Frequently asked questions

We help you access approved medicines that are not approved or available in your country of residence.

Legal

Yes, onlinepharmamed agrees to preserve the confidentiality of all customer and patient information and to not divulge this information in any form, except when authorised by the patient or required by law.

pharmaMedwork is registered with the Ministry of Health  as an independent medicines intermediary. Our registration can be found on  Our website is the body within the Ministry of Health which is responsible for providing pharmaceutical permits, approvals, exemptions and registrations for medicines and medical devices in the Netherlands. you can fine are Licenses documents on Our Transparency Page  

Yes. onlinepharmamed is registered with the Dutch Ministry of Health as an independent medicines intermediary (registration number Click Here ). We always follow your country’s laws and regulations, and discuss the legal requirements with you. We only ship medicines when our patients have a prescription from their treating doctor.

You always need a prescription from a doctor based in your country. Other documents, such as an import license from the Ministry of Health, may be needed and depend on your country’s regulations. Contact usand we will provide you all the information about the required documents for your country.

Yes. Most countries have a Named Patient or Personal Import law or regulation which enables patients to import medicines from abroad that have not yet been approved in the patient’s country. This can only be done with a doctor’s prescription and, depending on the country, some additional requirements. For more information, read our blog post.

Finances

Payment

As we operate on the named patient import basis, every order is specifically processed for an individual patient for his/her personal use (only). Legally, neither we nor the supplier are allowed to hold stock of those medicines, instead we are obliged to source it on a case by case basis. We need to pay before we get the medicines, therefore we can only process your order after we receive your payment.

We are a licensed company and have safely and legally delivered more than 9,000 medicines to 88 countries. You can read our Patient Stories on our blog. You can speak to us on Email and personally visit our office. When you place an order with us, you will be informed of every step in the process. As soon as the medicines are shipped to you, you will receive an email with the detailed shipping information, so you can track your order.

After you place an order with us, you will receive an order confirmation with the payment details. Please make sure that you make the payment for the amount stated , We accept bank transfers and online credit card, Paypal, Zelle, Bitcoin payments (a 2.8% fee applies for credit card payments).

The price quoted on your order confirmation is valid for two weeks from the send date. If you do not pay within the two week time frame the prices may be subject to change. If you need more time, please let us know.

Payments can be made by Credit Card or Bank Transfer, PayPal, Zelle, Bitcoin. Payments are fully encrypted and secure. When paying by credit card, you can pay online once you have received your order confirmation. Please be aware that a 2.8% fee applies when paying by credit card.

No. We only accept payments made by credit card or bank transfer, PayPal, Zelle, Bitcoin. Payments are fully encrypted and secure.

Yes, as soon as we see the payment is received in our bank account, PayPal, Zelle, Bitcoin, you will receive a payment confirmation in the form of an invoice. This is also the confirmation that your order has been processed.

No. We can only process and find your order after having received your full payment. The medicines will not be sourced for you if you haven’t made the payment. You cannot pay in the pharmacy.

Import taxes might apply to shipping medicines to the destination country. Import taxes normally consist of import VAT and a fee that customs may charge. Since these are different per country (in some countries, the import taxes might even be exempt for pharmaceuticals) and per customs office we often cannot calculate them in advance. Import taxes must be paid by the receiver. They are not included in our invoice. You can contact your local customs office to find out if they apply import taxes and how they can be paid.

Yes, we can help you to get a VAT refund if you collect your order from our partner pharmacy in the Netherlands and you meet the following conditions:

  • Your permanent residence is outside the European Union
  • You take the medicines with you, unused within 90 days after purchase
  • You have a full original receipt (which we provide you)

Price

The price is determined by the manufacturer. When a medicine is innovative and new, the price is usually high. Over time, the production levels may go up and the price may change, but most of our patients don’t have the time to wait. Therefore we offer the medicines as soon as possible, for the lowest possible price we can negotiate.

No. Please contact us to receive a detailed quote. If you have questions about the medicine, such as strength, dosage, price, or any questions about our service, do not hesitate to ask.

Reimbursement

Some countries have a government fund providing financial assistance for citizens to access lifesaving medical treatment abroad. The best thing would be to check with your country’s own health ministry. We also highly recommend checking out local patient blogs, communities and patient organisations to find out more about your options.

In some cases, health insurance companies may partially or fully cover the cost of the medicine. We recommend checking this directly with your health insurance company.

Each health insurance company has their own procedures for submitting a request or claim. However, as a starting point, we recommend writing a letter to them outlining the following:

  • That you want to import an approved medicine from abroad
  • The lack of reasonable treatment options available in your country (if you can, include a letter from a doctor confirming this) – no alternative to the treatment.
  • That the medicine has already been approved in another country (state the name of the country)
  • That your treating doctor states that this medicine is the best option for you (include a copy of the prescription in the letter to the healthcare insurance company)

Ordering and shipping Ordering

Contact us and provide us with the following information:

  • Name of the patient
  • Contact details of patient(email and phone number)
  • Copy of patient’s ID
  • Contact details of the Doctor (name, address, email and phone number)
  • Shipping address
  • Copy of the doctor’s prescription

Shipping: We can deliver to the patient’s residence, a pharmacy, or doctor’s office / hospital, but this depends on the country. If you’re not sure what the right choice is for you, please get in touch with our Patient Support Team and we can help you work out your exact requirements.

