Sending a prescription to an online pharmacy

Sending a prescription to a pharmacy before going there, or to have it delivered, saves making the trip twice: once to drop it off, once to come back and collect. In France, there are now several channels for doing so, from the QR code printed by the doctor to the messaging service of Mon espace santé (the French national digital health space), by way of the photo or PDF sent on a pharmacy’s page. In every case, it is a pharmacist who reads the prescription, checks it and dispenses. This guide describes each channel, what the pharmacy needs, and what happens next.

1. Three ways to send a prescription

Depending on the prescription received and the pharmacy chosen, three channels exist:

• the e-prescription: the doctor creates it in the database of the French Health Insurance (Assurance maladie), and the prescription given to the patient carries a QR code that the pharmacist scans;
• the Mon espace santé messaging service: the patient sends the document to a pharmacy equipped with a secure health messaging service;
• the pharmacy’s page, on its website, its app or a platform such as Nexum Pharma: the patient attaches a photo or the PDF of the prescription.

The counter always remains an option: a paper prescription can be presented at any pharmacy.

2. The e-prescription: the doctor’s QR code

The e-prescription (ordonnance numérique) makes the prescription’s journey from doctor to pharmacist paperless. Each prescription receives a unique number, readable by a QR code. By scanning it, the pharmacist consults the prescription in a database hosted in France and secured by the Assurance maladie, then dispenses it. Ordinance no. 2020-1408 of 18 November 2020 set its extension to all prescriptions by 31 December 2024 at the latest, and a decree of 20 December 2023 specifies how it is implemented (French National Order of Pharmacists, 29 February 2024).

For the patient, nothing changes at the outset: they receive a paper prescription, unless they ask to receive it only through secure messaging. The prescription is also added to Mon espace santé. The QR code allows any pharmacy to retrieve the prescription: a clear photo of the document, QR code included, is therefore often enough for the pharmacy to prepare the order.

3. Via Mon espace santé

Since May 2023, a patient who has activated Mon espace santé can send a prescription to the pharmacy of their choice through the service’s secure messaging (website or app):

1. open the “Documents” section and choose the prescription, whether added by the patient or uploaded by a health professional;
2. send it through the messaging service;
3. choose the pharmacy from the history or by searching.

To receive it, the pharmacy must have an organisational MSSanté mailbox listed in the health directory of the French Digital Health Agency, Agence du numérique en santé (French National Order of Pharmacists, 1 June 2023). Not all of them have one yet: it is best to check with the pharmacy before sending.

4. As a photo or PDF, on the pharmacy’s page

This is the simplest channel when the pharmacy offers online ordering, on its own website, its app or a platform that represents it:

• choose the pharmacy, preferably near home or near the delivery address;
• add a clear photo of the paper prescription, or the PDF received by e-mail or downloaded from Mon espace santé;
• confirm: the pharmacy receives the prescription immediately.

On Nexum Pharma, the prescription is attached to the basket of the chosen pharmacy; a message points out that a remaining amount to pay may be added by the pharmacist after checking. Nexum Pharma also suggests the partner pharmacies that have all the products on the prescription in stock. The full journey is described on the Nexum Pharma prescription page.

Depending on the prescription and the reimbursement, the pharmacy may ask for the carte Vitale, the top-up insurance (mutuelle) certificate or the original prescription: it says so after checking, along with how to get them to it.

5. After sending: checking, then delivery or collection

Sending a prescription is not buying a medicine online: prescription medicines are not sold on the internet (article L. 5125-34 of the French Public Health Code, Code de la santé publique). What sending makes possible is for the pharmacy to prepare the dispensing:

• the pharmacist reads the prescription, checks each line and contacts the patient if any information or product is missing;
• the order is prepared, then kept at the counter or delivered in a named, opaque, sealed parcel handed to the patient (articles R. 5125-47 to R. 5125-49);
• third-party payment (tiers payant) applies as it does at the counter, when the pharmacy has what it needs for reimbursement.

The details of delivery, and what to check at handover, are in the guide Getting medicines delivered in France. The list of pharmacies that deliver, city by city, is on the page Medicine delivery.

6. Precautions

A prescription contains health data. A few simple rules:

• prefer a channel designed for it: Mon espace santé, or the pharmacy’s ordering page, rather than ordinary e-mail or a personal messaging app;
• send a legible image, complete, with no glare or cut-off corner, QR code included;
• keep the original until dispensing, in case the pharmacy asks for it;
• for any question about the treatment, ask the pharmacist at the pharmacy, never the courier.

With Nexum: what the pharmacy receives

At a pharmacy equipped with Nexum, a prescription sent as a photo or PDF arrives in its Nexum Pro cockpit, together with the order, on servers certified for health data hosting (HDS), in France. The pharmacist reads it, validates it or writes to the patient, then the order goes into preparation; the courier is only called after validation. The prescription travels neither by e-mail nor through a personal messaging app.

Frequently asked questions

▶ Can a prescription be sent to a pharmacy as a photo?

Yes, if the pharmacy offers this service on its website, its app or a platform such as Nexum Pharma. The pharmacist checks the prescription before preparing it, and may ask for the original or the carte Vitale depending on the reimbursement.

▶ How is a prescription sent through Mon espace santé?

In the “Documents” section, choose the prescription, then send it through the secure messaging service to the chosen pharmacy. The pharmacy must have an organisational MSSanté mailbox to receive it.

▶ What is an e-prescription?

A prescription created by the doctor in a secure database of the Assurance maladie, with a unique number readable by a QR code. The pharmacist scans the QR code to retrieve the prescription. The patient always receives a document, on paper or through secure messaging.

▶ Can a relative’s prescription be sent?

Yes, the prescription of a parent or of someone who cannot get about can be sent and delivered to their address. The pharmacy may ask for their identity and their carte Vitale for reimbursement, as at the counter.

▶ How long after sending is the order ready?

It depends on the pharmacy and on the products in stock. On Nexum Pharma, partner pharmacies show preparation in 20 minutes and delivery in 30 minutes on average (nexumpharma.fr, as of 31 October 2026).

Sources: French National Order of Pharmacists, "Prescription électronique, où en est l’ordonnance numérique ?" (29 February 2024) and "L’envoi d’ordonnances via Mon espace santé" (1 June 2023); Assurance maladie, press kit "L’ordonnance numérique pour les médecins et pharmaciens" (17 November 2022); French Public Health Code (Code de la santé publique), articles L. 5125-34 and R. 5125-47 to R. 5125-49; "Ordonnance en ligne" page of nexumpharma.fr, consulted on 2 November 2026. This guide describes a general framework; it does not replace the pharmacist's advice.