Kanta.fi: You can now purchase medicines in Spain using a Finnish electronic prescription
21.3.2023
The use of Finnish electronic prescriptions in Europe is expanding. Spain is the latest country to join the scheme.
With a Finnish electronic prescription, you can now buy medicines from almost all pharmacies in Spain (sanidad.gob.es, in Spanish).
Correspondingly, it is now also possible to buy medicines in Finland using a Spanish electronic prescription. In addition to Spain, Finnish prescriptions are accepted in Estonia, Portugal, Croatia, and Poland.
Checklist for purchasing prescription medicines abroad using a Finnish electronic prescription
Please consider the following before taking a Finnish prescription to a pharmacy abroad:
- Take your passport or photo ID card with you to the pharmacy.
- Check kanta.fi to see if the medicine you wish to buy can be purchased abroad.
- The use of Finnish electronic prescriptions in Europe is gradually expanding, so before travelling, check whether the service is in use at your destination.
- You can only purchase medicines using your own prescription. It is not possible to purchase medicines on behalf of another adult or a child.
- To receive Kela reimbursement for medicine you have purchased abroad, please submit your application electronically using OmaKela (kela.fi) after your trip.
The European ePrescription makes medical care easier for travellers
The aim of the European ePrescription is to ensure continuity of care and safe medical treatment for people travelling around Europe. If a person needs medicines while staying in another European country, they can buy them from a pharmacy in that country.
Prescription data can be shared reliably and efficiently using the shared digital services. A European ePrescription also supports the management of the patient’s medication overall.
Further information
Purchasing medicines with a foreign prescription in Finland
Kanta Services customer service: asiakaspalvelu@kanta.fi
Source: Kanta.fi
News item updated:
April 18, 2023: Added two new regions, Castilla y León and Andalucia, implementing Finnish electronic prescription from April 18 2023 onwards.
June 14, 2023: Added two new regions, Ceuta and Melilla, implementing Finnish electronic prescription from June 8 2023 onwards.
June 29, 2023: Added four new regions, Galicia, Navarre, Cantabria and Valencia, implementing Finnish electronic prescription from June 27 and June 29 2023 onwards.
August 31, 2023: Added information that with a Finnish electronic prescription, you can now buy medicines in almost all pharmacies in Spain. Deleted the sentence “Initially, the recipe is valid in eight regions in Spain” from the head-note and the list of Spanish regions from the body text.