International travel

Over the past five years, since retiring, we have enjoyed multiple trips to Europe, SE Asia, South and Central America, Australia, and Africa. We could not even count how often we have gone through airport security or customs.

We take the pills and bung them all in own plastic bottle. DW takes t 3 different pills. The are all together.

We only travel with carry on, ie we very seldom check anything. We have never been questioned about medications, never even had someone open the jar (we use a plastic bottle with a vitamin D label on it. Never been asked if we had drugs of any sort. Not once. And of course multiple entries to Canada and to the US.

I hope that it is clear that this "advice" is referring to the specifics of the OP - visiting the UK and the EU. There are many jurisdictions that have ZERO TOLERANCE for customs violations, especially with drugs. Even with the UK and EU, give this a thought: There are laws on the books regarding customs for incoming travellers. This advice is to say "don't worry, they really don't enforce that". If you choose to follow that advice, also know that you may very well fall afoul of the laws of Ireland or the UK. So, to quote my old friend Harry Callahan, "Do you feel lucky?"

 

Believing that any government official is going to be reasonable is a naive assumption in my book. And catching people is what their job entails. If it's been a slow day on the smuggler front, who knows how they will process "tourists"?

Right. It's just not worth the "risk".

Risk of what? Minimally, a delay while the various border folks figure out what you've got and if it's okay. Absolutely, chances are you won't be stopped, but in this day and age... everyone is more on the alert, plus the dogs... the friendly little one that sits down next to you...? :eek:

Or one could be taken into custody, even if only for questioning, depending upon just which country and what the suspected infraction is.

Or just sent right back home.

It is SO easy to figure out what is needed - if anything - for each country, and get any permissions well in advance.

THIS is where they are especially not eager to make it difficult for tourists who are trying to do things right.

The "rules" can be surprising. For example, in Japan, we found out that one person could bring only 2 EpiPens without extra permission. Sometimes, especially with domestic travel, we don't pay attention to which of our names is on the container. So we just made sure we had 2 for each of us.

I had just sent a list of all of our meds, and they told us which were "okay", which were "okay, but what the limits were", and which needed prior permission. That "prior permission" came back almost like return email, except for the night/day time difference. So easy.

Our doctor prints out a letter/list (on her letterhead) of our prescriptions and doasage and signs it. I have no idea if this works everywhere but it was sufficient for New Z and Australia.

This is what we do, and we just keep the same notes for a year, whenever we travel anywhere. It takes up no space, in a manila envelope in a carry on.

And as mentioned above, we just ask the pharmacist for the "smallest bottle that will hold x days' worth [usually one month] of each med" (unless we already have the smallest for some), and please put a label on that. Then we just keep the little ones for travel.

We always travel with at least an extra week's worth of anything absolutely necessary, in case of some sort of delay.

We were quite surprised to find out that Sudafed is absolutely prohibited in Japan. Well, almost. There was one way to bring it in if it is in small enough "active ingredient" per dose, and those little red pills do NOT comply.

(For those for whom it works, there is an allowed version with a different active ingredient, but it doesn't work as well for some people. So it depends upon whether one really *needs* it, or if it's just for "convenience" in case of a cold.)

We just want to minimize any stress (anticipatory or otherwise) whenever possible.

When entering Japan, we just went to a little side "window" (sort of like a ticket window), showed the advance permission for the one med that did require that, and went on our way.

GC

As someone on another post pointed out how do customs know that the pills in the prescription bottle match the label on the bottle. You could put any pills in any bottle. The practice of matching a drug in whatever form to the packaging is a pointless exercise.

As someone on another post pointed out how do customs know that the pills in the prescription bottle match the label on the bottle. You could put any pills in any bottle. The practice of matching a drug in whatever form to the packaging is a pointless exercise.

I can't speak to all prescriptions, but my labels all indicate the manufacturer, color, shape and any alpha-numeric markings on the pill. In addition, there's the PDR (Physicians' Desk Reference) that is a compendium of all pharmaceuticals with similar information. So a customs agent has the tools to tell if the pills match the prescription. Whether he chooses to use them is a separate question.

We are leaving for Dubai in a couple of weeks and i have been doing some research on being a tourist there in general. Just google some of the articles about people that have gotten in trouble over their medications and how minor their infractions will seem to some of the people posting on this Thread. Most tourists will have no problems but you just might be the person randomly checked -- not even a few accidental poppy seeds from the bagel you ate at the airport are technically permitted!

