If you want to import a licensed medicine you’ll need to apply for one or more licences:

If the human medicine you want to import contains a controlled substance (having or using it is controlled by law) you must contact the Home Office.

You’ll need to apply for a wholesaler licence if you import medicine from:

How much you pay depends on the type of application, the number of sites, and your total turnover in licensed human medicines.

If your company is based in Great Britain, you may need a Responsible Person for Import.

Apply for a wholesaler licence

You’ll need to apply for a manufacturer licence if you import medicine from a country other than an approved country for import for use in the UK or to supply it to a country on an approved country for import list.

If you are in Northern Ireland you’ll need to apply for a manufacturer licence if you import medicine from outside the EEA for use in the UK or to supply it to an EEA country.

Apply for a manufacturer licence

You need to have an MA licence before you can sell a human medicine. There are many types of MA licence so the process you need to follow depends on the type of MA licence you need.

Before a medicine can be released to the market, a Qualified Person (QP) named in the manufacturer/importer licence must certify that it has been manufactured and tested according to:

Site inspections

MHRA will inspect the manufacturing site you use to produce or import the medicine when you’re applying for an MA.

There is a list of GMP-compliant manufacturers available on the MHRA-GMDP or for certificates issued prior to 1st January 2021 on the EUDRAGMDP website.

There is a list of GMP-compliant manufacturers available on MHRA-GMDP.

Apply for an MA licence

If you want to import an unlicensed medicine into the UK you will need:

Before you import an unlicensed medicine you will need to notify the MHRA of your intent to import an unlicensed medicine before you import it. You can only proceed with the import if the MHRA does not object to it.

Additional information on the importation and supply of unlicensed medicines can be found on Supply unlicensed medicinal products (specials)

You must be a licensed wholesale dealer in the UK to import an introduced product.

You may only obtain an introduced medicine from a person authorised in the country other than an approved country for import or if you are in Northern Ireland in the non-EEA country to supply medicinal products by wholesale distribution.

You can only export an introduced product to a person authorised in the country other than an approved country for import or if you are in Northern Ireland the non-EEA country to receive medicinal products for wholesale distribution or supply to the public.

An introduced medicinal product will not have an MA for the UK or a country on an approved country for import list.

Please refer to Contact the MHRA

Published 9 August 2005
Last updated 29 January 2025 + show all updates