Can I take prescribed medical cannabis from the UK to Spain?

Quick answer.

The wider three-month traveller limit published for some controlled medicines does not apply to cannabis. The Spain cannabis-specific limit is 15 days.

UK → Spain checklist.

1. Apply to AEMPS before travel. AEMPS says controlled-medicine travel permits require a minimum of 10 days to process when the required information and documents are supplied.
2. Complete and sign the application. AEMPS requires the traveller application in PDF format.
3. Get a current medical certificate or report. It should identify the clinician or medical centre and set out the condition, treatment and prescribed daily dose.
4. Keep the current prescription. AEMPS requires the current prescription, signed by the prescriber, in PDF format for an inbound application.
5. Include identification and travel evidence. AEMPS asks for a passport or identity-document copy and a copy of the travel tickets.
6. Keep the medicine and evidence together. GOV.UK says people leaving the UK with controlled-drug medicine should be able to prove it is theirs with a prescription or clinician letter.
7. Do not exceed 15 days of cannabis treatment. The limit is based on the prescribed treatment quantity, not the length of the holiday or the permit-validity period.

A patient applying directly to AEMPS is instructed to submit the required PDF documents to the traveller controlled-medicines contact shown on the current AEMPS page.

Permit validity is not the medicine allowance.

AEMPS says a traveller certificate or permit can be valid for up to three months from issue. That does not mean three months of cannabis can be carried into Spain. Cannabis and cannabis derivatives remain limited to a maximum 15-day treatment quantity.

If your trip is longer than 15 days.

AEMPS says that after the permitted traveller supply is exhausted, medicine must be obtained through the legal channels established in Spain. Do not assume that a UK prescription can simply be presented to a Spanish pharmacy for a replacement supply.

Spain's Real Decreto 903/2025 creates a domestic framework for standardised cannabis preparations in defined clinical circumstances. Prescribing under that framework is limited to specialist doctors in hospital care, and dispensing is carried out by legally established hospital pharmacy services. That is a separate Spanish treatment pathway, not an automatic continuation of a UK prescription.

Can someone post more medicine to you?

Do not plan to replace your supply by having prescribed cannabis posted to you privately. AEMPS states that medicine exports are limited to authorised pharmaceutical laboratories and distribution entities rather than private individuals.

What about an airport connection in Spain?

AEMPS says travellers who are only making a stopover in Spain do not require an AEMPS permit solely for that Spanish transit. You still need to check the rules of the departure country, final destination and any other transit country.

A Cannabis Social Club is not a replacement for this process.

Your UK prescription, permission to enter Spain with prescribed medicine, Spain's regulated medical pathway and the Cannabis Social Club landscape are separate issues. A CSC should not be treated as a substitute for an AEMPS travel permit or as a refill route for a UK prescription.

Before departure.

Recheck the AEMPS page shortly before travel because controlled-drug requirements can change. Keep the current permit, prescription evidence and supporting documents accessible while travelling, and check the destination and transit rules again if your itinerary changes.

Prepare your travel evidence →