How Danish e-prescriptions work for foreigners: FMK, the pharmacy, pick-up and online pharmacies

What is an e-prescription in Denmark?

An e-prescription is an electronic prescription that a licensed doctor sends to the Danish prescription server, where it is stored on your CPR number and visible in your Shared Medication Record.

The Danish Health Data Authority (Sundhedsdatastyrelsen) runs both the prescription server and the Shared Medication Record. Every doctor in Denmark, in hospitals, general practice and online clinics, issues prescriptions into the same system, and every pharmacy reads from it. That is why the route you take to the doctor does not change the prescription itself: an e-prescription from an online doctor is exactly the same electronic prescription your GP issues.

You can see your own prescriptions on sundhed.dk or in the Medicinkortet app with MitID, including how many times each can still be dispensed.

Where and how do I collect medicine on an e-prescription?

At any pharmacy in Denmark: give your CPR number or show your health card, and the pharmacist dispenses the medicine against payment, usually the same day or the next depending on stock.

You do not choose a pharmacy when the prescription is issued, because it is stored centrally. Pharmacies are marked with the word Apotek. If the medicine is not in stock, the pharmacy orders it, normally for the next day.

If you prefer not to collect it yourself, registered Danish online pharmacies dispense the same prescriptions with home delivery. The Danish Medicines Agency (Lægemiddelstyrelsen) keeps a list of legal online pharmacies, and only pharmacies may dispense prescription medicine. A website that offers to ship prescription medicine without a prescription is not a pharmacy.

What does prescription medicine cost at a Danish pharmacy?

The price is the same at every pharmacy in Denmark and is fixed for 14 days at a time; for medicine without public subsidy you pay the full price, and the prescription fee of DKK 10 per dispensing is already included in the listed prices.

A new price period starts every second Monday, and pharmacies are obliged to offer you the cheapest equivalent package unless the doctor has written otherwise. Generic medicine with the same active substance can be far cheaper than the original: in the price period 28 September to 11 October 2026 generic sildenafil cost from DKK 34.30 for 12 tablets of 50 mg, while original Viagra cost DKK 529.45 for 4 tablets of 100 mg.

Weight loss medicine, erectile dysfunction medicine and hair loss medicine have no general public subsidy in Denmark, so the full price applies. Wegovy, for example, cost DKK 1,284.25 to 2,296.55 per 4 weeks depending on dose in the same period. See medication prices in Denmark and the daily pharmacy prices.

How are e-prescriptions renewed in Denmark?

The doctor who follows your treatment renews the prescription electronically, so renewal is a message or a short follow-up rather than a new visit.

A prescription can allow several dispensings, and the pharmacy counts them down in the system. When it runs out, your GP can renew it after a consultation or a written request, and online clinics build renewals into the programme: at Recepta the doctor follows up every 4 weeks during dose increases in weight loss, renews hair loss prescriptions every 4 weeks, and includes all renewals in the erectile dysfunction membership.

Can a foreigner get an e-prescription from an online doctor in Denmark?

Yes, when a licensed Danish doctor has assessed you on video or phone and judges that treatment is medically responsible; the practical requirement is a CPR number, so the pharmacy can find the prescription.

At Recepta you book with your name and e-mail, without MitID, and the doctor confirms your identity in the consultation. The consultation is free, the first 4 weeks cost DKK 0, and if the doctor approves treatment the e-prescription is sent right after the call, often the same day. Booking and payment are in English on the English front page.

Prescriptions from other countries are a separate question: a prescription from another EU or EEA country can be dispensed at a Danish pharmacy when it meets the EU requirements, while prescriptions from outside the EU normally require a Danish doctor to issue a new one. Read more in New in Denmark: prescription medicine, renewals and prescriptions from abroad.

How do I check that a prescription is real and the pharmacy is legal?

A real Danish prescription appears in your Shared Medication Record, and a legal pharmacy is either a physical Apotek or an online pharmacy on the Danish Medicines Agency's list.

Danish clinics may not sell prescription medicine themselves; the prescription always goes through a pharmacy, and Recepta does not sell medicine. The Danish Medicines Agency regularly finds counterfeit tablets sold by websites that promise medicine without a prescription, with the wrong or dangerous content. If a website asks no health questions and offers to ship Viagra, Wegovy or testosterone to you directly, it is neither a clinic nor a pharmacy.

Frequently asked questions