HealthRX.com · Printable medication review sheet
Injectable medicine travel record: packing, paperwork and border checks
Fill this in before a flight with any injectable medicine: what you are carrying exactly as the pharmacy label reads it, what each destination allows, and the TSA and CDC rules to check your bag against. Questions for your prescriber are at the end.
The trip
Departure and return dates
Destination country
Layover countrieseach one has its own rules
Date of your pre-trip visit with the prescriber
Embassy checks done (country, date, answer)
Each injectable medicine in your bag
Copy the name exactly as the pharmacy label prints it. Write 'not stated' where the label or pharmacist gave no storage instructions.
| Name on the pharmacy label | FDA-approved product or compounded? | Vials or pens packed | Storage the label or pharmacist gives | Prescription copy packed? | Allowed at destination and layovers? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bag check before you leave
- All medicine in the carry-on bag, not checked luggage
- Each item in its original container, labeled with your full name, prescriber, generic and brand name and exact dosage
- Copies of every written prescription, including generic names
- A copy of the prescriptions left at home with a friend or relative
- A note from your prescriber for each injectable medicine
- Enough for the whole trip plus extra for delays
- Unused syringes packed with the injectable medicine they belong to
- A sharps disposal container or other hard-surface container for used syringes
- Cold packs (TSA accepts them frozen, partly frozen or melted)
TSA and CDC rules to check against
- Carry-on liquid medicine: 3.4 oz (100 mL) or less is allowed; larger amounts are allowed in reasonable quantities for the trip if you declare them at the checkpoint.[1]
- Unused syringes are allowed when they travel with injectable medication.[2]
- Used syringes must be in a sharps disposal container or a similar hard-surface container.[3]
- Many countries allow a 30-day supply of certain medicines but also require a prescription or a medical certificate from your provider.[4]
- Breaking a destination's medicine laws can mean the medicine is taken away, or penalties including jail or prison time.[4]
- Extreme temperatures can reduce how well many medicines work; CDC says to find out how to store yours and whether it needs refrigeration.[4]
- Crossing time zones: CDC says to ask your provider about changes, and that medicines are taken by time since the last dose, not the local clock.[4]
Ask your prescriber or pharmacist before the trip
- Is this medicine permitted at my destination and at each layover, and will you write a note or letter for it?
- How should this product be stored on the trip, and how long may it stay out of the refrigerator?
- What should I do if it gets too warm or freezes in transit?
- I am crossing time zones: should anything change about when I take it?
- Where can I dispose of used sharps at my destination?
Sources for the facts on this sheet
- Transportation Security Administration. Liquid Medications. Accessed 2026-10-19. https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/liquid-medications
- Transportation Security Administration. Unused Syringes. Accessed 2026-10-19. https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/unused-syringes
- Transportation Security Administration. Used Syringes. Accessed 2026-10-19. https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/used-syringes
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Traveling Abroad with Medicine. Accessed 2026-10-19. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/travel-abroad-with-medicine
This sheet records information for a conversation with your prescriber or pharmacist. It does not replace their instructions or the medication's prescribing information.