Posting PBS medicine overseas

You can’t legally send some PBS medicines overseas.

Under legislation, you can only send Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) medicines when the person you’re sending the medicine to is either:

  • an officer of the Commonwealth or State/Territory working overseas
  • the Commonwealth or State/Territory officer’s spouse or dependent child.

Before you post medicine, you should do all of these:

  1. Make sure the medicine is legal in the country you’re sending it to.
  2. If it’s legal in the country, get a letter from your doctor to include with your parcel. Leave the medicine in the original packaging.
  3. Stick a customs declaration to your parcel. It must say it contains prescription medicine for your 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.

If you need more information, call the PBS taking or sending medicine overseas line.

Page last updated: 3 March 2022.
QC 51188