With rules varying from country to country, it can be difficult to discern exactly what you need to do (if anything) to prepare for travel with your gender-affirming hormones or other medication. In this post, we aim to provide you with some clarification.
First of all, you can rest assured that there’s currently no legal or regulatory requirement to carry a letter for gender-affirming medication, such as testosterone, when travelling out of the UK. All you need to do is to make sure your medication is in the original pharmacy packaging with your name on it.
Do I Need a Travelling with Medication Letter?
The short answer: it depends on what you’re carrying, where you’re going, and which border control officials you engage with during your journey. Despite a letter not being mandatory, travelers have in the past had hormones taken away at border control – whether it’s in the UK or another country – due to ignorance or a misunderstanding.
If you’re concerned and you’d like a letter to confirm that you have a valid prescription (and from whom), we can produce one for you. Simply submit a Treatment Recommendation request (through the link below) and tick the box on the bottom of the page for “Travelling with Medication Letter”. The letter costs £30 and will be sent to your email inbox.
Request your Travelling with Medication Letter today
Traveling with Testosterone or Other Controlled Substances
If you’re traveling with a medication that the UK government designates as a controlled substance, like testosterone, carrying a letter is probably a good idea to be safe. Many governments classify testosterone as a controlled substance (in the UK, it’s a Schedule 4 (part 2) drug), and subject these medications to additional scrutiny.
UK government guidance states: “To make sure your medicine does not get taken away from you at the border, carry a letter of proof that the medicine was prescribed to you.”
More Info: List of Controlled Drugs in the UK
Airline Guidelines
When it comes to the airline itself, normal rules for airline travel apply:
- You can board the plane with medicine in tablet form, if it’s in the original packaging.
- You can carry any liquid as long as it’s less than 100ml in volume.
- You can’t carry needles in the cabin (place any syringes and liquids greater than 100ml in the hold).
Airlines must adhere to minimum government guidelines. Some may choose to be more restrictive than others, so it’s always worth checking with your airline before travel.
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Travel Between Countries With Gender-Affirming Hormones
Bear in mind that different countries have different rules and regulations about:
- the types of medicine they allow to be taken into the country
- the maximum quantity you can take into the country
As such, check with the embassy of the country you are travelling to about their rules before you travel. Even if your medication isn’t a controlled substance in the UK, it might be elsewhere.
More Info: A Full List of Foreign Embassies in the UK
Top Travel Tips for Gender-Affirming Hormones and Medications
- Always carry medicines and medical equipment in the original, correctly-labelled packaging.
- Consider packing additional medicine in your suitcase in case you lose your hand luggage.
- Check the expiry dates of your medicines to ensure they will be valid for the duration of your visit abroad.
- If you’re travelling to a warm country, get advice from your pharmacist about storing your medicine.
- To keep your medicine at the right temperature, you may need to store it using a flask or insulated pouch while you travel.
- It’s a good idea to travel with a copy of your prescription. If you’re traveling with a controlled substance, consider getting a letter of support as well.