The legal situation (in the UK) appears to be that we are only allowed to import
prescription-only medicines for ourselves and members of our household. I
have copied and pasted the part of The Human Medicines Regulations 2012 (relevant extract included below) which I think applies.
I'd assume that "household" (which is not defined with in the Act), would be strictly those who live in the same dwelling. But issues like children living away at college/university are potential complication factors.
Note: I am very far from being a lawyer and all such things are complex.
That
is, you could go any country which allows you to buy T3 and bring it
back for yourself. Or those who live with you. But not for anyone else.
If
you search around the internet, you will probably find that there are
supposedly restrictions on quantities allowed. Often you will see that
you can only bring in sufficient for three months. I have never found
any basis in law for this. However, if you are standing at a customs
desk at an airport with a vast quantity, you might find it somewhat
awkward, to say the least. I doubt many who are involved with assessing
what is being carried will know anything about T3 dosing – after all,
most endocrinologists seem to have little idea. It might be treated as
“one tablet a day”, “three a day” or any other arbitrary quantity.
The
legal issue seems entirely a matter of whether the person is thought to
be supplying others, most especially if someone is doing so for profit.
I
suspect that one of the worst things someone coming back with T3 for
someone else, not a member of their household, could do is to lie.
This could well happen if a friend is asked to bring some back after a holiday but does not appreciate the legal status. If they do not understand, they might be tempted to bluster and defend themselves in ways that are very unhelpful. Admitting to having made a mistake and co-operating with confiscation
might be a better course of action.
Note that this will not allow importation of Controlled Drugs. A list of which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/controlled-drugs-list--2
And
substances not available at all within the UK are likely to be
considered Prescription-only - for example, desiccated thyroid like
Armour Thyroid.
The Human Medicines Regulations 2012
Manufacturing of medicinal products
17.—(1) A person may not except in accordance with a licence (a “manufacturer’s licence”)—
(a)manufacture, assemble or import from a state other than an EEA State any medicinal product; or
(b)possess a medicinal product for the purpose of any activity in sub-paragraph (a).
(2) Paragraph (1) is subject to paragraphs (3) to (5).
(3) Paragraph (1) applies in relation to an investigational medicinal product only—
(a)if
the product has a marketing authorisation, Article 126a authorisation,
certificate of registration or traditional herbal registration; and
(b)to
the extent that the manufacture or assembly of the product is in
accordance with the terms and conditions of that authorisation,
certificate or registration.
(4) In paragraph (3), “marketing authorisation” means—
(a)a marketing authorisation issued by a competent authority in accordance with the 2001 Directive; or
(b)an EU marketing authorisation.
(5)
Paragraph (1) does not apply to a person who, in connection with the
importation of a medicinal product from a state other than an EEA State—
(a)provides facilities solely for transporting the product; or
(b)acting
as an import agent, imports the medicinal product solely to the order
of another person who holds a manufacturer’s licence authorising the
importation of the product.
(6) Paragraph (1) does not apply to a
person who imports a medicinal product for administration to himself or
herself or to any other person who is a member of that person’s
household.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/1916/regulation/17/made
VAT and Duty
Values below are in sterling. HMRC do explain how they use current conversion rates. Always allow a margin to cover at least small changes in currency rates.
Orders below the value of £135 and supplied via an online portal (obvious examples being Amazon and eBay), should charge VAT at time of order. If this is done, no further duties/taxes should be required.
Orders below £135 which do not have VAT charged at time of order, and all orders over £135, will have VAT charged by HMRC when they enter the UK.
Duty will also be applicable to orders over £135 but a lot of goods are actually not liable to duty - which depends on the exact item supplied.
There is much confusion about whether postage charges are included in the valuation.
Customs Clearance Charges
The
company which handles customs clearance will make a charge except on
orders below £135 on which VAT has already been paid. Royal Mail charge
£8 but other companies might charge considerably more. The charge might
be based on the declared value of the goods such as a percentage.
Other Issues
There
is a separate limit of £59 for gifts. However, it could be an offence
to request something be sent as a gift in order to avoid VAT, etc. Also, some information sources suggest that anything sent by a company cannot be a gift.
It could be an offence to arrange something to be sent with an artificially low value.
Although many goods arrive quickly, there can be delays in handling (often within UK Customs) of at least a few weeks.
As
with all international ordering and distribution, there is the
possibility of something going wrong. The vendor not sending. The
package disappearing. UK Customs wrongly seizing the package. The
package getting delivered to the wrong address. Always make sure you
have left enough time to permit a re-order, if needed.
If
making larger orders, consider splitting the order. However, doing so
is likely to raise the cost. But if splitting an order drops the goods
in each order below £135, it can sometimes work out less expensive.
Some addresses such as diplomatic addresses or American Forces Post Office (APO) might be treated differently. APO is technically regarded as domestic mail by the USA.
HMRC's own page about duty, VAT and customs clearance on items ordered from abroad is here:
https://www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad/tax-and-duty
Anything can change with little or no notice so it ios always a good idea to check this official source.
If you wish to link to this page on HealthUnlocked, copy the entire coloured text below and paste into a post or reply.
[i][b]helvella - Personal Importation of Prescription-only Medicines[/b]
Details of the legal and cost issues (e.g. customs, VAT, etc., that apply to personal importation of medicines to the UK.
Last updated 20/01/2025 [/i]
Link to blog:
https://helvella.blogspot.com/p/helvella-personal-importation-of.html
If
you find anything incorrect, misleading, typos, links that don’t work,
etc., please let me know. Go to my profile and use the contact details
there.
