White, green and yellow prescriptions: what's the difference and how they're dispensed

The colour of a special prescription tells you which table of Law 339/2005 the substance in your medicine belongs to: the yellow form is for table II, the green one for table III (HG 1915/2006, art. 33). Other prescription medicines go on the ordinary (“white”) prescription, and reimbursed ones on the electronic prescription (MS/CNAS Order no. 674/252/2012). Below, for each one: how long it is valid and which rules apply at the pharmacy, with the legal act behind every rule.

Corrected on 1 November 2026: validity periods, number of copies, the rules for reimbursed narcotic and psychotropic prescriptions and the travel certificate; we removed visual descriptions we could not find in the official texts.

The regulatory framework — Law 339/2005 and HG 1915/2006

The colours of the special forms are set by the Methodological Norms of Law 339/2005 (Legea 339/2005), approved by Government Decision (HG) no. 1915/2006: the yellow form is for preparations containing substances in table II of the annex to the law, and the green form for preparations containing substances in table III (HG 1915/2006, art. 33(1)). Table I lists prohibited substances, “lacking recognised medical interest” (Law 339/2005, annex), so they are not prescribed. Reimbursed medicines are prescribed on the electronic prescription approved by MS/CNAS Order no. 674/252/2012, except for the narcotics and psychotropics covered by HG 1915/2006, which are still prescribed on the special forms (Order 674/252/2012, annex 2, ch. I point 1).

• White prescription — the usual name for the ordinary prescription, for prescription medicines without a special regime;
• Green prescription — table III preparations (HG 1915/2006, art. 33);
• Yellow prescription — table II preparations (HG 1915/2006, art. 33);
• Electronic prescription (SIPE) — reimbursed medicines, except those in tables II and III (Order 674/252/2012, annex 2, ch. I point 1).

The white prescription — the ordinary prescription

The white prescription is the ordinary prescription for medicines that are dispensed on prescription but contain no substances from tables II or III. When the medicine is reimbursed, the doctor prescribes it on the electronic prescription. Its model includes the insured person's details (including the CNP — cod numeric personal, the personal identification number — and date of birth), the diagnosis code and, for each medicine, the international non-proprietary name (DCI) or brand name, the pharmaceutical form, strength, route of administration, quantity and number of days of treatment, plus the doctor's name, stamp (parafă) and signature (Order 674/252/2012, annex 1). The diagnosis is coded using the ICD classification, 10th revision (annex 2, ch. II), and the quantity is written in both figures and words (MS/CNAS Order no. 1857/441/2023, annex 36, art. 3).

Validity: a reimbursed prescription for acute and subacute conditions is valid for at most 48 hours, and one for chronic conditions for at most 30 days from issue (Order 1857/441/2023, annex 36, art. 2(5)). Reimbursed medicines are prescribed for at most 7 days in acute conditions, 8–10 days in subacute conditions and 30–31 days in chronic conditions (art. 2(1)).

The green prescription — table III

The green prescription is the special form for preparations containing substances in table III of the annex to Law 339/2005 (HG 1915/2006, art. 33(1)). Table III contains psychotropics, but also preparations with some narcotic substances, so green does not automatically mean “psychotropic” (Law 339/2005, annex, table III). Examples from the table:

• benzodiazepines — diazepam, alprazolam, lorazepam, clonazepam, midazolam;
• zolpidem and, since 2 September 2024, zopiclone (Government Ordinance (OG) no. 42/2024);
• phenobarbital and buprenorphine;
• preparations with codeine or dihydrocodeine;
• tramadol preparations, since 2 September 2024 (OG no. 42/2024).

Rules (HG 1915/2006):

• it must be presented at the pharmacy within 30 days of the date of prescribing; after that, the medicine can only be collected on a new prescription (art. 36(3));
• at most 3 preparations per prescription and the quantity for at most 30 days of treatment (art. 37(1));
• it is issued in 4 copies: for the patient, for the pharmacy and, where applicable, for the health insurance house; one copy stays in the doctor's prescription booklet. If you pay in full, the insurance house's copy is cancelled and stays in the booklet (art. 32(3)–(4));
• the pharmacy retains the prescription when dispensing (Law 339/2005, art. 37(3)).

