Individual import of an unregistered medicine: permit, cold chain and customs clearance
The prescription from a foreign clinic lists a medicine that no pharmacy in Tbilisi has heard of, and the course has to start in two weeks. The family is tempted in two directions: ask an acquaintance to bring it in their luggage, or order it from an online pharmacy. Both end at customs or, worse, with a medicine that is no longer usable. This page explains the lawful route in detail: what the prescription must say, what the permit application looks like, what customs requires, how 2-8 degrees is maintained in transit and what can never come in this way.
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A permit in the patient's nameAn application to the regulatory agency, checked item by item
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A logged cold chainAn insulated container and the temperature curve on delivery
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Four lines in the priceThe medicine at invoice price, transport, charges, our fee
The permit application: what goes into it and why it gets returned
The law allows an unregistered medicine to be brought in for a specific patient, but the application is formal, and every gap costs time for a patient who has none to spare.
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In whose name it is filed
In the name of the patient or their legal representative, under a power of attorney to us. The permit covers this person, this medicine and this quantity; it cannot be used for another patient, and this also applies to repeat orders.
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What we attach
The doctor's prescription with full details, Form 100 or a discharge summary with the diagnosis, a copy of the ID, and the supplier's pro forma invoice or quote, in which the medicine's name, form and quantity match the prescription exactly.
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What quantity
What the course of treatment requires, calculated from the prescription. For long-term treatment the application is repeated periodically; you cannot bring in a year's supply at once, and we cannot request it either.
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Why it is returned
The prescription does not state the dose or the course, a foreign prescription has not been translated, the quantity on the invoice does not match the application, or the medicine belongs to a group this permit does not cover. We check all four before filing.
From supplier to customs: which document does the work at each stage
| Stage | Document | What each party checks | Risk if it is missing |
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| Choosing the supplier | The pharmacy's or distributor's licence, the batch number and expiry date of the medicine | Us: origin, price in several countries, ability to ship under temperature control | A counterfeit medicine or one close to expiry |
| Purchase | An invoice in the patient's name, with the medicine's name, quantity and price | Supplier: a copy of the permit, sometimes a copy of the prescription | The invoice does not match the permit and customs holds the parcel |
| Transport | The carrier's tracking number, a temperature logger in the container | Carrier: a declaration of contents as "medicine for personal use" | The parcel sits in an ordinary warehouse and the temperature range is breached |
| Customs declaration | Permit, invoice, patient's ID, recipient's application or power of attorney | Revenue Service: consistency with the permit, charges based on value | The parcel waits for days in the customs warehouse |
| Delivery | Handover record, logger data, storage instructions in Georgian | The family and the treating doctor: batch, expiry, integrity, temperature curve | An unusable medicine reaches the patient |
Charges are calculated on the invoice value of the medicine at the customs rate, with no mark-up from us, and appear on your bill with a receipt. The threshold below which a personal parcel is exempt from charges changes from time to time, and we calculate under the rules in force before you order.
The cold chain, and what cannot come in this way
Insulin, monoclonal antibodies, growth hormone and some oncology and rheumatology medicines stay active only at 2-8 degrees. A single freeze, or one hour in a hot warehouse, makes them unusable with no visible sign. That is why we have these medicines shipped under three conditions.
- A validated insulated container: with gel packs that hold the range for 72-96 hours; the supplier lists this as a separate line on the invoice.
- A digital temperature logger: it sits inside the container and records the curve for the whole journey; on delivery we read the data together with the family and attach it to the handover record.
- Declaration before arrival: the customs documents are ready before the parcel lands, so the container is not held up in the warehouse; this is where the chain most often breaks.
- If the range is breached: we do not hand the medicine to the patient but return it to the supplier. That risk lies with us and the supplier, not with you, and the quote says so.
Frequently asked questions about importing medicines
What must the doctor's prescription contain for the permit to be issued?
The agency assesses the permit application on the basis of the prescription, so it must contain: the medicine's international non-proprietary name (the active substance) and the brand name if the doctor requires a specific product, the dosage form and strength (for example, 50 mg tablet), the daily dose and the length of the course, from which the required quantity is calculated, the diagnosis with its ICD code, and the reason why an analogue registered in Georgia is not suitable. A prescription from a foreign clinic is translated into Georgian and must carry the doctor's stamp and signature. If any element is missing, the application is returned and time is lost; that is why we check it first and only then submit it.
What does customs require, and can the parcel get stuck at customs?
Revenue Service customs releases the parcel on four documents: the individual import permit; the supplier's invoice, in which the name and quantity of the medicine match the permit exactly; a copy of the patient's ID, because the permit is issued to a specific person; and the recipient's application or a power of attorney if we are collecting the parcel. A parcel is held at customs in three cases: there is no permit or it has expired, the quantity on the invoice exceeds the quantity in the permit, or the parcel contains other goods as well, which complicates the declaration. So we ask the supplier to put only the medicine and the invoice in the package, and we prepare the declaration before the parcel arrives, so it does not wait in the warehouse for days.
How do you keep the temperature range for insulin, biologics and vaccines?
These medicines must be kept at 2-8 degrees, and a single freeze or overheating makes them unusable without any visible sign. So the cold chain has three elements: the supplier packs the medicine in a validated insulated container with gel packs that hold the range for 72-96 hours; a digital temperature logger inside the container records the curve for the whole journey; the parcel travels with an express carrier that has a procedure for temperature-sensitive shipments, and the customs declaration is ready in advance so the container is not held up in the warehouse. On delivery we read the logger data, and if the range was breached we do not hand the medicine to the patient but return it to the supplier, because that risk is ours, not yours.
Which medicines cannot be brought in this way, and what happens if the permit is refused?
Medicines containing narcotic and psychotropic substances (some strong painkillers, sleeping pills, attention deficit medicines) cannot be brought in under an ordinary individual import permit and are subject to a separate, stricter regime; in that case we look for a registered alternative together with the doctor. Nor do we import a medicine for resale or for passing on to another patient, a quantity larger than the course, or a product whose origin is not confirmed by the supplier's licence. If the agency refuses, we receive the reason in writing: most often it is a gap in the prescription, which can be corrected and the application resubmitted. If the refusal is on substance, we look with the doctor for a registered analogue or for treatment in a country where the medicine is available.
What comes before the import
- Translation of prescriptions and treatment orders A foreign prescription in Georgian, so the agency does not return the application.
- Cancer treatment abroad When chemotherapy cycles continue in Georgia under a foreign centre's protocol.
- International shipping by DHL Sending the originals of the permit and invoice to the supplier when a copy is not enough.
Check first, then order
Upload the prescription and within 1-2 working days you will know whether the medicine qualifies for a permit, where it is cheapest and most reliable, and how long it will take to arrive. The check commits you to nothing.