Once we have received this information, one of our Patient Support Team members will then check your prescription and contact you to follow up on your order. Please note that other documents may be needed for import, we will guide you through the ordering process.

Generally not, but we do provide you with an invoice after you make the payment that you may send to your medical insurance company so they can reimburse you. In some limited circumstances, we do accept insurance. Contact us for more details.

It is important that your treating doctor is fully aware and supports your treatment. Your doctor needs to monitor the treatment for safety reasons. The prescription is the evidence that your treating doctor supports you. It is also legally required by customs for import, and for collection from the pharmacy.

As part of our protocols we might reach out to your treating doctor for verification or information updates. By sending us your prescription you allow us to do so.

The prescription should include:

  • Patient’s name and date of birth
  • Name of the medicine and dosage
  • Required quantity
  • Doctor’s name and signature
  • Doctor’s registration number and/or stamp

Ideally, the prescription should be issued in English. Alternatively, a translation (unofficial is sufficient) must be provided.

Please be aware that your doctor may be contacted by one of our team members or by the processing pharmacy in order to verify the prescription.

If you would like to cancel your order, please get in touch with our Patient Support team immediately. Generally, if you have already paid the invoice, the order has been processed by us and cannot be cancelled. We start sourcing the medicines as soon as we receive payment, and once the medicine has been ordered on behalf of the patient we cannot return the medicines. However, in some cases, there may be a delay in the sourcing process in which case we will have a small window for cancellations.

As stated, the price quoted on your order confirmation is valid for two weeks from the send date. If you pay after this date and the prices have changed, you will be required to pay the price difference.

This depends on the situation. In some cases the prescription is only valid for one order, while in others it can be used multiple times. This is only the case if it is a repeat prescription. In the case of import licenses, they vary from country to country, but they usually have an expiration date and a maximum number of medicine units that can be imported. Please confirm with a member of our Patient Support Team) when you place a new order.

Yes. To place an order with us as a company, you need to provide us the company’s license to import medicines from abroad.

Shipping

Once we have sourced your medicines, we can ship them to you. During the shipping process, your parcel is exported from its original country and imported into your country. We include all the necessary documents in the package. Different countries have different regulations for importing medicines, and we ensure that the documentation relevant for your country is included. When it comes to the actual import, we use our international knowledge, connections and experience in importing and sending prescription medication to process your order.

Delivery times vary from country to country and are also dependent on the medicines you order, and on custom clearance, but a rough guide would be 1-2 weeks. Once the medicines have been shipped, we will send you a tracking number and keep you informed about your delivery. For a more detailed estimate for your desired medicine, please get in touch with our Patient Support Team.

Please be aware that due to the COVID-19 situation worldwide and the country lockdowns, we will sometimes experience delays in shipping.

When your order is shipped to you, you will receive a tracking number and a link to track your shipment online. This will allow you to be able to track your order.

Your order will be shipped to you by our partner couriers, such as DHL, UPS and specialised cold chain couriers. If you would like your order to be shipped by a specific courier, please inform us when you place the order.

Some medicines need to be stored between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius. These are called “temperature controlled medicines”. This means that their shipment needs to be via an unbroken cold chain. When delivering these medicines, we ensure the medicines are packed properly, in a special transport box which regulates the temperature for sufficient time to arrive safely at the destination.

You may be contacted by our courier partners before your order is delivered, for example to inform you about the delivery time. Your contact details are always included on the parcel.

Yes. You can authorise anyone to pick up the medicines on your behalf. In that case, you need to provide us the following documents:

  • Copy of the ID/passport of the patient
  • Copy of the ID/passport of the person who is coming to pick up the medicines
  • Letter signed by the patient stating that he/she authorises this person to pick up the medicines on his/her behalf

Yes. We recommend you always keep the medicines with you in your hand luggage. We will provide a letter for your airline company stating that the medicine is for personal use and as it is delicate it needs to be transported carefully in the hand luggage (carry on luggage). We recommend that you contact the airline in advance to inform them.

Don’t worry, our team will be available to help you every step of the way to get the medicines released. There can be three steps to the clearings process:

  1. Step 1 – Customs may need to check the package to verify its contents. In order to streamline this step, we include a letter for customs with information about the contents. Any additional questions will be answered by PharmaMedwork as and when we are contacted by customs.
  2. Step 2 – In some countries, there are additional questions from the medical regulatory agencies (i.e. the FDA, EMA, etc). We provide them with all the necessary information based on the information provided by the patient, such as: the prescription, copy of ID and a letter from the treating doctor to show that the medicines are for personal use.
  3. Step 3 – Customs fees. In some cases, the recipient will be requested to pay taxes and duties. These should be arranged by the patient or receiver and are not covered by PharmaMedwork unless stated otherwise.

Please be aware that the import of the medicines always requires customs clearance and active cooperation from the importing party. We will help and guide you but are dependent on your cooperation and responsiveness.