Posting PBS medicine overseas

Under legislation, you can only send Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) subsidised medicines overseas when they’re intended for personal use by either:

• yourself or someone you’re travelling with
• yourself as a Commonwealth, State or Territory officer, or the spouse or dependent child of the officer.

You can’t post PBS subsidised medicines overseas to other people, even if the medicine is for their personal use. PBS medicines can’t be sent from Australia to someone who is already overseas. For more information, go to Running out of PBS medicines when overseas.

Before you post PBS medicine, you should make sure it can legally be sent out of Australia and is legal in the country you’re sending it to. If it is, do the following:

1. Get a letter from your or your travel companion’s doctor, to include with your parcel. If you can’t, print and fill in the Medicine Export Declaration form and include with the parcel.
2. Leave the medicine in the original packaging.
3. Stick a customs declaration to your parcel. It must say it contains prescription medicine for your or your travel companion’s, personal use. You can get this sticker from any post office.
4. Make sure you don’t send more than the legal amount. Check with your doctor.

You may be able to post medicines overseas where no PBS benefit has been paid. Some medicines are restricted or prohibited. You should check embassies, high commissions or consulates on the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website.

If you need more information, call the PBS taking or sending medicine overseas line. We can help translate this information in another language. Let us know if you need an interpreter and we’ll arrange one for free.