Can you travel to France with medicines?

Before you travel: three checks

Use this quick check before relying on a product label or prescription.

1. Identify the product. Is it an ordinary medicine, a narcotic or psychotropic medicine, a supplement, or a research peptide? Narcotic and psychotropic medicines are categories subject to special controls. The exact substance and classification matter.

2. Identify the journey. Are you entering France, leaving France or transiting? Are you arriving from a Schengen country or from outside it? Rules and documents can differ.

3. Confirm documents and amount. Check the exact product, route and departure country with French Customs or the competent authority. A prescription is not a universal substitute for every required certificate.1

Ordinary medicines: personal quantities

French Customs says medicines carried personally should be compatible with personal therapeutic use. For medicines that are neither narcotic nor psychotropic, it describes quantities corresponding to the prescription or, without one, three months of treatment. It says a prescription is required when treatment exceeds three months. This is the scope described by French Customs, not a universal allowance for all products or controlled substances.14

Controlled medicines: check the route

French Customs says travellers must carry narcotic or psychotropic medicines personally. It describes different evidence for arrival from a Schengen country and arrival from outside the area: a competent-authority certificate for the former and a medical prescription for the latter. Check your exact substance and every applicable condition.

A separate French Customs travel page says an original valid prescription is mandatory for travellers entering France, and that ANSM does not issue its own transport certificate for those incoming journeys. It does not resolve whether a certificate from the departure country is also required for a particular Schengen journey.

The two customs pages also describe the amount without a prescription differently—one month versus 28 days—even though the travel page says an original prescription is mandatory. Confirm the current documents, quantity and classification with French Customs or the competent authority for your route.124

Leaving France or changing jurisdictions

French Customs and ANSM describe procedures for leaving France with controlled medicines. Requirements vary by destination and circumstances. A document for leaving France does not prove another country permits entry. The customs page has a potentially outdated list and count of Schengen countries, so check each country’s current status independently.

If you live in France and are taking medicines covered by the narcotic or psychotropic section to a Schengen country, French Customs says you must carry the original prescription and a transport authorisation. The regional health agency (ARS) where the prescribing doctor is registered issues that authorisation. Customs states it is valid for 30 days within the medicine’s maximum prescription duration.

A separate ANSM procedure covers medicines subject to narcotics rules and dates from 2021. Confirm the current process and destination requirements. Permission to carry a medicine out of France does not guarantee entry elsewhere.12

Supplements and peptide products

The medicine-transport page does not classify every supplement, research peptide or seller-defined stack. Do not assume a product falls outside medicine or controlled-substance rules because it is marketed as a supplement. Seek a current product-specific answer from French customs or health authorities when classification is unclear.13

Complete the rest of the journey

The source dates below show when each source was consulted; confirm current rules with the responsible authority before departure. Check whether each source applies to visitors or residents and to entry, exit or transit. For the other parts of the trip see airport security, crossing borders and the travel hub.