How to verify a pharmacy licence

Start from the register, not from the website

The critical habit is direction of travel. Do not take a licence number from a pharmacy's own page and try to confirm it — anyone can print a number and a seal. Instead, open the regulator's register independently, search for the pharmacy there, and check that the register lists the exact domain you intend to buy from.

European Union: the common logo

Every website legally permitted to sell medicines to the public in the EU must display the EU common logo. The logo carries the flag of the country where the seller is registered and must be clickable: it links to that country's national register entry for the seller.

1. Click the logo on the pharmacy page — it must lead to a government or regulator domain, not back into the shop.
2. Confirm the register page shows the same website address you are on.
3. If the logo is a static image with no working link, treat the site as unverified. The European Commission maintains the list of national registers.

United States, United Kingdom and others

• United States — the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy runs Safe.Pharmacy, which lists accredited sites and flags "not recommended" ones. The FDA's BeSafeRx programme explains the checks. State boards of pharmacy also publish their own licensee lookups.
• United Kingdom — the General Pharmaceutical Council keeps a public register of pharmacies and pharmacists, and the MHRA maintains a registered-seller list with its own distance-selling logo.
• Canada — provincial colleges of pharmacy license pharmacies; CIPA lists member sites, but the provincial college is the authoritative check.
• Australia — AHPRA registers pharmacists; state authorities license pharmacy premises.
• Anywhere — LegitScript maintains a cross-border classification of pharmacy websites and is useful as a second opinion, though not a substitute for the national regulator.

What a licensed pharmacy will always do

Beyond the register entry, licensed operations share a set of behaviours. Their absence is as informative as any badge:

• Requires a valid prescription from a real prescriber for any prescription-only medicine, and will contact the prescriber if something looks wrong.
• Publishes a verifiable physical address and a registered company name, not just a contact form.
• Gives you access to a licensed pharmacist for questions.
• Sells the medicine with its regulator-approved patient information leaflet in the local language.
• Has a documented procedure for recalls and adverse-event reporting.