a cross-border prescription must contain a certain amount of information about the patient, the prescribing physician and the drugs prescribed.

This document must include:
- the patient's last name, first name, gender and date of birth, plus his or her height and weight if this information is necessary for the proper administration of the treatment.

- the surname, first name, title and professional address of the prescribing physician. The address must include France and the doctor's telephone number must be preceded by the area code 33. The prescription must also specify the date of prescription and the doctor's e-mail address. It must of course include the doctor's handwritten or digital signature.

- regarding the prescribed drugs, they must be designated on the prescription under their international non-proprietary name or INN (i.e. the name of the molecule) to avoid any error when delivering the treatment in another country.
In addition, the prescription must specify the pharmaceutical form and dosage of the drugs.
If the physician does not want there to be substitution with a generic, he or she must add non-substitutable and possibly specify the brand name of the drug.

How to obtain this prescription?

As with any other medical prescription, you simply need to request a cross-border prescription from your treating physician. Your doctor will simply have to make sure to indicate on this document all the mandatory mentions listed above.

To further facilitate any medical care during your European vacation, don't forget to also get a European Health Insurance Card!

This other card will allow you to access health professionals and hospital services in the country you are visiting, under the same conditions and at the same rates as the country's insured.

You must apply for a European Health Insurance Card at least two weeks before your departure via your ameli account, under the heading 'Mes démarches'. It will be issued to you free of charge by the Caisse primaire d'Assurance maladie.