Korean Job Discussion Forums

[iiicalypso]

I have managed to cajole my current insurance company into giving me a one year supply of my prescription drugs, but after reading a number of posts I am getting concerned about bringing that much with me. I have received three different pieces of information:

1. It is fine as long as they are in labelled containers.

2. It is fine as long as you have a letter from your doctor, and

3. It is a bad idea and I should only bring three months or so with me and have the rest shipped later.

Does anybody have any advice or experiences with this issue? All apologies if this has been addressed... I have searched and searched for information... thanks!

iiiiiii

[em]

Yeah. I didn't come through with huge quantities either but I was not bothered about what I did have. I know some of the female teachers that I work with have brought a whole year's supply of birth control through with no problem.

[OiGirl]

I am very paranoid about travelling with drugs (once went to Malaysia while on Lunelle!) but have never had any problem. Bring everything in the original packaging. If you want to go overboard like me, bring a copy of the prescription and have a separate copy of the drug information that comes in the package or from the pharmacy that lists the generic name of the drug. I have even gone so far as to be sure I was travelling to a country with sealed, never-been-opened bottles of Dramamine, lodine, and multi-vitamins, and, truly, nobody cares! It might be different if you are talking narcotics or other controlled substances. My experiences are with antibiotics and contraceptives.

[crazylemongirl]

I bought in over a dozen asthma inhalers, 2 rounds of steriods, 2 rounds of pencillin and never had a problem. That said, my experience is that if you declare stuff that isn't such a big deal they wave you through, but if you try and hide you get into trouble.

CLG

[OiGirl]

Recently entered Korea with tons of prescription and non-prescripton medications, herbs and supplements. No problem. I did not declare anything and my bags were never opened.

[poker player]

Yes, if you are bringing them yourself they must be in labelled prescription containers with the doctor's name and of course your name on them. Quantities for 1 year shouldn't be a problem. But like 1 poster said, they don't usually check your luggage when you get here but you never know....

I also just had some shipped over and a call to the Canadian postal authorities said to make sure they were in prescription containers and that the description of contents on the package should say "Prescription medicine" and they said to avoid using the word "drugs", to make sure the name on the postal package was the same as the name on the containers and that if the value of the presciption was typed on the container labels that it agreed with the value on the declaration.

When I received it, there was a label on it that it had been opened by Korean customs but there was obviously no problem. The value on mine was $85. I guess at some value amount, you may have to pay duty