The yellow prescription — table II

The yellow prescription is the special form for preparations containing substances in table II of the annex to Law 339/2005 — substances of medical interest “subject to strict control” (HG 1915/2006, art. 33(1); Law 339/2005, annex, table II). Table II also contains psychotropics, not only narcotics. Examples from the table:

• strong opioids — morphine, fentanyl, oxycodone, hydromorphone, pethidine;
• methadone;
• methylphenidate and, since 2 September 2024, lisdexamfetamine (OG no. 42/2024).

Rules (HG 1915/2006):

• it must be presented at the pharmacy within 10 days of the date of prescribing; after that, the medicine can only be collected on a new prescription (art. 36(3));
• at most 3 preparations and the quantity for at most 30 days of treatment (art. 37(1)); also 4 copies, as with the green prescription (art. 32(3));
• at your request, the medicines can be collected in instalments, in at most 3 tranches, from the same pharmacy, within the validity period; the quantities collected are confirmed on two copies of the prescription (art. 37(2) and art. 38(1)) — the same rule applies to the green prescription;
• to continue treatment you need a new prescription; the doctor can issue it before the 30 days are up, when the dose runs out or if your condition requires a change of dose or medicine (art. 39(1)).

At the pharmacy, the prescription is retained (Law 339/2005, art. 37(2)), movements of these preparations are entered daily in a special register (HG 1915/2006, art. 56), and the medicines are kept in locked, unmarked cabinets (art. 59).

The electronic prescription (SIPE) and reimbursed prescriptions

Reimbursed medicines are prescribed on the electronic prescription — the form approved by MS/CNAS Order no. 674/252/2012, validated and registered in SIPE (Sistemul informatic pentru prescripția electronică — the electronic prescription IT system of CNAS, Casa Națională de Asigurări de Sănătate, the National Health Insurance House) (Order 674/252/2012, art. 1(2)). It can be dispensed at any pharmacy that has a contract with a health insurance house (annex 2, ch. I point 4).

The exception is preparations from tables II and III: even when reimbursed, they are prescribed on the special yellow or green form, which has its own fields for the health insurance house (Order 674/252/2012, annex 2, ch. I point 1; Order 1857/441/2023, annex 36, art. 1(1); HG 1915/2006, annex 9). For the electronic prescription in general, see our article about the electronic prescription.

The simple (non-reimbursed) prescription

If the medicine is not reimbursed, you pay the full retail price. The 48-hour and 30-day limits above come from the rules of the health insurance system (Order 1857/441/2023, annex 36, art. 2(5)); if you are not sure how long you can use a non-reimbursed prescription, ask your doctor or pharmacist. For preparations from tables II and III the special form is used even when you pay in full; the copy meant for the health insurance house is cancelled and stays in the doctor's booklet (HG 1915/2006, art. 32(4)).

What the forms look like — the official models

Below are only the elements that appear in the models published in the legislation.

• Electronic prescription — a unique series and number generated by SIPE; the insured person's details; the diagnosis code; at most 10 medicine lines; a barcode containing the information filled in by the doctor; a statement that the document was generated and signed electronically (Order 674/252/2012, annexes 1 and 2). The doctor can give it to you printed or send it to you electronically (Order 1857/441/2023, annex 36, art. 1(4)).
• Yellow and green prescriptions — forms from secure booklets printed by the National Printing House (Imprimeria Națională), which doctors obtain from the county public health directorate (DSP — Direcția de Sănătate Publică) (HG 1915/2006, art. 35). The model is marked “Regim special” (special regime) and has a series and number, at most 3 medicine lines, fields for the health insurance house and an “I have received the medicines” field for the insured person or an authorised representative (HG 1915/2006, annex 9).

If you have doubts about a prescription, ask the pharmacist or the doctor who issued it.

