Yes, you absolutely need a licence, and under the current regulations this business model is almost impossible to operate lawfully. First, your personal shopping service—where you take orders and payment from customers and then purchase and deliver medicines for them—constitutes “sale”, so you need the relevant retail licence (a pharmacy or dispensary). Secondly, purchasing medicines from overseas for customers constitutes “import”, which requires an import licence for each consignment and, in turn, a Wholesale Dealer Licence. More importantly, as noted above, Hong Kong does not permit the sale of regulated medicines solely online. A purely online medicine personal-shopping platform would therefore breach several requirements, including those relating to unlicensed sales, unlicensed imports and unlawful online sales, and would be strictly illegal.
HONG KONG DRUG LICENSING
Do I need a licence if I only want to run an online shop offering medicines sourced overseas on behalf of Hong Kong customers?
A complete explanation of the regulatory basis, Drew Tang’s recommendations and risk alerts. The original material dates from 2025; read it alongside the latest official requirements.
Original guide, 2025 edition: These FAQs are provided for topic-based reference and have not all been individually checked against current rules. Please confirm fees, personnel, renewal, changes and product requirements against the professional in-depth guide for the relevant licence type and the official requirements in force at the time.
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