BfArM - Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices

Navigation and service

I am looking for a specific online medicine retailer. How can I find it in the overviews?

Open one of the provided overviews of online medicine retailers.

  • Press the keys "Ctrl" and "F" simultaneously. The Find toolbar is now activated.
  • Type your search term or parts of it, e.g. name or location of the retailer, in the text box on the Find toolbar and press the Enter key to start the search.
  • If there are several hits for your search term, click the button "Find Previous" or "Find Next" next to the Find Toolbar.

Are online medicine retailers from abroad allowed to ship medicine to Germany?

According to the country list of the German Federal Ministry of Health (BMG)

  1. human medicine may currently be shipped to Germany from
    • Iceland
    • the Netherlands (only if also an associated retail pharmacy exists)
    • Sweden (for prescription medicine only)
    • the Czech Republic (for non-prescription medicine only)

  2. veterinary medicine may currently be shipped to Germany from
    • the Czech Republic (for non-prescription medicine only)

Please be aware that these online medicine retailers have to act in compliance with German law. BfArM is not a competent supervisory authority.

However, after Brexit came into effect, mail order sales of human medicine from there to Germany are no longer permitted.

Country list of the German Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) (PDF, 148 kB)

Does the German Register of Online Medicine Retailers include retailers for veterinary medicinal products?

No. It only includes retailers for human medicinal products.

The online medicine retailer I am seeking is missing in the register. What does that mean?

If the retailer you are seeking is missing in the register, there may be the following reasons for this:

  • The pharmacy holds a mail order permit, but is not yet included in the register.
  • The pharmacy does not hold a mail order permit.
  • The medicine retailer is allowed to trade, but is not yet included in the register.
  • The medicine retailer isn’t allowed to trade.

I would like to complain about an online medicine retailer which is included in your register. Am I right to contact you?

No. Please refer to the regional competent supervisory authority that has issued this mail order permit. You find it in the overviews of mail order pharmacies in the column with the heading "Für die Erlaubnis zuständige Stelle". You may also take the matter to court.

Is an online medicine retailer legal in all cases if the EU-security logo is displayed on its website(s)?

No, because the logo does not have any significance in itself!

However, in three simple steps you can reduce the risk of ordering on websites of dubious suppliers:

  1. Click
    Click on the logo: If the retailer is included in the register, a DIMDI website opens containing the retailer's register entry.
  2. Check
    Check whether the website address (URL) in the adress bar after the https:// begins with "versandhandel.dimdi.de/". Pay particular attention to the forward slash (/) after ".de".
    The lock symbol in the adress bar indicates that the web page is trustworthy (colour and design varies with different browsers). It confirms the validity of the website’s security certificate and that a secure connection is established. Check by clicking on the lock symbol and opening the certificate that you are really on a DIMDI web page.
  3. Buy
    Open the retailer's website through one of the links indicated in the register. Do not use your browser's back button and do not return to a window that may still be open.

If no register entry opens, there may be the following reasons for this:

  • The logo was incorrectly incorporated.
  • A technical fault is present. In this case, try to retrieve the register entry again later.
  • The logo is misused by a suspicious internet trader. If you suspect someone of doing so we kindly ask you to send us the information of this website to versandhandel@bfarm.de

How can I rule out a bogus website linking me to an equally bogus register entry?

  1. Click
    Click on the logo: If the retailer is included in the register, a DIMDI website opens containing the retailer's register entry.
  2. Check
    Check whether the website address (URL) in the adress bar after the https:// begins with "versandhandel.dimdi.de/". Pay particular attention to the forward slash (/) after ".de".
    The lock symbol in the adress bar indicates that the web page is trustworthy (colour and design varies with different browsers). It confirms the validity of the website’s security certificate and that a secure connection is established. Check by clicking on the lock symbol and opening the certificate that you are really on a DIMDI web page.
  3. Buy
    Open the retailer's website through one of the links indicated in the register. Do not use your browser’s back button and do not return to a window that may still be open.

No register entry appears when I click on the EU-security logo. Is the website bogus?

The website is not necessarily bogus. In order to check whether the logo is nevertheless legitimately displayed on the online medicine retailer’s website(s), look it up in our overview of all included online medicine retailers. Please inform us if you cannot find the retailer there either.

Other reasons why clicking on the logo does not link to a register entry:

  • The logo was incorrectly incorporated.
  • A technical fault is present. In this case, try to retrieve the register entry again later.
  • The logo is misused by a suspicious internet trader. If you suspect someone of doing so we kindly ask you to send us the information of this website to versandhandel@bfarm.de .

The online medicine retailer I trust does not have any EU security logo, but I consider it reputable. How come?

Online medicine retailer have to display the logo on their website(s). Additionally you can check whether the retailer involved is included in the German Register of Online Medicine Retailers very simply in our overview of all included online medicine retailers.

If the retailer you are seeking is missing in the register too, there may be the following reasons for this:

  • The pharmacy holds a mail order permit, but is not yet included in the register.
  • The pharmacy does not hold a mail order permit.
  • The medicine retailer is allowed to trade, but is not yet included in the register.
  • The medicine retailer isn’t allowed to trade.

Does the EU security logo testify to special quality of the online medicine retailer?

No. The EU security logo exclusively shows that the retailer has an official permit for the mail order trade.

Is the EU security logo only allowed to be displayed on websites that are included in the register?

Yes. The EU security logo may only be displayed on registered websites. Furthermore, the logo is protected by copyright. The EU security logo may not be used without the consent of BfArM. Use of the logo by retailer is fundamentally restricted to the link from the retailer’s website(s) to the register’s respective register entry at BfArM.

Does BfArM conduct an on-site audit of the online medicine retailer in the register?

No. The competent supervisory authorities that also issue the mail order permits are responsible for monitoring the retailer.

I am an online medicine retailer with a mail order permit. How can I be included in the register?

For owners of a German mail order permit:

For inclusion in the German Register of Online Medicine Retailers please refer to your regional competent supervisory authority. This authority will pass the required documents on to BfArM. Your data will subsequently be entered at BfArM and you will receive the information for displaying the EU-security logo on your retailer’s website(s).

For owners of a mail order permit from abroad:

Please refer to the appropriate competent authority of your country. Each EU member state provides its own national register of online medicine retailer.