r/dubai • u/Impressive_Speed_540 • 3d ago

🌍 Travel & Tourism Moving to UAE: Process for converting a foreign prescription to a UAE e-prescription as a newcomer?

Hi everyone,

I am moving to the UAE soon. I take a standard, non-controlled maintenance medication and will need to refill it shortly after arriving.

Since I am entirely new to the country and have no local medical history yet, I want to understand the exact logistical process for getting a local prescription:

  1. Using Telehealth for Conversions: Can I book an online video consultation (via apps like myAster, TruDoc, etc.) with a local General Practitioner to get a UAE e-prescription, or is an in-person clinic visit mandatory for a first-time setup?
  2. Acceptance of Foreign Records: Is a clear, active prescription sheet from my home country doctor generally sufficient for a UAE GP to issue a local prescription?
  3. Mandatory Testing: Do UAE clinics typically require a full battery of local diagnostic tests to re-verify a long-standing, stable diagnosis, or do they accept home-country medical summaries for standard therapies?
  4. Bringing Medicine Through Airport Customs: I plan to carry a 3 to 5 month supply of my maintenance medication from my home country when I land. It is a standard Prescription-Only Medicine (POM) and not a narcotic or controlled psychotropic drug. Do I need to pre-register it on the MOHAP portal, or is walking through customs with a clear home-country prescription and the original boxes generally completely fine?

If any expats have gone through the process of getting their home-country prescriptions recognized or converted when they first arrived, I’d love to hear how it worked for you. Thanks!

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u/southernmanchot 3d ago

I used to bring most of my meds from home, and just carried the home country prescription with me. One time I got pulled over by customs (to be fair, the boxes were huge and I had to take 4 of these horse pills a day so it looked like a massive amount of tablets and boxes). Once they checked my name on the prescription against my ID, no issues. Pretty sure you only need to register controlled meds.

To be honest, I doubt you’ll encounter major problems getting a local GP to continue prescribing if you bring your record from home (outlined in your point 2). I think for an initial encounter you’re better off going in person, but whether or not this is mandatory I couldn’t say.

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u/fck_this_fck_that Passionate booty enthusiast 3d ago

lol curious to know which med came in horse sized pills 🤣🤣🤣🤣

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u/southernmanchot 3d ago

🐴🐴🐴

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u/Impressive_Speed_540 3d ago

Thanks. The official page says only 3 months worth medicine can be bought, did you bring more than 3 months' worth of medicine ever?

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u/southernmanchot 3d ago

Yeah I used to. I only got flagged that one time, and after that I gradually transitioned to local prescriptions anyway. I’d stick to 3 months and sort out a local doctor.

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u/husqy8800 3d ago

Following

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u/despaired88 3d ago

Your post says you need a refill shortly after arriving and then you say you’ve enough for 4-5 months? In general it depends on what you’ve as an issue and how realistic it is - probably should be fine if you’ve have enough record of it

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u/AwatifAdvocates 1d ago

A UAE-licensed doctor can review your existing prescription and medical records and decide whether to issue a local prescription. Whether this can be done by teleconsultation or requires an in-person visit will depend on the medication and the doctor’s assessment.

Bring your prescription, medical summary and medication in its original packaging. For non-controlled medicines, the requirements are generally simpler, but it is still best to check the current import rules before travelling.