This page contains common questions and answers concerning the import and export by mail to and from Sweden of medicinal products for personal use.
Import and export by mail of medicinal products for personal use
Medicinal products imported by mail must have been legally obtained for medicinal purposes and personal use from an EEA country (EU together with Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) corresponding to a supply sufficient for a maximum of one year. For information about what countries are members of the EU, see the link to the EU Information Centre under External links. The medicinal products must be approved in both Sweden and the exporting country, and must have been obtained at a pharmacy or equivalent. If a prescription for the product is required in one or both countries, this must be issued by authorized prescriber (doctor, pharmacist, or equivalent) within the EEA. You must yourself be able to show that these requirements are met. That a medicinal product is intended for personal use can be shown by the pharmacy label with your name on it, by a prescription, or by a doctor's certificate.
It is prohibited to import medicinal products for personal use by mail from a country outside of the EEA.
Medicinal products classified as narcotics and products covered by the law concerning prohibition of certain doping substances may not be imported into Sweden by mail.
If medicinal products are sent from Sweden, the receiving country’s import regulations apply. Contact the embassy for information. See the link under Related information for a list of embassies.
A package addressed to me has been detained by the customs because it contains medicinal products. What can I do?
It is prohibited to import medicinal products for personal use by mail from a country outside of the EEA. The Medical Products Agency cannot grant exemption from this prohibition. If there is a doubt whether the product is medicinal or not, you can ask the Medical Products Agency for classification. Remember that you can also ask questions concerning classification before having a product sent to you.
What information does the Medical Products Agency need in order to classify a product?
In order for the Medical Products Agency to be able to assess whether a product is a medicinal product or not, information such as product name, ingredients, dosage, claims made about the product, etc, are required. For products bought from a website, we recommend that a link to the page is included in order for the Medical Products Agency to obtain enough information for the assessment.
What determines the classification?
The Medical Products Agency can classify a product as medicinal either on the basis of the presentation of the product (what claims the seller makes, for example) and/or on the basis of the product’s function. If a product contains substances (including herbal extracts) that have medicinal effects in the body, the product may be classified as a medicinal product.
A medicinal product classification can also be made for a substance or plant that has a traditional medicinal use, since the Medical Products Agency will then consider the intention of the product as medicinal. Medicinal product classification is based on an overall assessment of each individual product. The term medicinal product covers, in addition to synthetic and herbal medicinal products, also natural remedies, traditional herbal products, certain externally-applied medicinal products, and homeopathics.
I have ordered nutritional supplements and natural remedies – are they medicinal products?
The regulations concerning the import of medicinal products make no distinction between products of synthetic origin and products containing natural substances. A product can be classified as medicinal if it has medicinal properties and/or is intended for treatment or prevention of illness. This also means, for example, that natural remedies can be detained by the customs, even though they are available for purchase in ordinary food stores or health-food stores in Sweden.
The Medical Products Agency can also decide to apply the Swedish Medicinal Products Act on products that liken medicinal products. For example, this has been done for products containing laxatives, ephedrine or tryptophan. This also applies to certain other substances, such as androstenedione and DHEA. See provisions and guidelines LVFS 1995:9 under Related information.
If you feel uncertain about whether or not a product you will be ordering or have ordered is a medicinal product, you can contact the Medical Products Agency for an assessment.
What special regulations apply for the import of narcotic-classified medicinal products into Sweden?
Medicinal products for treating sleeping disorders, anxiety and severe pain are often classified as narcotics. If you want to know if your medicinal product is classified as a narcotic in Sweden, you can consult a pharmacy. This web site also contains information about what narcotics class a certain medicinal product belongs to.
Medicinal products classified as narcotics may not be imported to Sweden by mail. The Medical Products Agency cannot make exemptions from this prohibition.
According to special regulations, there is a possibility for travellers to bring in narcotic-classified medicinal products for personal use. Read more under Travelling with medicinal products in the left-hand margin.
What special regulations apply for importing medicinal products classified as doping substances into Sweden?
The law concerning prohibition of certain doping substances covers:
- synthetic anabolic steroids
- testosterone and its derivatives
- growth hormone, and
- chemical substances that increase the production and release of testosterone and its derivatives, or of growth hormone.
Medicinal products covered by the law concerning prohibition of certain doping substances may not be imported into Sweden by mail.
According to special regulations, there is a possibility for travellers to bring in medicinal products classified as doping substances for personal use. Read more under Travelling with medicinal products in the left-hand margin.
Where can I find regulations concerning the import and export of medicinal products for private use?
The Swedish Medicines Act (1992:859) contains the fundamental regulations concerning the handling of medicinal products in Sweden. Regulations concerning import and export are found in 17 § and 17b §. In addition, the Medical Products Agency has issued regulations concerning import of medicinal products for personal use, LVFS 1996:5. Regulations concerning the control of narcotics are found in the statute (1992:1554) on the control of narcotic products, and in LVFS 1997:11. Regulations regarding doping substances are found in the Doping Agents Act (1991:1969) concerning the prohibition of certain doping substances, see the Swedish National Institute of Public Health and the Medical Products Agency’s regulation LVFS 1996:5.
Certain training supplements can be prohibited from import into Sweden
Lately, the Medical Products Agency has been contacted by numerous individuals who have purchased different training or gym products from, for example, the USA via the Internet. The shipments have been detained by the Swedish customs and the Medical Products Agency has in many cases classified the products as medicinal products. Medicinal products for personal use may not be imported by mail into Sweden from countries outside the EEA. Classification of medicinal products is based on an overall assessment of each individual product. Read more in the section above titled ‘What information does the Medical Products Agency need in order to classify a product?’
Example – as guidance only
Below are some examples of substances often found in training supplements. The examples should only be considered as guidance to how products containing these substances are normally classified. Classification of medicinal products is, however, based on an overall assessment of each individual product. The examples reflect the Medical Products Agency’s point of view at the time of publishing.
Products that only contain any of the following substances are normally not classified as medicinal products (assuming that they are not presented as such):
- vitamins and minerals
- amino acids (with certain exceptions for tryptophan)
- whey extract
- creatine
- fatty acids
Contents that can lead to a medicinal product classification
Products that, for example, contain any of the following substances are normally classified as medicinal products:
- 5-hydroxy tryptophan (5-HTP)
- Acetylcysteine (NAC)
- Androstenedione*
- DHEA*
- Devil’s Claw (Harpagopytum procumbens)
- Ephedrine, ‘Ephedra’ *
- Epitiostanol
- Forskolin (Coleus forskolii)
- GABA*
- Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)
- Glucosamine
- Hoodia (Hoodia gordonii)
- Idebenone
- St John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum)
- Milk thistle (Silybum marianum)
- Melatonin, N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine
- Velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens, L-dopa)
- Octopamine
- Phaseolamin (Phaseolus vulgaris)
- Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
- Salicylic acid, Salix alba, ‘White Willow bark’
- Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens/Sabal serrulata)
- Cat’s claw (Uncaria tomentosa)
- Vinpocetine/Vincamine
- Valerian (Valeriana officinalis)
- Yohimbe/yohimbine
*See LVFS 1995:9, revised and reprinted 2001:2 and revised 2005:8
For more examples of how different types of products can be classified, see the guide ‘Frequently asked questions and answers about product classification’ under Product classification FAQ in the left-hand margin.