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A letter from your treating doctor is one of the most genuinely useful pieces of documentation you can carry while travelling with a health condition, medical device, or regular medication. It can smooth airport security, helps if you need care while away, and provides clear information if you’re ever unable to explain your own situation.
Despite how often it’s recommended, most general travel advice doesn’t explain what a good travel letter actually contains. This guide covers exactly that.
A note on what this is: This is practical travel guidance, not medical advice. Speak to your doctor directly about arranging a travel letter specific to your situation.
Why a Travel Letter Matters
Airport security
A letter confirming your diagnosis, medications, and any devices you’re carrying can make security screening faster and clearer, particularly for less common devices or when travelling internationally where verbal explanation may be more difficult.
Carrying medication and supplies
Some medications and quantities, particularly controlled substances or large supplies of injectable medication, benefit from documentation confirming medical necessity, both at your departure airport and at your destination. See our guide on carrying medication legally for how a letter fits alongside original packaging and prescriptions.
Getting care while travelling
If you need to see a doctor while away, a letter with your medical history and current medications gives any treating clinician a genuine starting point, particularly valuable if there’s a language barrier or if you’re not in a position to explain your history yourself.
Insurance claims
Some travel insurance claims, particularly those involving a pre-existing condition, may ask for supporting medical documentation. Having a letter already prepared can make this process smoother.
What a Good Travel Letter Should Include
Your name, date of birth and travel details
Your full name as it appears on your passport, your date of birth, and your travel dates and destination. For medication, this helps show that the quantities you carry match the length of your trip.
Your diagnosis, stated clearly
The specific condition or conditions, using standard medical terminology rather than only informal descriptions.
Current medications, using generic names
Brand names vary significantly between countries. Generic (active ingredient) names are far more consistent internationally and more useful if you need to source replacement medication overseas. They are not perfectly uniform though: paracetamol is called acetaminophen in the US, salbutamol is called albuterol, and adrenaline is called epinephrine. Where the names differ, list both.
Dosages, strength and administration
How much of each medication, how strong it is, how often, and how it’s taken or administered, particularly important for insulin and other titrated medications.
Quantities
The total amount of each medication you are carrying, so the amounts on the letter match the length of your trip.
A statement that the medication is for your personal use
A line confirming that the medication is prescribed to you and is for your personal medical use while travelling.
Any devices you use
Pacemakers, ICDs, insulin pumps, CPAP machines, or other medical equipment, including the specific model where relevant, particularly useful for airport security and if the device ever needs troubleshooting away from home.
Any equipment that needs to bypass standard security screening
A note confirming that a specific device, such as an insulin pump, should not go through X-ray screening if that’s your device manufacturer’s guidance.
Your doctor’s contact details
Full name, clinic or hospital, phone number, and email, so a treating clinician overseas can contact them directly if needed.
Signature, registration and letterhead
The letter should be signed by your doctor on clinic or hospital letterhead, with their professional registration details (in Australia, their AHPRA registration number). Some countries, including the UK, ask for the prescriber’s professional registration details. Writing the letter in English is a sensible minimum, and the US asks for a prescription or doctor’s note written in English.
The date the letter was written
A dated letter shows the information is current. Insurers and border officials may want recent documentation, so check that it reflects your current medications, and request an updated version if anything has changed since it was written.
Requesting a Travel Letter From Your Doctor
Ask specifically for a travel letter
Most doctors are familiar with this request and can prepare one during a regular appointment, though it’s worth mentioning at the time of booking if you know you’ll need it, so adequate time is allocated.
Bring a list of what you need covered
Particularly useful if you have multiple conditions, devices, or medications, since it helps ensure nothing is missed. Bring your travel dates and destination as well, so the letter can reflect them.
Allow time before you travel
Request the letter well ahead of your trip rather than the week before, particularly if your GP needs to consult specialist records or if you see a specialist directly for your condition.
Consider a specialist letter for complex conditions
For more complex situations, a letter from the specific specialist managing your condition, rather than a general practitioner, may carry more weight and contain more precise detail.
Format and Practical Considerations
Keep a physical copy and a digital copy
A physical copy for airport security and in-person situations, and a digital copy (photo or scan) stored somewhere accessible, such as your phone or email, as a backup.
Consider having it translated for specific destinations
For travel to countries where English isn’t widely spoken, particularly for extended stays or high-risk situations, having key details translated can be genuinely useful.
Keep it with your travel documents, not packed away
The letter is only useful if it’s accessible when needed, in your carry-on or with your passport, not in checked luggage.
Update it if your situation changes
A recent medication change, a new device, or an updated diagnosis means your existing letter may no longer be accurate. Request an updated version rather than relying on outdated documentation.
What a Travel Letter Isn’t
It doesn’t make a restricted medication legal
A letter can support your case, but it cannot make a medication legal in a country that prohibits it, and it does not replace any permit or licence required for controlled medicines. See our guides on carrying medication legally and medications that are restricted or banned overseas.
It’s not a substitute for travel insurance documentation
A travel letter supports your situation but doesn’t replace the specific medical assessment or documentation some insurers require during the application process. Read our guide on travel insurance and pre-existing conditions for what insurers typically need.
It’s not a guarantee of smooth security screening
It makes the process easier and faster, but security decisions are ultimately made by security staff at the time, using their own judgment.
It’s not a substitute for carrying original medication packaging
Even with a letter, medication should generally be carried in its original, labelled packaging, not repackaged into a pill organiser for the whole trip, particularly when crossing international borders.
FAQs
Do I need a letter from my doctor to travel with medication?
Not always strictly required, but strongly recommended, particularly for larger quantities, injectable medications, controlled substances, or international travel. It can significantly smooth airport security and provides useful documentation if you need care while away.
Should I use generic or brand names in a travel letter?
Generic names are more useful internationally, since brand names vary significantly between countries. Where a generic name also differs between countries, such as paracetamol and acetaminophen, list both.
What details should a travel letter include about my medication?
Your name, date of birth and travel dates, each medication by generic name with its dose, strength and frequency, the quantities you are carrying, a statement that it is for your personal use, and your doctor’s signature, registration details and contact information.
Can a doctor’s letter make a restricted medication legal?
No. A letter helps show that a medicine is yours and is prescribed for you, but it cannot make a medication legal in a country that prohibits it, and it does not replace any permit or licence required for controlled medicines.
How far in advance should I request a travel letter?
Well ahead of your trip, ideally several weeks, particularly if your doctor needs to consult specialist records or if you see a specialist directly for your condition.
Does a travel letter need to be from a specialist?
Not necessarily, a general practitioner can write one for most situations, but for more complex conditions, a letter from your specific specialist may contain more precise, useful detail.
Should I get my travel letter translated?
Worth considering for extended travel to countries where English isn’t widely spoken, particularly for more complex medical situations.
Final Thoughts
A well-prepared travel letter is one of the simplest, most genuinely useful pieces of preparation for travelling with a health condition, device, or regular medication. The details that matter most are using generic medication names, including your travel dates and the quantities you carry, adding specific device information where relevant, and keeping the letter accessible rather than packed away.
A note on what this is: This is practical travel guidance, not medical advice. Speak to your doctor directly about arranging a travel letter specific to your situation.
For more on travel documentation and essentials, read our guides on carrying medication legally, airport security with medical devices and implants, and travel insurance and pre-existing conditions.
