Are you bringing medicine into Denmark?
When you bring medicine into Denmark, please be aware that it might be illegal. Certain conditions must be met before you can bring it in legally.
If you want to avoid your medicine being seized by customs when you return from for example a holiday in the USA or Thailand, it could be worth the trouble to learn the rules for bringing medicine into Denmark.
The determining factor is the country you arrive from
When you import the medicine, it makes a difference if you arrive from an EU/EEA country or a country outside the EU/EEA.
You can import medicine from an EU/EEA country legally
On arrival from an EU/EEA country, you can import medicine legally if:
- the medicine is for prevention or treatment of diseases in humans,
- the medicine is for your own personal use,
- it is legal to sell the products to private individuals in the country they were bought.
You could be asked to show documentation to prove these conditions are met. We therefore advise you to bring your receipt for the purchase and any prescription.
If you enter from a country outside the EU/EEA, the quantity of the medicine you can bring is limited
The rules are the same whether you bring in medicine from a country outside the EU/EEA (USA, China, Switzerland, Thailand, etc.) or if you bring in medicine from an EU/EEA country. However, if you enter from a country outside the EU/EEA, you can only bring a quantity corresponding to a maximum of three months use.
So, if you import for example blood pressure medicine from the USA with a recommended dose of 1 tablet daily, you can bring a maximum of 90 tablets on entry into Denmark from the USA.
You could be asked to show documentation to prove these conditions are met. We therefore advise you to bring your receipt for the purchase and any prescription.
If the medicine you bring contains doping substances or euphoriant substances
Special rules apply to the import of medicine that contains doping or euphoriant substances. You can read more about this in our information on import of medicines containing doping substances or euphoriant substances.
Your responsibility
When you import medicine, it is your responsibility to ensure the import is legal.
Ask us if you are not sure if the product is a medicine or if you are allowed to import it to Denmark.
You risk to be fined if you violate the rules
If you import medicines illegally, you can be prosecuted for violating the rules and you risk to be fined.
Read more in the Danish executive order on private individuals’ import of medicines (in Danish)