Travelling with blood products in or outside Australia

If you, or someone you care for, relies on blood or blood products, there are some things you need to think about if you want to travel. 

Requirements differ depending on what kind of treatment you receive, and whether you are travelling domestically or internationally. You may need permits to travel overseas with certain products. You should also check with your treating clinician about how to store and carry any blood products while travelling.

Information on Reciprocal Healthcare Agreements for Australians travelling overseas can be found on the Services Australia website, About reciprocal health care agreements - Reciprocal Health Care Agreements - Services Australia(Opens in a new tab/window).

This webpage includes details on what to consider when travelling with blood products. If you require information on how to apply for the supply of blood product overseas, visit Applying for overseas supply of blood products.

Blood transfusions

If you need regular transfusions to manage your health, ask your doctor about a transfusion schedule to suit your needs while you are away. If you will be away for a while, you might need to organise transfusions at your destination. Do this well in advance of your trip. Your doctor or treatment team can help with this.

Keep in mind that different countries have different blood supply systems.If you are in an accident and require treatment, some countries do not have sufficient blood to support treatment requirements. If you require assistance while abroad, you should contact your Australian treating clinician, your travel insurance company or the Australian Embassy.

Haemophilia or other bleeding disorder treatments

If you usually receive your treatment at a Haemophilia Treatment Centre (HTC), you may be able to visit an interstate HTC (in Australia) to get your treatment away from home. You will need to arrange this before you travel.

Contact your HTC as early as possible. The staff can help with travel preparations that are tailored to your situation. This can include advising you about:

• carrying medication, including ensuring you have the correct documents
• what to do if you need treatment while you are travelling
• where you can get emergency treatment on the way or at your destination.

Get more information from Haemophilia Foundation Australia:

• travelling with mobility issues(Opens in a new tab/window)
• travel tips webinar(Opens in a new tab/window)
• interstate and overseas travel tips(Opens in a new tab/window).

Immunoglobulin treatment

If you have regular infusions of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) or subcutaneous immunoglobulin (SCIg), you will need to plan ahead. Always discuss your plans and options available with your doctor or treatment team well before you travel.

Intravenous immunoglobulin

Your current treating doctor will be required to arrange IVIg infusion at an interstate or overseas facility. You may need to pay privately or through insurance to have infusions performed. Discuss this with your treatment team well in advance of your travel. 

Subcutaneous immunoglobulin

The length of your trip will influence your options if you are regularly self-infusing with a SCIg product.

For short trips, taking all your SCIg products and consumables with you may be possible. Keep in mind that some SCIg products must be stored at certain temperatures. Check the specifics of your product and plan accordingly. You may need to organise special containers.

You may be able to have an infusion of IVIg before you go and after you return rather than self-infuse SCIg products while you are away. However, this depends on the time you will be away.
 

For longer travel periods, taking all your SCIg products and consumables with you may not be feasible. If travelling within Australia, you may be able to arrange to pick them up from another hospital or facility.

Always discuss your plans and options available with your doctor or treatment team well before you travel.

If your trip includes flying and/or cruising, check airline or cruise line requirements for travelling with blood products. Read our advice below on travelling with needles and other consumables while overseas.
 

The Australian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy has a travel plan document for patients on SCIg therapy(Opens in a new tab/window) that will be of assistance to your Health Professional.

Travelling with needles and other consumables

If you need to carry consumables related to your treatment, like needles and syringes, ensure you have enough for your whole domestic or overseas trip. It may not be possible to get more at your destination.

If you are flying with needles and syringes in your carry-on luggage, you will need a document from your treating clinician stating you medically require them.

You will need to show the needles, syringes and supporting documents to security officers at the airport screening checkpoint. You will also need to show them to the crew before boarding the plane.

Check with your airline before you travel in case there is anything else you need to do. Other medical devices, such as battery-operated devices, may be restricted on board.

If you are going on a cruise ship, check specific requirements with your cruise line.

Other things to think about

Talk to your treating team as soon as you can before any international travel. In addition to the TGA export permit, you may also need to:

• make sure your blood product can be taken out of Australia
• carry a copy of your prescription or a letter from your doctor that lists your blood products and treatment regime.

You may need a permit to enter your destination country, so check their requirements. Ask your doctor and check your destination's health advice on Smartraveller(Opens in a new tab/window). Exact requirements will depend on your destination(s) and the type of product, medication or treatment you need.

Consider whether:

• you can have treatment before and after you travel rather than carrying it with you
• you understand how your medication must be stored and transported
• your medication is suitable for travel, for example, if it has specific storage requirements
• you need to speak to your doctor about changing medications
• your medication is legal in the countries you are going to
• there are limits on how much medication you can take into a country, even with a prescription
• you need letters from your treatment team to carry related consumables, such as needles and syringes
• you can get travel insurance that covers your condition.

Longer trips

If you are travelling for long periods or living temporarily overseas, we may be able to arrange the shipment of blood products to you. This includes Australians serving overseas and in international waters, such as:

• Australian Defence Force members
• Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade employees
• Australian Antarctic Division staff
• Australians involved in medical retrieval operations overseas.

Access to blood products funded under the national blood arrangements may only be available to Australians temporarily overseas for up to 12 months in any rolling 24-month period. This time restriction helps ensure patients get proper clinical oversight of their treatment.

Where possible, please apply 3 or more months before your planned departure date. Further information can be found on Applying for overseas supply of blood products

Please be aware, applicants are responsible for all relevant costs of shipping and storing of blood products.

Privacy

We may collect personal information about you when you apply to travel overseas. This is so that we can make sure you can continue to receive the product you need.

Find out how we manage your privacy.

Get in touch

For more information, please contact us.