Medicines (for business users only)
The Dutch government does not want medicines to be brought into the market which can be a health hazard, or the effectiveness of which is not certain. In order to achieve this goal, the Medicines Act (Geneesmiddelenwet, only available in Dutch) prohibits bringing into Dutch territory:
- medicines without a licence, and
- active substances for the manufacture of medicines without a registration
On behalf of the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport, Farmatec (only partly in English) grants licences and registers businesses for bringing medicines and active substances into Dutch territory.
Medicines and active substances intended for medicines that enter the Netherlands without a licence or registration are intercepted by Customs. Customs notifies the Netherlands Healthcare Inspectorate. Customs then follows directions of the Healthcare Inspectorate concerning the manner in which the shipment must be handled.
