The Czech Chamber of Pharmacists annually warns travelers about the risks associated with transporting medicines abroad. However, unnecessary complications can be prevented with simple preparation. A properly equipped first aid kit is key to ensuring a safe vacation.

A travel first aid kit should include:

• medicines for common ailments (e.g. headache, fever, diarrhea, cold or nausea),
• products for treating minor injuries (disinfection, plasters and bandages),
• regularly used medications (in sufficient quantities, plus some reserve).

There are a few useful pieces of information to keep in mind:

• Relevant documentation, including a medical certificate (in English), is essential - without them, there is a risk not only of confiscation of the medication, but in extreme cases also of legal complications (this applies primarily to addictive substances, psychotropic drugs and strong analgesics) due to different legislation in individual countries;
• risk of thermal degradation of active ingredients – when stored outside the specified temperature range, effectiveness may be reduced, possibly completely ineffective, or undesirable decomposition products may form, which may not be apparent at first glance;
• necessary medications should be carried in hand luggage to avoid problems in the event of sudden loss of checked baggage;
• the original packaging with the package leaflet will facilitate the identification of the medicine in the event of a check-up or medical treatment;
• Before traveling, it is advisable to check the rules in the destination country and/or consult the contents of the first aid kit with your doctor or pharmacist.

If there is an unexpected depletion of stocks of prescription drugs or their loss, the cross-border validity of the Czech ePrescription can be used in selected EU countries (e.g. Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Cyprus, Greece, Spain, etc.).

A patient with a valid ePrescription can pick up all registered and unregistered mass-produced medicinal products (HVLP) at a foreign pharmacy. Individually prepared medicinal products (IPLP), highly addictive medicinal products (labeled "highly addictive substance") and multi-ingredient medicinal products are exempt from cross-border exchange.

The issuance of a Czech ePrescription abroad is conditional on the presentation of an identity document (ID card or passport) and the ePrescription identifier. Billing continues to operate in the usual way as in the case of classic paper prescriptions. The patient pays the full price of the medicinal product at the pharmacy and then settles the subsequent reimbursement of costs directly with the specific health insurance company.

Freely available according to the web portal of the Czech Chamber of Pharmacists and ePrescription, 27. 7. 2026.