How to get prescription medicines in NL

This guide explains how to navigate prescriptions and pharmacies in the Netherlands. It covers where prescription and non-prescription medicines fit, how to keep a pharmacy's information complete, how prescriptions and repeats reach the pharmacy, what to check about cost, and where to look outside normal opening hours. It does not tell you which medicine to use or whether to start, stop, replace or change a medicine. Take medicine-specific questions to your pharmacist and prescriber.

Have the name and packaging of any medicines you use, the prescriber's details if relevant, your insurance policy details and any medication overview you already hold. Tell the pharmacy about medicines obtained from another provider or abroad, and answer its questions about allergies and other relevant information. A pharmacy may not automatically have a complete picture of medicines it did not supply. If the safe next action depends on the medicine, diagnosis, dose, interaction, pregnancy, allergy, side effect, shortage or your medical history, ask the pharmacist or prescriber rather than deciding from this guide.

The practical route depends on where the prescription came from, whether the medicine is ongoing and whether the pharmacy is open.

• You have a new Dutch prescription

  Ask the prescriber where or how the prescription was issued or sent, and ask the pharmacy what it needs before you travel to collect it. Do not assume your chosen pharmacy has automatically received it.

• You use a long-term medicine and need continuity

  Ask the prescriber and pharmacy how repeat supply is arranged for your medicine. A pharmacy may offer a repeat service, but the workflow depends on the prescription, prescriber and pharmacy.

• You have a prescription from another EU country

  Current EU cross-border rules may provide a route when the prescription has the required information, but Dutch dispensing rules apply and the medicine may have a different name or may not be available. An e-prescription may not work across the border, so a paper copy may be needed. If the prescription was issued outside the EU, ask a Dutch pharmacist or Dutch prescriber what is required before relying on it.

• You need prescribed medicine outside normal pharmacy hours

  Outside normal opening hours, check your own pharmacy's telephone message or website for the out-of-hours pharmacy serving your area. Use that route when the medicine-supply need cannot wait until normal opening hours. For urgent or life-threatening symptoms, use the urgent medical help route.

1. 1

   Check whether the medicine needs a prescription

   Some medicines require a prescription and are dispensed through a pharmacy. Self-care medicines do not require a prescription and can be sold through different outlets, depending on their category. This distinction does not tell you whether a medicine is appropriate for you. Ask a pharmacist or prescriber when the route or the medicine-specific decision is unclear.

   Do this: Confirm whether the medicine requires a prescription and which professional route applies before trying to obtain it.

   Documents needed

   • The medicine name or packaging, if you already have it
   • Any prescription or message from the prescriber

   Processing time

   Check the route before relying on a shop, website or pharmacy to supply the medicine.

   Common mistake: Do not treat non-prescription availability as a recommendation to use a medicine. Ask the pharmacist or prescriber for medicine-specific advice.

   Official source

   Rijksoverheid · Where prescription and self-care medicines are obtained
2. 2

   Choose a regular pharmacy and check your insurer

   You have the right to choose a pharmacy. Using the same regular pharmacy where practical is recommended because it can help the pharmacy keep a more complete overview of the medicines it knows about, but it is not a legal requirement. Check your own policy or insurer when pharmacy contracting, reimbursement or preference policy matters. Not every policy limits pharmacy choice in the same way.

   Do this: Choose a practical pharmacy, save its contact details and check your insurer's current policy information where reimbursement matters.

   Documents needed

   • Health-insurance policy details
   • The pharmacy's registration information if it asks you to register

   Processing time

   Do this before you need a routine prescription dispensed, where practical.

   Common mistake: A regular pharmacy is a practical recommendation, not a legal obligation, and insurance conditions differ by policy.

   Official source

   KNMP · The right to choose a pharmacy and the regular-pharmacy recommendation
3. 3

   Make sure the pharmacy knows what medicines you use

   Tell the pharmacy about current medicines, including medicines supplied by another pharmacy or provider and medicines obtained abroad. Answer its questions about allergies and other relevant information. The pharmacy may not automatically have a complete picture of medicines it did not supply. You can ask the pharmacy for a medication overview and ask how its record can be corrected or completed.

