Travelling to EU with personal use quantity of controlled substance

March 31, 2023 12:39 PM

Hi folks, TLDR: who is the competent authority to certify part D of this form and is it possible to make that happen by April 5th?

More details:
I am taking a belated 3 week > honeymoon in the Schengen zone. We waited over 2 years because I am on immune suppression meds.

I didn’t realize that my sleep medicine is a controlled substance (I have an alternative pain medicine) until a little over a week ago or about 2 weeks before the trip. I looked up what I needed to do to bring my medication with and I got my doctor to fill out and sign the above form. None of us know who the right agency is to certify the form.

I travelled to Harrisburg today thinking that it was the PA Department of Health, but they looked at me like I had three heads. I also tried the PA Board of Medicine and the Patient Advocacy Board and the PA Department of State. Apparently no one has ever seen this form or anything like it before.

I realize that I should have realized this earlier and started earlier, but here we are.

I also have a letter from the prescribing doctor.

Anyone have any ideas? Alternatively, am I reading too much into what I need to do and this form isn’t required? Thanks for any thoughts.

posted by eleanna to Travel & Transportation (9 answers total)

Best answer: I have not been everywhere, mostly just Europe and Latin America. But I have never once had a border agent take the slightest interest in my properly labelled prescription medication. And my spouse and I take at least three controlled substances between us. Sometimes, it isn't even properly labelled, just in a seven day pill box. They still don't care. Relatively small numbers of mixed pills, of an amount clearly for personal consumption, do not raise any hackles at all.

Letters like that could be useful if you feel you have a high chance of being unfairly targeted, either because of the destination or your identity. I mean, if you're going to a hostile regime that targets outsiders with extra scrutiny, sure: good choice. If you're LGBT and going somewhere with a poor record on that, it might pay to be careful. Etc.

But generally speaking, most places do not give a shit.

Although, full disclosure, I am a vaguely affluent, middle-aged, cishet white American, so generally speaking, I go through customs on Easy Mode, world being as it is.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:45 PM on March 31, 2023 [2 favorites]

The form is technically required but my experience is also the same as Dirty Old Town's - they'll only make something of it if they feel like making problems for you for some other reason. I didn't know that I couldn't travel with Ativan last year without certification and it wasn't actually a problem. That said, I would still try to complete this if you are going to Germany or Switzerland (as the form language suggests) because those are rule following countries.

I think the accrediting authority might be the CDC (or the FDA?) for the US, as the parent page for that form says this: "This certification is to be authenticated by the supreme health authority of the Land" - I travelled with my pet last year to a Schengen Zone country and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (who are responsible for domestic animals) had to certify my paperwork after my vet signed it, so presumably it would just be the equivalent human health authority in the US.
posted by urbanlenny at 1:08 PM on March 31, 2023 [1 favorite]

From reading this, I strongly suspect that the Schengen certificate is only for residents of the Schengen area travelling to another Schengen country.
posted by praemunire at 1:17 PM on March 31, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Neither the CDC nor the FDA is the supreme health authority of the United States. In fact, this would probably be state boards of health in this context. But I am not exactly stunned to hear that a receptionist at a state agency was unfamiliar with a form that probably no casual traveller bothers to get filled out. You might want to consult the nearest embassy of the relevant country to determine what the expectations are.
posted by praemunire at 1:21 PM on March 31, 2023

This also indicates an Article 75 certificate is just for Schengen State citizens traveling to other Schengen states.

General Information for Travellers Carrying Medicines Containing Controlled Substances

Schengen Area
If you are a citizen of a Schengen State and you are travelling within the Schengen Area, special provisions apply. An excerpt of the relevant regulation is found below, however you are strongly advised to read it in full.

• The competent authorities of the Schengen States shall issue the Schengen medical certificate to persons resident on their territory who want to travel to another Schengen State and who, owing to a medical prescription, need to take narcotic drugs and/or psychotropic substances during this period. The certificate shall be valid for a maximum period of 30 days.
• The certificate shall be issued or authenticated by the competent authorities of the country of origin on the basis of a medical prescription. A separate certificate shall be required for each narcotic drug/psychotropic substance prescribed. The competent authorities shall keep a copy of the certificate.

posted by zamboni at 1:34 PM on March 31, 2023

Best answer: Back when I lived in the US and traveled fairly often to Sweden, I always got a letter from my psychiatrist listing the medications that I needed to take for my health. That included to restricted medications. I took the ladder, I took only as much medication as I needed for the trip, I kept the medication in their original packaging, and I always kept it in my bag or on my person rather than checking it of course.

No one ever hassled me and I never had to use that letter. But I was super grateful to have it because Swedish authorities are not chill about recreational drug use. Including cannabis. Sadly, I am not sure what you should do. I too have white privilege, etc. just reporting and that the letter from my psychiatrist give me a sense of security which may have been misplaced but it got me there and back anyway. Good luck!
posted by Bella Donna at 1:41 PM on March 31, 2023

Best answer: I dealt with this this past summer; it varies by EU country. Contact (I would call rather than email given the timeframe) the embassy of your initial destination in particular and ask them; they will know who in their jurisdiction will help. Note that the prescribing rules may differ from one country to another — a drug may be only prescribed off-label in, say, Italy for a condition it’s on-label to prescribe that drug for in France right next door.

The good news is that most countries were happy with what you already have: a prescription that was printed on the bottle and a letter to basically cross-reference what was on the bottle with the details of my trip. I also had travel insurance that covered the cost of getting new medication if needed; if you don’t see this in your own policy, ask if you can add this and see whether it covers your specific drug.

If you can’t manage to contact each country’s embassy, often I found the requirements on their customs department websites. Here’s the relevant page for Britain, for example: https://www.gov.uk/travelling-controlled-drugs
posted by mdonley at 1:51 PM on March 31, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Digging around the ICNB site a bit more, there is an index of Country Regulations for Travellers Carrying Medicines Containing Controlled Substances , which includes Germany.

a) Valid medical prescription
b) Doctor’s certificate endorsed by the health authorities of the country of residence

The German Missions in the USA site has info on Apostille authorities, but not specifically for something like a doctor’s certificate.
posted by zamboni at 2:09 PM on March 31, 2023 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Update for anyone who is interested or who may be similarly rules-following/looking stuff up:

1) as pointed out above, I was confused and chose the wrong form, though since it didn’t have to be in any particular format, I don’t think that is a fatal flaw. This is the correct form.

2) no one I talked to in the US has seen or heard of either form. I tried the public health department (local and state), the DEA Diversion Control (the organization the International Narcotics treaty says is responsible), the state controlled substance regulatory body which has a patient advocacy group, and the state board of medicine. I also tried my senator’s office and the German consulate. Lastly, I tried a travel medicine office. I got advice ranging from a letter from my doctor being enough to using the forms I have just signed by my doctor, to literally no one cares in your case, don’t worry. The DEA person (who was very pleasant and tried to help) said that usually he only gets requests from this from doctors going on mission or other authorized medical assistance trips.

3) However, after I already was on my way, I got an email from German customs that is is required.

4) I had no problems coming in to Germany but being the rules follower that I am, now that I have 3 weeks, I am going to see if it is the CDC or the FDA so that I can get the form to have for the way back when, from experience, I know customs gets much more involved.

I will update this if I can get an answer, so that other people will know for the future.

I really appreciate everyone’s help and reassurance that I was reading it correctly (even if I chose the wrong version of the form) and also that it was probably fine.

Thank you!
posted by eleanna at 9:22 AM on April 9, 2023 [3 favorites]