# What Is a Distance-Selling Pharmacy? | Pick My Pharmacy URL: https://pickmypharmacy.co.uk/answers/what-is-a-distance-selling-pharmacy/ Description: A distance-selling pharmacy is a GPhC-registered pharmacy that dispenses by post rather than over a counter. How they work, NHS rules, and when to use one. --- - [Home](/) - /[Answers](/answers/) - /What is a distance-selling pharmacy? Choosing a Pharmacy # What is a distance-selling pharmacy? By [Kaiser Khan](/author/kaiser-khan/) · Updated 9 July 2026 In short A distance-selling pharmacy is a fully registered UK pharmacy that provides its services remotely — by website, app, phone, and post — instead of over a counter. It must meet the same GPhC standards as a high-street chemist, can dispense NHS prescriptions for patients anywhere in England, and must not require patients to visit its premises. Most offer free postal delivery of NHS medicines. At a glance - ·A real, GPhC-registered pharmacy premises — dispensing happens there, delivery by post or courier - ·Must provide essential NHS pharmacy services to patients anywhere in England, not just locally - ·Cannot require patients to attend the premises — everything works remotely - ·Most offer free delivery of NHS prescriptions; you nominate them like any pharmacy - ·Must display their GPhC premises number on their website - ·Also called online pharmacies or internet pharmacies ## How a distance-selling pharmacy works Behind every legitimate online pharmacy is a physical, registered dispensary — shelves, fridges, pharmacists, and GPhC inspections — that happens to serve patients by post instead of across a counter. You order through a website or app, prescriptions arrive electronically (NHS prescriptions via the Electronic Prescription Service once you nominate the pharmacy), pharmacists clinically check and dispense them exactly as a high-street pharmacy would, and the medicines are packed and delivered to your door. Support that would happen at the counter — 'how do I take this?', interaction checks, new medicine advice — happens by phone, secure message, or video instead. The 'distance-selling' label is the regulatory term; in everyday language these are simply online pharmacies. ## The rules they must follow Distance-selling pharmacies carry the same core obligations as any pharmacy, plus some of their own. They must be GPhC-registered premises with a superintendent pharmacist, display their GPhC premises number on their website, and follow GPhC guidance for providing pharmacy services at a distance — including robust identity and safety checks. Distinctively, an NHS distance-selling pharmacy in England must provide essential NHS services to any patient in the country who chooses it, and it must not require patients to attend the premises in person — the service has to work wholly remotely. Where a site also offers private online prescribing, that prescribing service must be CQC-registered in England. Since Brexit, pharmacies in Great Britain no longer display the EU common logo; the GPhC register at pharmacyregulation.org is the way to verify any online pharmacy (Northern Ireland still uses the EU logo). ## Strengths and trade-offs vs a high-street pharmacy Distance-selling pharmacies excel at repeat prescriptions: order from your phone, free delivery to your door, no queue, and reminders when your next supply is due. Many people managing long-term conditions save hours a month this way. The trade-offs are immediacy and physical presence: post takes days, so they are wrong for medicines you need today; you cannot walk in for a same-day consultation, an emergency supply, or services that need to be done in person like vaccinations, blood pressure checks, or earwax removal. Cold-chain (fridge) medicines and controlled drugs also need care — good online pharmacies handle both with tracked, insulated delivery, but check before relying on one. The practical answer for many people is both: a nominated online pharmacy for repeats, plus a local pharmacy for urgent needs and in-person services. ## Choosing and switching to one If postal repeats suit your life, compare distance-selling pharmacies on the things that differ: delivery speed and cost (free NHS delivery is common but check), how they handle fridge lines, app quality and reminder features, how easy it is to actually speak to a pharmacist, and reviews from long-term users. Verify the GPhC premises number against the register before signing up. Switching is simple: nominate the new pharmacy in the NHS App or through their sign-up flow, and future electronic prescriptions route there automatically — no need to tell your old pharmacy. Keep one caveat in mind: if you regularly need urgent, same-day medicines, keep a local pharmacy in the picture, and remember a pharmacist is always available to speak to at both kinds of pharmacy. Pick My Pharmacy lists distance-selling pharmacies alongside community pharmacies so you can compare both models in one place. Next step ## Compare Pharmacies for What You Need See NHS services, private prices, and reviews side by side — GPhC-checked, free, and no obligation. Pharmacies you don't pick never see your details. [Browse pharmacies](/pharmacies/)[Prescription Cost calculators →](/calculators/) ## People Also Ask Is a distance-selling pharmacy the same as an online pharmacy?+ Effectively yes — 'distance-selling pharmacy' is the regulatory term for a pharmacy that provides services remotely. Everyday names include online pharmacy, internet pharmacy, and postal pharmacy. Can a distance-selling pharmacy dispense my NHS prescriptions?+ Yes. Nominate it via the NHS App, your GP practice, or the pharmacy's own sign-up, and your electronic prescriptions are sent there and posted to you — usually with free delivery. Can I visit a distance-selling pharmacy in person?+ No — they are set up to work wholly remotely and NHS rules mean they must not require you to attend the premises. If you value face-to-face contact, choose a community pharmacy or use both. How fast do online pharmacies deliver?+ Typically 1–3 working days once the prescription is ready, with tracked options for valuable or fridge items. Order repeat prescriptions about a week before you run out, and keep a local pharmacy for anything needed the same day. Keep reading - [Are online pharmacies safe to use?](/answers/are-online-pharmacies-safe/) - [How do I check if an online pharmacy is legit?](/answers/how-do-i-check-if-an-online-pharmacy-is-legit/) - [What is a nominated pharmacy?](/answers/what-is-a-nominated-pharmacy/) - [Do pharmacies deliver prescriptions?](/answers/do-pharmacies-deliver-prescriptions/) - [How do I switch pharmacies?](/answers/how-do-i-switch-pharmacies/) - [Compare online pharmacies](/online-pharmacies/) - [Online pharmacy UK guide](/guides/online-pharmacy-uk/) - [Prescription delivery services](/services/prescription-delivery/) - [Browse verified pharmacies](/pharmacies/) **Affiliate disclosure:**Pick My Pharmacy is free to use. We may earn a fee when you visit a referral partner or send a private-service enquiry. That never changes ratings, match results, or the prices you pay. Outbound partner links userel="sponsored". See[affiliate compliance](/methodology/#affiliate-compliance)and[how we make money](/how-it-works/). This article is general information for UK patients, not medical advice, and NHS rules and charges change — confirm current rules on [nhs.uk](https://www.nhs.uk) or speak to a pharmacist or GP before acting. For urgent medical help call NHS 111, or 999 in an emergency. Price figures are indicative benchmarks from our[methodology](/methodology/).