What counts as "in original packaging" when traveling with prescription drugs?
- By
- Aparna Patel
- |
- 30 Jul, 2023
- |
Basically the same as me. Three months’ supply would take up most of my backpack. So I compress them and overpack the cardboard boxes with the blister packs, and then do three things that have made inspection easy:
- Keep the original containers. As you’ve done, keep them in the blister packs / containers – do NOT put tablets in unmarked bottles. This will raise TONS of questions.
- Keep your original prescription and labels.
- Have a letter from your doctor describing your medical condition, requirements and prescription.
Numbers 1 and 2 have always been enough for me – I actually always declare my drugs because 1) I get worried someone will claim I’m trying to import restricted ‘drugs’ and 2) the declare line in NZ/Aus is often shorter 😀 Number 3 has come up twice, and been enough to satisfy anyone.
So long story short – you’re doing the right things, but an additional letter can always be useful, especially with non-experienced police or officials in … dodgier countries, to persuade them they’ve not found a drug mule (and are not getting a bribe out of you either!)
I have to take medication with me all the time. Five or six different kinds. The largest box contains twenty blister packs of 10 capsules each. It measures
16 x 6.5 x 16 (cm)
I do as follows…
- Remove the blister packs, separate what’s needed
- Open all the flaps on the box and press it into a flat surface
- Pack the flattened boxes together in a travel wallet (for
visualization purposes, I use the Victorinox Travel Wallet which you
can see in a Google search, but I suppose any comparable travel
wallet will do). - Pack the blister packs in the side pocket of my hand luggage (for
visualization purposes, I use a Lightspeed Gann, but any comparable
product will do) - Fold the prescription orders down to a small flat surface and put
them with the blister packs.
Two of the medications I take are controlled substances and I am informed that they can be sold on the streets of NYC for USD 20 per capsule. So whether I’m asked or not I always make a big deal about it with customs. I bring it up first and tell them I have controlled substances with me. I travelled to Dallas last month and had to ‘follow the blue line‘ to the customs desk and showed my blister packs and prescription orders, the fellow typed something (presumably Google) and dismissed me. In June I did the same thing in Russia (Stavropol) and had essentially the same result. Both times the process took about two minutes, and both times the agents did not want to inspect the boxes.
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