You will not be fined. When the FAMHP seizes your postal package and it is for the first time, then you will only receive a warning and your case will be closed without any further consequences.
If we detect a second violation related to the medicinal products or medical device legislation, after you have already received a warning, an out-of-court settlement will be proposed that amounts to a minimum of 400 euros. In exceptional cases, cases will be turned over to the prosecutor's office for further investigation.
Cases are always handled on an individual basis. Therefore, the above information does not apply to all medicinal products. Certain medicinal products are treated differently, such as specially regulated substances, narcotics, psychotropics and antibiotics. For antibiotics, the FAMHP has a strict zero tolerance policy. This means that you can be fined for importing such medicinal products as early as the first offence.
Citizens do not always have sufficient awareness of legislation. It is also not always easy to determine whether ordered products are medicinal products, medical devices, dietary supplements or cosmetics. Read the tips in our brochure on how to recognise illegal websites (available in French and Dutch).
- it contains a pharmacologically active substance;
- it is presented as a medicinal product (e.g. by stating therapeutic claims such as: ‘works against colds’, ‘prevents cancer’, etc.).
We therefore consider your goods to be medicinal products. The fact that the products may be marketed elsewhere in the world as dietary supplements or cosmetics is not a valid argument. When imported into Belgium, Belgian legislation applies.
If our inspection services seize a second package within a reasonable time and with the same contents as the first package, you will receive a second warning.
Since we handle cases on an individual basis, your case may still be handled differently. For example, if we find another breach of the legislation on medicinal products or medical devices, you risk a fine. The minimum fine is 400 euros.
No. In Belgium, medicinal products on medical prescription may only be delivered to the patient in person at the pharmacy upon presentation of a medical prescription.
Medicinal products without a medical prescription may be offered for sale on the internet by pharmacies under strict conditions and only on websites that are notified to the FAMHP and the Order of Pharmacists. The list of notified websites is published on the FAMHP website.
Click on the logo. You will be redirected to an authorised government website with a list of pharmacies that legally offer medicinal products online. If the pharmacy is listed, you can proceed with your purchase with confidence. If this is a Belgian website, it will take you to this page on the FAMHP website. If it is a foreign website, you will be directed to the website for the competent authority for that country. The European Medicinal products Agency (EMA) website lists the competent authority for each country.
For online sales of veterinary medicines, you can also easily check whether the website is legal. The website displays the European logo for online sales of veterinary medicines. Click on the logo. You will be redirected to the FAMHP website with the list of notified websites. More information on online sales of veterinary medicines can be found on our website.
Some more tips on how to recognise illegal websites can be found in our brochure (available in French and Dutch).
The shipment of medicinal products by citizens of third countries (countries outside the European Economic Area) to Belgium is never permitted. In Belgium, obtaining medicinal products, both over-the-counter and by prescription, is always tied to the legal distribution chain. This means that medicinal products may only be obtained through pharmacies. If your treatment cannot be interrupted, you can consult a general practitioner in Belgium, who can provide you with a prescription with which you can obtain the medicinal products from a Belgian pharmacy.
Between Member States within the European Union, the shipment of medicinal products is only permitted on the condition that these medicinal products are authorised in a Member State and that they have also been lawfully obtained through the legal medicinal product circuit.
Narcotics or psychotropic substances should never be sent to you. The same applies to other specially regulated substances.
The shipment of medicinal products by citizens of third countries (countries outside the European Economic Area) to Belgium is never permitted. In Belgium, obtaining medicinal products, both over-the-counter and by prescription, is always tied to the legal distribution chain. This means that medicinal products may only be obtained through pharmacies. If your treatment cannot be interrupted, you can consult a general practitioner in Belgium, who can provide you with a prescription with which you can obtain the medicinal products from a Belgian pharmacy.
Between Member States within the European Union, the shipment of medicinal products is only permitted on the condition that these medicinal products are authorised in a Member State and that they have also been lawfully obtained through the legal medicinal product circuit.
Narcotics or psychotropic substances should never be sent to you. The same applies to other specially regulated substances.
Between Member States within the European Union, the shipment of medicinal products is only permitted on the condition that these medicinal products are authorised in a Member State and that they have also been lawfully obtained through the legal medicinal product circuit.
You should never send narcotics or psychotropic substances. The same applies to other specially regulated substances.