Can I order medicines from China for my own use?
Do not assume that personal use makes a medicine order acceptable. Consult a UK pharmacist or prescriber, check the seller and resolve the import position before paying. Medicines containing controlled drugs cannot be posted to you from overseas. Commercial sourcing is covered separately by Cambridge China Bridge.
Start with a UK pharmacist or prescriber
Before contacting a Chinese seller, show a UK pharmacist or prescriber the proposed medicine, active ingredients, strength, dosage form and packaging. Explain why you want it and list your current medicines. Ask about suitability, interactions and an appropriate UK supply route.
Ask specifically whether any ingredient is a controlled drug. Do not decide from the brand name, the seller’s description or a claim that the product is herbal. Keep photographs and a translation of the label available for the consultation.
Check the seller through MHRA
Use the MHRA service called “Check a suspicious online seller of medicines” and check the seller’s actual website address. A website on its “Not Recommended” list may be selling medicines illegally. Pause the purchase if it appears.
Treat an absent result as an unresolved check, rather than approval. Ask your pharmacist how to verify the proposed supplier and supply route. Save the website address, product listing, seller identity and correspondence; a marketplace review or factory certificate should not settle your decision.
Resolve postal orders before payment
Medicines containing controlled drugs cannot be posted to you from overseas. Do not ask a seller, friend or sourcing agent to send them as an ordinary personal parcel. Discuss your supply needs with a UK prescriber or pharmacist instead.
For a medicine without controlled ingredients, ask MHRA about your exact proposed personal import before paying. Describe the medicine, ingredients, quantity, destination and postal or courier route. Use our import restrictions guide to structure the enquiry and keep the reply.
Carrying medicine is a separate question
When entering or leaving the UK, medicine containing a controlled drug must be carried with you in your hand luggage. This travel instruction does not provide an answer for an online order sent separately.
Before travelling, ask the Home Office to confirm the route for your medicine and circumstances, including whether you normally live in the UK and where it was prescribed. Ask what permission, quantity limit and prescription evidence apply. Do not arrange a trip around a seller’s assurance that personal use is enough.
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Keep personal treatment separate from procurement
For stock intended for sale or business supply, use our commercial medicines sourcing guide. It covers the licensing and product-authorisation questions that a factory quotation cannot resolve. Do not use this personal-treatment checklist to approve a commercial order.
If a seller looks suspicious, report it through the MHRA online-seller reporting service. Keep the packaging, listing and messages. Ask a pharmacist or prescriber for advice before taking a medicine whose identity or supply route remains uncertain.
Frequently asked questions
Can medicines from China be posted to the UK?
Medicines containing controlled drugs cannot be posted to you from overseas. For other medicines, ask MHRA about the exact product and proposed personal import before ordering.
Should I ask a pharmacist before ordering?
Yes. Show a UK pharmacist or prescriber the ingredients, strength and packaging. Ask about suitability, interactions, controlled ingredients and an appropriate UK supply route.
Does passing an MHRA seller check mean it is safe?
Do not treat absence from the “Not Recommended” list as approval. Continue checking the supplier and proposed medicine with your pharmacist before deciding.
Can I carry the medicine home instead?
Carrying medicine is a separate enquiry. Controlled medicines must travel in your hand luggage. Confirm your circumstances, permissions, quantity and prescription evidence with the Home Office before travelling.