Traveling with asthma medication

Hi everyone,

I’m starting a new discussion on this topic since there doesn’t seem to be a recent one.

I have several chronic conditions (including asthma and related ones), and I’m planning to travel for a year across different countries.

Generally, I understand it’s possible to travel with approved medications (which should be my case), but often with a limit of 3 months’ worth of treatment.

Since I’m going for 12 months, that means for three-quarters of my trip, I’d have more than 3 months’ worth of medication.

I plan to bring my prescriptions with the INN (International Nonproprietary Name), as well as the original packaging (even though it’s a nightmare, but from what I understand, it’s necessary). But I’m not sure if that’s enough...

Have any of you been in this situation before? How does it work at customs—do I need to declare everything that exceeds the 3-month limit? Do I need a letter from my doctors?

Thanks in advance for your replies,

See you soon, Bruno

Hi Bruno,

Which countries are you talking about? What’s the volume for a year’s worth of your meds? As long as they’re not sensitive products, psychotropics, or opioids, nobody cares, and no one will ask you anything—even keeping the original boxes is a bit overkill. That said, depending on the quantity, it might look like you’re carrying stock for resale if you have a large amount. Always keep them in your carry-on.

Michel

Hi there,

You might need to check on a case-by-case basis, depending on the country. I know South Korea is really strict about this, for example, because the authorities classify some medications as drugs. That’s the case with ADHD treatment in Korea—you need to go through a whole procedure to get permission to bring it in. So, you’ll probably need to do some research country by country to figure out the rules based on the medication and destination.

Hello,

Yes, you're right—it really depends on the country.

First, it’s important to know which countries you’re targeting and, if possible, which medication is involved. Otherwise, it’s hard to give precise advice. What would worry me, though, is having enough for a whole year—or even "leaving for a year"—in terms of insurance. Depending on your route, a quick trip back to France every 90 days could already solve a lot of complications 🙂. Transporting large quantities of medication, no matter what it is, is bound to draw attention. Not to mention storage issues—heat, for example...

https://ansm.sante.fr/vos-demarches/patient/voyager-avec-mes-medicaments

Michel

Hi Michel,

Thanks for your reply. We’re planning a round-the-world trip, so we’ll be going through Asia/Southeast Asia, Oceania, and South America.

For a year, if I keep the boxes, knowing there’s about 1 per month, it could actually take up a bit of space... I’m trying to look country by country, and even though it’s tricky to have a full list, my asthma treatment (montelukast, salbutamol, fluticasone propionate...) and ENT meds don’t contain any substances considered sensitive, like opioids or anything similar.

Bruno

Hi there,

We’re actually planning to go through Korea, and it does seem pretty complicated. I’m trying to gather info case by case, but it’s tough juggling websites that aren’t always in English.

Anyway, my medication doesn’t include anything that would likely be considered a narcotic. But as Michel pointed out, maybe the quantity could be an issue.

A country like Singapore, known for being really strict, also makes me a bit nervous.

Bruno

For insurance, in principle we should be covered since we’ll be passing through France after our Europe trip before heading to Asia.

The idea of bringing a year’s supply of my medication, as I mentioned in a previous post, is that we’re embarking on a world trip and would like to avoid traveling 10,000 km round-trip every 90 days just to come back to France.

As for drawing attention, I agree—it worries me too 😕 But for storage, there shouldn’t be any issues.