I'm going to be visiting Australia for 10 days next month.  The Border Force website says that I should declare my medications and have a letter from my doctor.  Is this really necessary? It's seems rather pointless for a couple of strips of common medicines.

9 hours ago, Zaphod Priest said:

The Border Force website says that I should declare my medications and have a letter from my doctor.  Is this really necessary?

You have answered your own question. 

 

Border Force say you should declare and have a letter from your doctor.  Don't declare, and do not have a letter from your doctor, may result in a fine, or worse, and you can be sure you will be searched every single time you return to Australia in future years. 

9 hours ago, Zaphod Priest said:

I'm going to be visiting Australia for 10 days next month.  The Border Force website says that I should declare my medications and have a letter from my doctor.  Is this really necessary? It's seems rather pointless for a couple of strips of common medicines.

What are they?

9 hours ago, Harrisfan said:

What are they?

 

Allopurinol for gout and metformin for diabetes.

Quite the police state down there, huh? Maybe because most of your ancestors were from a penal colony?

13 hours ago, KhunHeineken said:

You have answered your own question. 

 

Not really.  If the changes of being caught are negligible, I'll take the risk.  I really don't want to waste the time, money and inconvenience of getting a doctor's letter if I think I can get away for it.

As for being searched on future entries, I have never been to Australia before, and after this trip, I'm unlikely to go again.  Not an issue.

39 minutes ago, Zaphod Priest said:

 

Not really.  If the changes of being caught are negligible, I'll take the risk.  I really don't want to waste the time, money and inconvenience of getting a doctor's letter if I think I can get away for it.

As for being searched on future entries, I have never been to Australia before, and after this trip, I'm unlikely to go again.  Not an issue.

There's a decent chance you would get put in for a baggage check coming from Thailand.

 

I'd declare them but not worry about a medical certificate.

On 2/26/2025 at 4:59 AM, Zaphod Priest said:

 

Not really.  If the changes of being caught are negligible, I'll take the risk.  I really don't want to waste the time, money and inconvenience of getting a doctor's letter if I think I can get away for it.

As for being searched on future entries, I have never been to Australia before, and after this trip, I'm unlikely to go again.  Not an issue.

You just keep talking yourself into it and reaffirming what you know to be a bad decision.

 

A bit like guys saying, "my girl is different" despite everyone telling the guy she's not.  

 

Australian Border Force is not 'different." 

On 2/26/2025 at 1:40 PM, Will27 said:

There's a decent chance you would get put in for a baggage check coming from Thailand.

 

I'd declare them but not worry about a medical certificate.

Yes, just declare them you will pay no duty for them  

On 2/26/2025 at 11:59 AM, Zaphod Priest said:

 

Not really.  If the changes of being caught are negligible, I'll take the risk.  I really don't want to waste the time, money and inconvenience of getting a doctor's letter if I think I can get away for it.

As for being searched on future entries, I have never been to Australia before, and after this trip, I'm unlikely to go again.  Not an issue.

So why ask the question in the first place, if you had no intention of adhering to the advice given.

8 hours ago, couchpotato said:

So why ask the question in the first place, if you had no intention of adhering to the advice given.

 

Au contraire.  I asked the question to help gauge the risk of not having a doctor's letter.

 

In fact, in the interim I have been trying to get a letter from my hospital, though with zero success so far.  Administration there seems to have no idea about what I'm asking for.  Will be seeing the doctor in person tomorrow.

On 3/5/2025 at 12:25 AM, Zaphod Priest said:

I asked the question to help gauge the risk of not having a doctor's letter.

If there's any risk at all, don't do it.  Pretty simply.