Prepare your health and travel first-aid kit before your trip

• Your personal list depends on the medications you take regularly, prescribed medical aids, trip length, and planned activities.
• Bring the medications you take regularly in their original packaging, with an adequate reserve.
• Store medications in a way that protects them from heat and moisture and prevents unauthorized access.
• Keep health information protected; you can give a trusted person of your choice access to specific information in an emergency.
• Depending on the country, special documentation may be required for certain medications when entering or transiting.
• The contents and size of your travel first-aid kit depend on your personal situation, destination, and trip length.

Start with the medications you take regularly, any known allergies, and medical aids you need every day. If you have a chronic condition or allergies, are pregnant, or are planning a strenuous trip, your healthcare provider can help you prepare. Your route, length of stay, and health needs determine what to include in your first-aid kit and documents.

For illness and medical care abroad, health information for your trip should include local emergency numbers, medical facilities, and details of your health insurance coverage.

Set aside prescriptions, certificates, and personal travel documents along with the medications you take regularly. Your travel checklist can include a separate entry for prescriptions, medical aids, and adequate supplies.

Medications you take regularly should be within reach during your journey and not packed only in checked baggage. Keep them in their original packaging whenever possible, so the name, strength, and dosage are clear. Do not change how you take them on your own just because your routine, time zone, or flight time changes. If you have questions about adjusting to a time difference, contact your healthcare provider.

Special rules apply to carrying prescribed controlled substances. For travel outside the Schengen Area, the import rules of each destination and transit country apply. Your transit route and onward journey determine which borders you will cross.

Prescriptions, active ingredient names, and medical certificates can be stored securely and offline with your digitally stored travel documents. You can carry a paper copy separately from your main luggage.

Your travel first-aid kit should suit your route, accommodation, activities, and personal experience. In addition to medications you take regularly, products for minor wounds, personal sun protection, or familiar ailments may be useful, depending on the advice you receive. Before longer trips, check expiry dates and the storage instructions on the packaging. For children, older adults, and people with chronic conditions, choose supplies according to individual needs and medical advice.

Pack small medical aids so you can find them without searching for long. A waterproof bag can protect them in changeable weather; products that are sensitive to conditions need to be stored as directed on the packaging. Safe storage is part of preparing for your trip: keep medications and health documents separate from valuables and within reach of the traveler.

Write down the contact details for your healthcare provider, insurer, and a trusted person who can be reached. For trips lasting several days, include your accommodation address in the information you can access; searching for accommodation by destination and location can help you find somewhere suitable to stay. Include medication names, allergies, and important notes only in a protected format. A short, legible note listing allergies, medication ingredients, and the help you may need can make communication easier; keep important information for situations where communication is difficult ready to show.

Addresses, booking details, and important contacts should remain accessible even without mobile service. Save your phone and communication details offline before departure and test that you can access them without a connection. Another person should know where your backup documents are, without being given access to unnecessary sensitive information.

Keep health documents and medications separate from cash and important original documents; protect your valuables and documents as well. If your luggage is delayed or a connection is canceled, it is important to have a reachable contact person, a reserve of medication in your carry-on, and a plan B for travel changes.

What should definitely go in a travel first-aid kit?

Be sure to pack the medications you personally take regularly and any medical aids you need every day. Anything else should be appropriate for your route and activities, and based on individual advice.

Should I put medications in checked baggage?

Important medications should remain within reach during your journey. How you divide them between bags depends on the product, storage requirements, and transport rules; if you are unsure, ask your doctor’s office, pharmacy, or airline.

Which certificate is required for prescribed controlled substances when traveling within the Schengen Area?

For trips of up to 30 days, citizens of Schengen Agreement countries need a certificate completed by a doctor and certified by the relevant authority under Article 75. A separate certificate is required for each controlled substance, and each certificate is valid for no more than 30 days.

How should I store health information while traveling?

Store health information securely and limit it to what is necessary. You can give a trusted person of your choice access to the information they need in an emergency; keep a paper backup with important contact details separate from the originals.