Prescriptions written in another country: how are these recognized in France?

A prescription for medication or medical devices written in another European Union or European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway) member State must be recognized in France. The medications prescribed can be dispensed to you provided that they have market authorization and are available in France.

The prescription must contain the following minimum information:

• The patient's identity: Last name(s), First name(s), Date of birth
• Prescription authentication: date of issue
• The prescribing health professional's identity: Last name(s), First name(s), Professional qualifications, Direct contact information (email address and telephone or fax number preceded by the international country code), Professional address (including the name of the member State), and Signature (this can be hand-written or digital depending on the prescription's format)
• Medications: Common denomination of the product, i.e. molecule name. The medication must also be identified by its pharmaceutical form, quantity, dosage and usage instructions. If the prescription is for a biological medicinal product, it must also include the brand name of the prescribed drug in addition to the common denomination. If the doctor does not want the medication to be substituted with a generic, the brand may be written on the prescription along with the annotation "no substitutions" and the reason for this request.
• Medical devices: name and quantity of devices prescribed.

If you plan to travel to another European Union or European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway) country, make sure to ask your doctor for a prescription that is in line with these new requirements.

The healthcare professional writing the prescription must be authorized to prescribe in his/her home country. You may get in touch with your National Contact Point for more information on the requirements applicable in your home country.

However, a prescription for medical care or medications may be refused if the persons authorized to dispense medical devices or medications in France believe that this is in the patient's best interest, or if they have legitimate, justified doubts as to the authenticity or intelligibility of the prescription, or as to the capacity of the healthcare professional who wrote the prescription.