We are leaving for Dubai in a couple of weeks and i have been doing some research on being a tourist there in general. Just google some of the articles about people that have gotten in trouble over their medications and how minor their infractions will seem to some of the people posting on this Thread.

It's already been acknowledged that medications can be an issue in the Middle East and parts of Asia. The OP is going to the UK, though. Nothing is an absolute, but realistically, the odds of being detained over having a week's worth of cholesterol medication and blood pressure medicine (or other routine Rx and OTC meds the OP is likely to be carrying) in an umarked ziploc bag is practically nil. Customs in general is pretty much a non-event when arriving in most of western Europe. You go through the door waymarked "nothing to declare" and there isn't even a person there to watch you walk through, let alone check your bags and what's in them.

There are 195 countries in the world today. Each one has their own laws. So the advice is simple, bring all your original bottles. It is not a TSA rule, or a USA law. It is however a recommendation for any USA citizen who is traveling to another country to be prepared.

You can argue this all you want, but at the end of the day, when you get off that plane, and face a government officer with a pile of pills, you want to be prepared.

So with that being said, and with the advice of travel professionals, I will continue to carry my wife's medical bottles, with the labels on it for all International travel. It does not take up "space" because it is always in the carry on bag and so it does not contribute to the weight restrictions either.

Than everyone else can argue it out, but I will remain confident if I am that 1% that gets checked, I will be prepared!

......... Customs in general is pretty much a non-event when arriving in most of western Europe. You go through the door waymarked "nothing to declare" and there isn't even a person there to watch you walk through, let alone check your bags and what's in them.

Watched undercover agents at FCO stop about 4 people who walked out of the ‘nothing to declare’ door. 3 of those were whisked away to parts unknown. No idea what triggered the action.

Okay so I had replied earlier in the thread but I thought I would update with our recent experience in Manila. My husband and 8 year old daughter were both flagged for extra screening.

If you have not flown through the Manila airport recently they have 3 places you go the some layer of security in order to get on a flight to the US. Anywhere else you just have 2 I believe. The first screening is to even get inside the airport. During this one they are just looking for weapons (and probably obvious explosives). The second one is like what your typically see at a TSA check point in the US only they aren't as strict with liquids. The third one I believe is just for flights to the US as we did not go through a third check point on our trip to Thailand but did on the way home. With the third one all electronic devices are swabbed and you aren't allowed any liquids larger than 100ML I think it was. This one is right before the flight boarding area so you can't buy a bottle of water at a shop at the airport inside security and bring it on the flight, you can only have what the airline gives/sells to you.

My husband was pulled aside at the second checkpoint, the one similar to a TSA check. As far as we know he was not carrying anything he wasn't supposed to. We are fairly frequent travelers though and he gets picked for extra screening about once a year. I don't think I have even been chosen so he is just lucky I guess. Anyway, his carry on bag was completed emptied, including the medications he had brought with him. They did pull his medications aside and "inspect" them, though it was right in front of us. They did not test them or check them against a photograph or anything but the name on the bottle was check against his passport and the bottles were opened and they looked inside. He takes meds for a heart condition but does not take any type of controlled substances. He did have copies of the rx's but they did not ask for them. He also had a thorough pat down.

My 8 year old was pulled in the third check point. This one is completely on us/me. I did not realize she had stashed an unfinished bottle of water in her backpack at the airport. Because she tried to take it through they then searched her and her stuff behind a curtain. I went with her as I wasn't going to let them take my child without me and submitted to a voluntary extra check so that I could be with her.

All in all it wasn't a horrible expereince or anything. The security officers were polite and professional. But I am glad that my husband did have his medications with the bottles so that we avoided any other hassles that could have arisen. And FWIW, it is very easy to look up a picture of what a particular pill should look like on the internet. I've done it before when I needed to get my grandmother's medications staright when she had gotten things mixed up. If they had reason to truely be suspious I would think they would do a lab test but my best guess is if they feel everything is in order and there are no red flags they just do a basic check. Personally I would rather be overcatious then end up in jail in a forgien country.

Watched undercover agents at FCO stop about 4 people who walked out of the ‘nothing to declare’ door. 3 of those were whisked away to parts unknown. No idea what triggered the action.

