Australia has a clear, established route for getting your medication: the
Personal Importation Scheme. With a valid Australian
prescription, you can import up to a three-month supply of a
prescription medicine for your own use, by mail or courier, and the medicine does
not need to be registered in Australia. SunnyPharma explains what is permitted
and hands off to
careaccessproject.org
for the next step. We do not sell, ship, recommend suppliers, or arrange importation.
What the Personal Importation Scheme permits
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) runs the Personal Importation Scheme,
which lets an individual import a medicine for their own personal use. You may
bring in up to a three-month supply at the maximum dose per order,
and up to a 15-month supply across any 12-month period. The
medicine does not have to be registered on the Australian Register of Therapeutic
Goods — the scheme exists precisely so people can access overseas or unregistered
product for their own treatment.
The one condition: an Australian prescription
The scheme is conditional, and the condition is straightforward: you need a
valid Australian prescription for the medicine. That is what keeps
the import inside the scheme. It is a permitted, conditional pathway — not an
unconditional right to import anything in any quantity.
Beyond three months: the Special Access Scheme
If you need more than a three-month supply, or a product that needs closer
oversight, the Special Access Scheme (SAS) is the separate pathway.
Your prescriber initiates it on your behalf. It covers supply of medicines not on
the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods, including amounts beyond the
personal-import limit.
No guarantee at the border
Permitted is not the same as guaranteed. The Australian Border Force and the TGA
keep the power to inspect, detain, or seize a shipment where the conditions are not
met or there are safety or authenticity concerns. When the conditions are met,
personal importation is routine — but treat it as a permitted pathway
subject to customs discretion, not an automatic clearance.
Which medicines are excluded
Controlled drugs — including Schedule 8 substances such as strong opioids — are
excluded from the simple scheme and carry separate state, territory, and Office of
Drug Control rules. Most HIV, hepatitis C, and cardiovascular medicines are
non-controlled and fall within the Personal Importation Scheme.
This page is for general information and does not replace medical or legal advice.