   Do this: Give the pharmacy the information it asks for and explain which medicines came from elsewhere, then request a medication overview if that would help you check the record.

   Documents needed

   • Medicine names and packaging
   • An existing medication overview, if available
   • Allergy and other relevant information requested by the pharmacy

   Processing time

   Update the pharmacy when medicines or relevant information come from another provider or country.

   Common mistake: Do not assume the pharmacy automatically sees every medicine you use. Ask the pharmacist what information is missing or needs confirmation.

   Official source

   Rijksoverheid · Pharmacy checks and requesting a medication overview
4. 4

   Get the prescription to the pharmacy

   Ask the prescriber where or how the prescription was issued or sent, and ask the pharmacy what it needs before you travel to collect it. Do not assume your chosen pharmacy has automatically received it. For a prescription issued in another EU country, required patient, prescriber and product information matters, Dutch dispensing rules apply, and the medicine may have a different name or may not be available. A cross-border e-prescription may not work, so a paper copy may be needed. If the prescription was issued outside the EU, ask a Dutch pharmacist or Dutch prescriber what is required before relying on it.

   Do this: Confirm the prescription route with both the prescriber and pharmacy, including any cross-border information or format the pharmacy needs.

   Documents needed

   • The prescription or prescriber's transmission details
   • Prescriber contact details
   • For a cross-border prescription, the patient, prescriber and product details required by the current EU rules

   Processing time

   Confirm the route before travelling to collect the medicine, especially when the prescription was issued abroad.

   Common mistake: An EU prescription is not a guarantee that the medicine will be dispensed. National rules, required information, availability and e-prescription compatibility can affect the result.

   Official source

   Your Europe · Presenting a prescription in another EU country
5. 5

   Check what is dispensed and ask before changing anything

   The pharmacist checks the prescription and relevant medicine-safety information. An insurer's preference policy can affect which brand or manufacturer is reimbursed or dispensed. If you have a medicine-specific concern, or think there is a medical reason why the preferred product may not be suitable, do not change anything yourself. Discuss the concern with the pharmacist and prescriber. Questions about the formulation, brand, dose, schedule or substitution also belong with them.

   Do this: Check the label and explanation against the prescription, then ask the pharmacist and prescriber about any difference or concern before changing how you use the medicine.

   Documents needed

   • The prescription
   • The dispensed package and label
   • Your medication overview if the pharmacist asks for it

   Processing time

   Ask while the pharmacist can compare the prescription, the dispensed product and the relevant record.

   Common mistake: Do not start, stop, replace, split, crush, ration or change the dose or schedule of a medicine based on this guide or an insurer preference alone.

   Official source

   Rijksoverheid · Preference policy and discussion with the doctor and pharmacist
6. 6

   Arrange repeats and check cost or coverage before you run out

   Do not assume repeat supply is automatic. Ask how repeat prescriptions or repeat supply are arranged for your medicine and how much lead time the pharmacy needs. A pharmacy may offer a repeat service, but the workflow depends on the prescription, prescriber and pharmacy. Medicine cover can depend on the GVS, coverage conditions, preference policy, a co-payment, the compulsory deductible, pharmacy-service costs and insurer contracting. For the current position, check your insurer, Medicijnkosten.nl and the pharmacy or prescriber as appropriate.

   Do this: Record the repeat-request route and lead time, then check the current reimbursement and billing position for the specific medicine and policy.

   Documents needed

   • Prescription or repeat details
   • Insurance policy details
   • The medicine name for the insurer or Medicijnkosten.nl check

   Cost

   Costs vary by medicine, coverage conditions, policy, deductible position, co-payment, pharmacy service and contracting. Check the current result for the specific medicine rather than relying on a general amount.

   Processing time

   Start the repeat request early enough for the prescriber and pharmacy to complete their own process before the current supply runs out.

   Common mistake: Do not ration, skip, double or otherwise change medicine use while waiting. Contact the pharmacist or prescriber if continuity is at risk.