Did anyone ever say no one ever gets detained for any reason? No. As you said, you have no idea what triggered the action or what happend. But I highly doubt it was because "they might be carrying some medication without the Rx label" Absolutely if it makes you feel safer, carry everything in the original bottle. I'll continue to not worry about it when traveling in the US or western Europe; that's within my comfort level and others are welcome to disagree.

Note: If I had a ton of Rx meds that I took regularly, I'd be inclined to save space by having the pharmacist print extra labels to put on small ziploc bags that would take up a lot less space in my carry on that full-sized bottles.

Watched undercover agents at FCO stop about 4 people who walked out of the ‘nothing to declare’ door. 3 of those were whisked away to parts unknown. No idea what triggered the action.

Did anyone ever say no one ever gets detained for any reason? No. As you said, you have no idea what triggered the action or what happend. But I highly doubt it was because "they might be carrying some medication without the Rx label" Absolutely if it makes you feel safer, carry everything in the original bottle. I'll continue to not worry about it when traveling in the US or western Europe; that's within my comfort level and others are welcome to disagree.

 

Note: If I had a ton of Rx meds that I took regularly, I'd be inclined to save space by having the pharmacist print extra labels to put on small ziploc bags that would take up a lot less space in my carry on that full-sized bottles.

We figure we aren't going to be targeted at any international crossing (or even at domestic TSA, although that's not typically a med-related concern). However, there *are* random checks, and presumably we could get selected that way. It's easy enough to "be prepared" just in case.

We've always asked the pharmacist to give us "the smallest bottle that will hold x days worth of each med" (where "x" = at least a few days more than a planned trip, in case of delay returning, perhaps more for any med that is absolutely critical). So those jumbo bottles of 90 day supplies stay home.

But using small zip-lock type med packets with full pharmacy labeling... that's a great idea! Then, the air gets pressed out, and there's less wasted space. Plus, they're flexible in ways those plastic bottles certainly aren't.

Thanks for the idea! We'll ask our Pharmacist about this. I can't think of a reason why this shouldn't be just as acceptable as the bottles.

Great idea! :)

GC

Did anyone ever say no one ever gets detained for any reason? No. As you said, you have no idea what triggered the action or what happend.....

Prescription meds don’t have to be a triggering factor as to why they were searched but it could potentially have been a problem if they were found during a search for other things.

When DD was going to school in Rome she needed some schedule 1 meds that she couldn’t get there. She took them in a prescription bottle, but many more pills than what was indicated on the label.

First off....TSA has absolutely NOTHING to do with prescription medications (unless liquids).

 

 

 

What you are talking about are the CUSTOMS restrictions imposed by the countries you are entering. These vary across the globe, so there are no blanket answers. Some countries require original bottles and prescription labels, some are OK with loose in baggies or sorters. It completely depends on the country you are entering.

 

 

 

In addition, some countries also have restrictions on what are over-the-counter (OTC) medications in the USA. And example is the UAE restriction on many decongestants.that are available in the USA without a prescription.

 

 

 

What this means is that you have to do your research. Not the simple answer, but the accurate one.

 

 

 

Finally, to the OP: Just who is the "THEY" in "They are telling us"??

If a TSA agent ever wants to examine your pills, ask nicely to have an airport police officer called over because you will gladly allow that officer to inspect your pills. That should get the TSA person to back off their request.

That said, I use a daily pill sorter and carry the "back panel" from the pharmacy, which is a printed doc that includes Rx info, MD info, my info, med description (and sometimes, picture) etc. for each of those meds. Only thing I'd keep in original container is narcotics.

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As I posted on another page...

Coming into Canada you are much more likely to have your notebook PC examined for child porn. It is illegal here and those arriving by air from some locations are can be subject to a random seach and to criminal prosecution. We had a retired Nova Scotia Bishop caught arriving by air in Ottawa with child porn on his laptop a few years ago. He was criminally charged and sentenced for importing child porn with intent to distribute.

The "claims" that somehow, from those who think they are seasoned and have done it numerous times, seem to think they have some type of protection for the future- that will be the same.

I haven't read this whole post, but didn't see any health care provider interject. I am coming from that point of view of a prescriber. What is completely missed and ignored is the vital information on pill bottles. Essential in an emergency. Sorry, but I am always going to verify medications. A sheet of paper isn't enough for my assessments. I can get a lot of information with a few phone calls, which are easily linked by pill bottle information.