Life in Australia Guide

In Australia, many medicines such as antibiotics, blood pressure medication, and contraceptives require a prescription (often called a 'script') before you can collect them from a pharmacy (pharmacy / chemist). You usually get a prescription as follows.

• Book and see a GP (general practitioner): Book an appointment at a local GP clinic. If the doctor decides it is needed, they issue a prescription. For how to find a GP, see the Medicare and hospital use guide.
• Electronic prescription (eScript) or paper prescription: These days doctors usually send an eScript by mobile text message (SMS) or email. The link contains a token (QR code), and you simply show this token at the pharmacy. You can also ask for a paper prescription if you prefer.
• Submit at a pharmacy: When you present the eScript token or paper prescription at a nearby pharmacy, the pharmacist dispenses the medicine. Most pharmacies support eScripts.
• Repeats: If the prescription has 'repeats' listed, you can get the same medicine again under the same prescription when you run out. Once the repeats are used up, you need to see the GP again for a new prescription.

General medicines that do not require a prescription (painkillers, cold medicine, etc.) can be bought without one (see point 7 below).

The PBS (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme) is the system through which the Australian Government subsidises the cost of medicines. For medicines listed on the PBS, the government pays most of the cost and the patient pays only the set patient contribution (co-payment).

• General patients: Up to $25 per PBS medicine (as of 1 January 2026, reduced from the previous $31.60).
• Concession card holders: If you have a Health Care Card, Pensioner Concession Card, Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, etc., you pay up to $7.70 per item. The concession amount will not increase in 2026 and is expected to be held until 2029.
• If the medicine costs less than the patient contribution: If the actual price of the medicine is lower than $25, you only pay that lower amount (a subsidy may not apply).
• Changes in 2026: The optional pharmacy discount ($1) that applied to general patients has been abolished. However, a pharmacist's discretionary discount may still apply to some medicines.

Important: To receive this subsidy you must have Medicare eligibility or RHCA eligibility (see point 3 below). Without eligibility, you may have to pay the full price of the medicine.

The PBS medicine subsidy applies to people with Medicare eligibility and to visitors from a country that has a RHCA (Reciprocal Health Care Agreement) with Australia.

• People eligible for Medicare: Permanent residents, some temporary visa holders (if they meet the requirements), citizens, and others receive the PBS medicine subsidy with their Medicare card.
• Visitors from RHCA countries: Australia has an RHCA with 11 countries — New Zealand, Ireland, United Kingdom, Sweden, Netherlands, Finland, Italy, Belgium, Norway, Slovenia, Malta. Passport holders from these countries can receive 'medically necessary' treatment and some PBS medicines at the standard rate.
• Enrolment process: Most visitors from RHCA countries must enrol in Medicare with Services Australia to receive the benefits. However, visitors from New Zealand and Ireland can use public hospitals and PBS medicines without enrolling (MBS treatment is excluded).

Check whether your country is covered by the RHCA and whether your visa makes you eligible for Medicare on servicesaustralia.gov.au.

The PBS Safety Net is an extra protection for people who pay a lot for medicine in a year. If the PBS medicine costs paid by you and your family in the same year (January to December) exceed the threshold, your medicines become cheaper or free for the rest of the year.

• General patient threshold (2026): $1,748.20. Once you pass this amount, you receive PBS medicines at the concession rate ($7.70) for the rest of the year.
• Concession card holder threshold (2026): $277.20. Once you pass this amount, you receive PBS medicines free for the rest of the year.
• Safety Net Card / record: If you use the same pharmacy consistently, the pharmacist keeps a record of your accumulated medicine costs. If you use several pharmacies, you can ask the pharmacist for a Prescription Record Form to combine them. Amounts are combined by family, so check whether you are on the same Medicare/family record.

The threshold amounts change every year, so check the latest figures on pbs.gov.au or servicesaustralia.gov.au.

Not all medicines require a prescription.

• General medicines (OTC, over-the-counter): Medicines such as painkillers (e.g. paracetamol), cold medicine, and antacids can be bought at pharmacies and supermarkets without a prescription. These medicines are not eligible for a PBS subsidy and are bought at the regular price.
• Pharmacist consultation medicines (Pharmacist Only / Pharmacy Medicine): Some medicines can only be bought at the pharmacy counter after a consultation with the pharmacist. Explain your symptoms to the pharmacist and they will recommend a suitable medicine.
• Prescription medicines (Prescription Only): Antibiotics, blood pressure medication, and the like must have a doctor's prescription, and if you have PBS eligibility you receive a subsidy.

If your symptoms are mild, consulting a pharmacist first can be quicker and cheaper. If your symptoms are severe or persistent, seeing a GP is recommended.