   Official source

   KNMP · Repeat-service support that a pharmacy may offer
7. 7

   Save the out-of-hours pharmacy route

   Outside normal opening hours, check your own pharmacy's telephone message or website for the out-of-hours pharmacy serving your area. Use that route when the medicine-supply need cannot wait until normal opening hours. The out-of-hours pharmacy may charge a different or higher service amount. For urgent or life-threatening symptoms, use the urgent medical help route.

   Do this: Save the regular pharmacy's out-of-hours instructions and the local duty-pharmacy contact route before you need it.

   Open the urgent medical help guide

   Documents needed

   • The prescription or repeat information available
   • Medicine details
   • Identity and insurance details if requested

   Cost

   An out-of-hours pharmacy service can have a different or higher service charge. Ask the pharmacy and insurer about the current amount and reimbursement.

   Processing time

   Save the route in advance. Use it outside normal hours only when the medicine-supply need cannot wait for the regular pharmacy to reopen.

   Common mistake: Do not use pharmacy opening hours to decide whether symptoms are urgent. For urgent or life-threatening symptoms, use the urgent medical help route and do not delay assessment because a pharmacy is open.

   Official source

   KNMP · Local and regional out-of-hours pharmacy routing

• The prescription or the information the prescriber gave you about where it was sent
• The medicine name and packaging, plus a current medication overview if you have one
• Details of medicines obtained from another provider or abroad
• Allergy and other relevant information requested by the pharmacy
• Your health-insurance policy details where reimbursement or billing matters

• Basic-insurance reimbursement depends on the medicine, the GVS, any coverage conditions and your policy.
• A co-payment and the compulsory deductible are different cost routes and may both matter. Check the current position for the specific medicine with your insurer or Medicijnkosten.nl.
• The amount charged can include the medicine and the pharmacy's professional service. The service charge can differ outside normal opening hours.
• Insurer preference policy and whether the insurer contracts with the pharmacy can affect reimbursement or how the bill is handled. Ask the insurer and pharmacy about your own policy.

Check the prescription route, repeat-supply arrangement and expected availability before your current supply runs out. Ask the prescriber or pharmacy how much lead time the specific repeat needs. Outside normal hours, follow the local duty-pharmacy instructions only when the need cannot wait for the regular pharmacy to reopen.

Requirements depend on your situation. Check the latest requirements with the relevant authority.

• Apotheek.nl

  Public service · KNMP · Free · Has an app

  What a prescribed medicine is for and how to take it, written by the pharmacists' own body. The companion to Thuisarts once you have a prescription.

  www.apotheek.nl

Services people use for this in practice. We say who runs each one. See all apps and tools.

• Assuming every medicine needs a prescription or that every self-care medicine is sold only by a pharmacy. The route depends on the medicine, and the pharmacist or prescriber can confirm it.
• Treating one regular pharmacy as a legal requirement. You can choose a pharmacy; using the same one where practical is a recommendation that can help keep the medication overview complete.
• Assuming the pharmacy automatically knows every medicine you use. Tell it about medicines supplied elsewhere or abroad and ask how to update or obtain your medication overview.
• Changing a brand, formulation, dose or schedule because an insurer or pharmacy uses a preferred product. Take any medicine-specific concern to the pharmacist and prescriber before changing anything.
• Assuming repeat supply follows the same process everywhere. Ask the prescriber and pharmacy how it is arranged for your medicine and how much lead time they need.
• Waiting until the pharmacy is closed to find the out-of-hours route. Check your own pharmacy's telephone message or website and save the route serving your area.
• Assuming a foreign prescription guarantees supply. Required information, Dutch dispensing rules, availability and cross-border e-prescription limits can all affect the route.

• Choose a practical regular pharmacy and check your insurer's contracting or preference-policy information where reimbursement matters.
• Give the pharmacy the medicine and allergy information it asks for, including medicines obtained elsewhere, and request a medication overview if useful.
• Ask the prescriber and pharmacy how prescriptions and repeats move between them for your own medicine.
• Save the regular pharmacy's contact details and its local out-of-hours instructions.
• For any question about a medicine, brand, formulation, dose, schedule, interaction, allergy, pregnancy, side effect or shortage, contact the pharmacist or prescriber.