A clear clinical handover for every family member
Health records and prescriptions before moving abroad
Ask for a useful health summary, not an unexplained archive. The goal is to help a new clinician understand diagnoses, medicines, allergies, vaccinations, active treatment and what needs to happen next.
Research checked 1 September 2026
- 01SummaryDiagnoses, allergies, medicines and important history
- 02ContinuityCurrent care, recent results and next review
- 03PreventionVaccinations, screening and travel-health advice
- 04PermissionPrescription, doctor letter and medicine import rules
Start with a clear answer
The questions to settle before the move becomes expensive
What must a new clinician know quickly?
Prioritise active conditions, allergies, medicines, significant procedures, recent results, care plans and named specialists.
Can each medicine enter the destination?
Check the active ingredient, quantity limit, documentation and any permit with the destination's competent authority, especially for controlled medicines.
Are vaccinations and screening up to date?
Review routine family care and destination-specific travel health early enough to complete a course or discuss alternatives.
When does new cover begin?
Avoid a gap between public, employer, travel or international insurance, and disclose health information accurately to the insurer.
Ask for a concise health summary first
A complete record can be valuable, but hundreds of pages without context may not help a clinician make a safe first decision. Ask the current practice or specialist what it can provide and request a concise summary alongside relevant reports, imaging and results.
Use generic medicine names or active ingredients as well as brand names because brands differ between countries. Include dose, form, timing, reason, prescriber and any medicine that has caused a serious reaction. Record allergies and the reaction, rather than writing only 'allergic'.
- Identity details and emergency contacts that match passports and insurance records.
- Current diagnoses, important past history, operations, devices and hospital admissions.
- Medicines, allergies, vaccination history and relevant screening records.
- Active referrals, recent results, specialist letters, care plans and the date of the next review.
Plan ongoing care before the final prescription
Ask which reviews, monitoring tests or treatment should be completed before travel and what can safely wait. If a condition needs specialist follow-up, identify a suitable provider in the destination and ask what records it wants before booking.
Discuss a reasonable medicine supply with the prescriber, but do not assume a long prescription can legally enter another country. Availability, brand, formulation and prescribing rules may differ after arrival. Plan how a local clinician will reassess and continue treatment rather than relying indefinitely on supplies from home.
Check medicine rules by active ingredient
The International Narcotics Control Board publishes country-submitted information for travellers carrying internationally controlled medicines, while noting that rules are set through national legal and administrative systems. The destination authority remains the final source for permits, certificates, quantity limits and prohibited substances.
Keep medicines in original labelled packaging and carry the prescription and a signed clinician letter where required. The letter should identify the patient, active ingredient, dose and medical need without including unnecessary private detail. Check transit-country rules as well as the final destination when you pass through border control with the medicine.
Do not post medicine or pack it in checked luggage without checking the law, carrier rules, temperature requirements and the risk of loss. Essential medicine and documentation usually need a safer, accessible plan.
Protect the records without making them impossible to reach
Keep an encrypted digital copy and a small offline emergency summary. Both adults should know how to reach children's records and insurance details, subject to appropriate consent and privacy. Do not place a family's complete medical history in an unprotected shared document or luggage tag.
Where translation is needed, ask the receiving provider which documents matter most and whether it requires a certified translation. Keep the original-language record beside the translation so dates, units and medicine names can be checked.
A useful record to keep
What belongs in a portable family health record
Keep the urgent summary short, then attach supporting records behind it.
| Record | Useful detail | Who may need it |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical summary | Diagnoses, history, allergies, devices and current care | GP or family doctor, urgent care and specialists |
| Medicine list | Active ingredient, dose, form, timing and reason | Prescriber, pharmacist, customs and insurer |
| Vaccinations | Vaccine, date, course and certificate where relevant | Travel clinic, school and healthcare provider |
| Recent results | Relevant labs, imaging reports and trend information | New clinician and continuing specialist |
| Care plan | Monitoring, warning signs, next review and contact details | Family, school nurse and receiving provider |
| Insurance | Policy, exclusions, assistance number and authorisation steps | Family, hospital and emergency assistance team |
Put it in the calendar
A sensible order for the work
Exact timing depends on your family and the authorities involved. Start earlier when records, advice, applications or treatment have long lead times.
- Three to six months before
Review health and travel risks
Book routine, dental and travel-health reviews early enough for courses, follow-up or treatment decisions.
- Two to three months before
Request records and summaries
Ask practices, hospitals, therapists and specialists for the records a receiving clinician actually needs.
- Before obtaining supplies
Check medicine legality
Confirm destination and transit rules, quantity, permits and required letters by active ingredient.
- Before departure
Test access and handover
Share the summary appropriately, save insurance contacts offline and make sure both adults understand ongoing care.
Health and medicine decisions need individual clinical advice
Do not stop, substitute, ration or change prescribed treatment because of general online information. Discuss the move with the relevant clinician and confirm medicine-import rules with the destination's competent authority.