How long is a prescription valid in Spain?
All prescriptions in Spain — whether paper or digital — are valid for 10 calendar days from the issue date.
After 10 days, a pharmacy is legally allowed to refuse to dispense the medication, even if you have a valid-looking PDF.
Tip: The countdown starts from the date written on the prescription, not from the consultation or when you downloaded it.
What if you miss the 10-day window?
If you don’t buy your medication within 10 days:
You will need to submit a new request to the doctor through Oladoctor.
The doctor will decide whether a new prescription is appropriate.
Repeat prescriptions are not issued automatically – each case is reviewed individually.
What does an Oladoctor prescription look like?
You receive a PDF file signed by the doctor, with their name and registration number.
You can:
show it on your phone at the pharmacy;
print it out;
keep a copy in your email or downloads.
How to avoid problems with prescription timing
Always check the issue date on the PDF — this determines the 10-day validity.
Aim to collect your medication within 1–3 days of receiving the prescription.
Save the PDF and print it if needed.
If your prescription has expired, submit a new request via Oladoctor for a doctor to review and decide.
How does a prescription work for long-term treatment?
If you’ve been prescribed medication for a chronic or long-term condition, the Spanish pharmacy system follows a staged dispensing process:
Within the first 10 days, you can collect only the first package.
The remaining packages are dispensed in monthly intervals, as long as the electronic prescription remains valid.
You cannot buy the full treatment course upfront (e.g. 3 boxes at once) — this is controlled by the national dispensing system.
This rule applies even if the prescription is issued by a private doctor. The timing of each refill depends on the specific medication and treatment plan.
Which medicines require a prescription in Spain?
Spain classifies medications into two broad categories:
Prescription-only:
Antibiotics
Hormonal treatments (including birth control)
Antidepressants, anxiolytics, sleeping pills
Strong painkillers
Medications for chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes, asthma, COPD
These medicines cannot be purchased without a valid prescription, even if you’ve taken them before.
Over-the-counter:
Paracetamol, ibuprofen (standard doses)
Some allergy medications
Antacids, probiotics, basic vitamin supplements
Nasal sprays, eye drops, non-steroid creams
Even for common medicines, higher doses, injectable forms, or combined products may require a prescription.
Not sure if your medicine requires a prescription?
Oladoctor offers a free medicine checker, based on official CIMA data, where you can search by name and see if your medication is classified as prescription-only in Spain.
Are private prescriptions eligible for discounts in Spain?
No — private prescriptions are not eligible for subsidised prices in Spanish pharmacies.
In Spain, medication discounts (co-payment) are only applied when the prescription is issued through the public health system (salud pública). These prescriptions are digital and linked to your health card, allowing the pharmacy to apply the correct discount based on your status (e.g. pensioner, chronic illness, etc.).
To access this discount:
You must be registered with the public healthcare system.
You need to attend a consultation in person at a public health centre (centro de salud).
Prescriptions from private doctors — including those issued by doctors on Oladoctor — must be paid at full price, even if the medication is usually subsidised under the public system.
Tip: If you’re unsure, ask the pharmacist for the full price before purchasing medication with a private prescription.