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Posted By: cokelush Prescription drugs and customs - 12/13/06 05:35 PM
One more question... we are arriving thurs. night. My daughter will be following us in on saturday night so will not be travelling with us.

My daughter takes several rx drugs for her asthma, an antibiotic, and a non-narcotic pain killer for an injury in a motorcycle accident several months ago. (altho I may bring her darvocet since she will be walking alot; that's when her leg bothers her and that is considered a narcotic).

I was going to put her drugs along with ours in our checked luggage since she will only be taking a carry-on bag. My thinking was that they would go through easier in checked. (there are no drugs that anyone would think twice about... I was just being concerned)

All drugs are in their orig. bottles labeled ect.

However, if our checked bag is searched will it be a problem b/c we have her drugs yet she is not with us??

or

should she just take her own drugs in her carry-on and there won't be any problems??

Thanks a bunch! One more sleep and we are there!!!
Robin
Posted By: dabunk Re: Prescription drugs and customs - 12/13/06 07:43 PM
Have her bring her own stuff in her carryon. If for some reason your luggage gets lost she is out of luck. Always bring in your carryon anything you cannot afford to lose.
Posted By: krehfish Re: Prescription drugs and customs - 12/13/06 08:43 PM
It's a good idea to have her MD's prescription for the meds with her too.
Posted By: cokelush Re: Prescription drugs and customs - 12/13/06 08:49 PM
There's no way to get the MD prescription... the pharmacy keeps them for their records. (military treatment facility).
I'll have her put them in her carry-on and hope for the best.
Thanks.
Posted By: dabunk Re: Prescription drugs and customs - 12/13/06 11:06 PM
While here if you need a refill, they will almost always accept the bottle itself for refills. Very little here requires a prescription.
Posted By: Stephania*21 Re: Prescription drugs and customs - 12/14/06 12:53 AM
definitly keep all meds with her in her carry on!!!! incase of lost luggage with others have already mentioned.
Posted By: Anonymous Re: Prescription drugs and customs - 12/14/06 02:05 AM
Last year I brought prescription meds in and was told I would have to pay duty, unless I could show an original of the prescription. As with cokelush I was unable to, but I had anticipated this and had a letter from the doctor saying I needed the drugs, plus a copy of the form which shows the drugs prescribed. Made no difference - I was charged duty, though fortunately at a fairly low rate.
Posted By: cokelush Re: Prescription drugs and customs - 12/14/06 04:48 AM
Pedro2 - do you remember about what the amount was that you had to pay? My daughter will be traveling w/ her bf but neither have dealt w/ customs before.
She's not going to be bringing alot of money and I just don't want the customs people to freak her out.
She is very pretty and I could tell her to cry... maybe that would get her out of it?? lol.

Anyways, I'm trying to prepare her for any scenario... and I had no clue that she/we might have to pay duty on rx drugs. wow.

Thanks for the heads up.
Posted By: NYgal Re: Prescription drugs and customs - 12/14/06 04:58 AM
I believe this is the first time I heard of questions on medicine and customs.
We carry medications and no one ever asked any question.

We go often to Belize... smile
Posted By: cokelush Re: Prescription drugs and customs - 12/14/06 05:50 AM
Good to know NYgal. Guess we'll all find out soon! I'll warn her tho'.
We are beyond excited!!
Posted By: seashell Re: Prescription drugs and customs - 12/14/06 07:21 AM
I always have meds with me, never been a problem. Pedro2 lives there, mayhap that had something to do with it.

There's no need to declare anything if they are your personal prescribed medications. As others have said, make sure they are still in their labeled prescription bottles. And I'm assuming that your daughter and her boyfriend won't be bringing in anything else that needs to be declared either. Therefore, when exiting the baggage area, they should go to the right, under the sign "Nothing to Declare". They'll probably be asked again, if they have anything to declare and all they have to say is "No." It is unlikely that they will get searched anyway. However if they are, it will quickly be discovered that they were truthful and then I believe that they'll be allowed to go on their way.
Posted By: Anonymous Re: Prescription drugs and customs - 12/14/06 09:08 AM
The computation of the amount I had to pay was vague. They charged me US$40 for medications which cost me nothing (under the UK National Health Service). I don't know what they would have cost in the US, but here in Belize probably at least several hundred $. I objected at first, then they said they would double the amount if I didn't agree to pay. So I did, but insisted on getting a receipt. Otherwise it would just have gone into their own pockets. Customs are the most corrupt of the public officials we general public are likely to come up against.
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