Useful if you live near the border, see a GP on one side and a pharmacy on the other, or are prescribed something while working across the border. Emailed prescriptions do not cross: you need a paper copy.
Quick facts
- Irish prescription in the UK
- Valid, with the right details
- UK prescription in Ireland
- Valid, with the right details
- UK online doctor, patient in Ireland
- Not valid in Ireland
- Emailed (Healthmail)
- Irish pharmacies only
- Controlled drugs
- Should not be prescribed abroad for dispensing in Ireland
Which prescriptions are valid
"If you have a medical prescription from a health professional (doctor, dentist or nurse) registered in Ireland it is valid in the United Kingdom (UK) and EU/EEA if it contains certain information (see below) ."
"If you have a medical prescription from a health professional registered in the UK it will be valid in Ireland, if it contains certain information."
The trap: "Medical prescriptions issued by a UK-registered doctor, using an online service, to someone living in Ireland is not valid in Ireland."
Get it on paper
Irish doctors can email prescriptions to a pharmacy through Healthmail. "This system does not work if you are collecting your medication from a pharmacy outside Ireland."
"Ask your doctor for a paper copy of your prescription", and check it has everything below.
What must be on it
- Your first name and surname in full, not initials, and your date of birth
- The prescriber's full name, professional qualification, work address including the country, and contact details with the international prefix
- Their signature, and the date
- The medicine's common name rather than the brand, its form (such as tablets), quantity, strength and dosage
Irish prescriptions do not normally need all of this, so ask for it if you will use it across the border.
Local rules still apply
"Your prescription is subject to the rules of the country where you are getting the medicine." Some pharmacies only accept a prescription for a set time after it is written, and some medicines are not sold in every country.
"Certain products should not be prescribed by health professionals in another EEA state for dispensing in Ireland. This includes controlled drugs such as strong, opioid-based painkillers and certain sedatives."
Common questions
Can I use a Northern Ireland prescription in the Republic?
Yes. A prescription from a UK-registered health professional is valid in Ireland if it contains the required information.
Can I use an Irish prescription in Northern Ireland?
Yes. A prescription from a doctor, dentist or nurse registered in Ireland is valid in the UK if it contains the required information.
Is a UK online doctor prescription valid in Ireland?
Not if you live in Ireland. Citizens Information says prescriptions issued by a UK-registered doctor through an online service to someone living in Ireland are not valid in Ireland.
Can my GP email my prescription to a pharmacy in the North?
No. Healthmail does not work for pharmacies outside Ireland. Ask for a paper copy.
What needs to be on a cross-border prescription?
Your full name and date of birth, the prescriber's full name, qualification, work address and contact details, their signature and the date, and the medicine's common name, form, quantity, strength and dosage.
Can I get strong painkillers prescribed abroad and filled in Ireland?
Controlled drugs, such as strong opioid painkillers and certain sedatives, should not be prescribed in another EEA state for dispensing in Ireland.