Who does what — doctor, pharmacist, SIPE, CNAS

• The doctor — chooses the form according to the substance: yellow for table II, green for table III (HG 1915/2006, art. 33). On a reimbursed prescription, they prescribe by international non-proprietary name (DCI); by brand name only in the cases provided for (for example, medically justified cases or biological products), also stating the DCI (HG 521/2023, annex 2, art. 158(1)); the form has a field for the medical justification (Order 674/252/2012, annex 1). They sign the prescription electronically, and it is validated and registered in SIPE (Order 674/252/2012, art. 1(2)).
• The pharmacist — unless the doctor recommended a specific brand, recommends the medicines with the same DCI in ascending order of price, starting with the cheapest (HG 521/2023, annex 2, art. 158(1)). If the medicine dispensed costs more than the reference price, the pharmacy asks for your written consent on the prescription (art. 153(s)). The price, the reference price, the reimbursed amount and your co-payment appear on the dispensing section of the electronic prescription (Order 674/252/2012, annex 1).
• SIPE — the CNAS IT system in which the electronic prescription is validated and registered and the pharmacy records the dispensing (Order 674/252/2012, art. 1(2)). The pharmacy is paid not by the system but by the health insurance house, based on the documents the pharmacy submits monthly (HG 521/2023, annex 2, art. 153(q)).
• CNAS and the health insurance houses — pay the reimbursed part. The list of reimbursed DCIs (the sublists) is approved by HG no. 720/2008 (Order 674/252/2012, annex 2, ch. I point 5), and the rules for prescribing, dispensing and payment are in the framework contract approved by HG no. 521/2023 and its norms (MS/CNAS Order no. 1857/441/2023).
• The Ministry of Health — issues pharmacies' operating authorisations, including the entry for online activity; online pharmacies may sell only non-prescription medicines (Ministry of Health Order (OMS) no. 444/2019).

What records the pharmacy keeps

• Yellow prescriptions (table II) — the pharmacy retains the prescription (Law 339/2005, art. 37(2)) and enters movements daily in a special register (HG 1915/2006, art. 56 and annex 13). Documents on operations with substances and preparations from tables I and II are kept for 5 years (Law 339/2005, art. 43(1)).
• Green prescriptions (table III) — in community pharmacies, the record of these preparations consists of the prescriptions retained when dispensing (HG 1915/2006, art. 57–58).
• Reimbursed prescriptions — the pharmacy keeps the dispensing section together with the prescription in its own records and shows it to the health insurance house on request (Order 1857/441/2023, annex 36, art. 1(4)).

Pharmacies report their stocks of, and operations with, medicines containing narcotic and psychotropic substances to the Ministry of Health (Law 339/2005, art. 42(1)(g)). Inspections are carried out by the Ministry of Health's pharmacist inspectors, based on an annual inspection plan (HG 1915/2006, art. 6). Fines are set per offence: for example, dispensing these medicines without the special forms is fined 20,000–30,000 RON, and 30,000–40,000 RON for a repeat offence; suspension of the authorisation, for 1–6 months, applies only to repeated offences (Law 339/2005, art. 52).

Who has the right to prescribe what

• Yellow and green prescriptions — any doctor holding a licence to practise (autorizație de liberă practică) can issue them, to any patient, whatever the illness, if they consider the preparation necessary; responsibility for the prescription lies with the prescribing doctor (Law 339/2005, art. 38(1); HG 1915/2006, art. 32(1)–(2)). The secure forms are obtained from the public health directorate (art. 35). After discharge from hospital, treatment with these preparations continues on a prescription issued by the family doctor (art. 44).
• The family doctor, in the reimbursed system — prescribes within their competence and can continue treatments started by a specialist, based on the medical letter (Order 1857/441/2023, annex 36, art. 5(1)).
• The hospital doctor — on discharge, the prescription covers medication for at most 30/31 days; if the situation requires it, for at most 90/91/92 days (annex 36, art. 2(4)).
• Acute conditions — in the reimbursed system, medicines are prescribed for at most 7 days (annex 36, art. 2(1)).

Special situations

Prescriptions for chronic conditions, for up to 90 days

For stabilised chronic conditions with a stable treatment plan, the family doctor or the specialist can prescribe reimbursed medicines for up to 90/91/92 days (Order 1857/441/2023, annex 36, art. 2(2)–(3)). At your request, the electronic prescription can be dispensed in instalments, by one or more pharmacies, in line with the monthly quantity; the first collection must take place within 30 days of issue (art. 7(4)), and the prescription is valid for at most 92 days (art. 2(5)).

Travelling abroad with table II medicines

If you leave the country with medicines containing table II substances, you need a certificate for holding them for therapeutic purposes, based on the certificate model under Article 75 of the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement. It is issued by the Ministry of Health, at the request of the prescribing doctor or the patient, accompanied by the prescription, within 3 working days; it is valid for 30 days, one is issued for each medicine, for the quantity needed for the trip but for no more than 30 days, and it is shown to customs when leaving the country (HG 1915/2006, art. 46–48 and annex 10). For the rest of your travel medicine kit, see our guide on the travel kit.

Telemedicine

After a remote consultation, the family doctor or the outpatient specialist can send you the electronic prescription by electronic means; you show it or send it to the pharmacy, or print it (Order 1857/441/2023, annex 36, art. 1(4)). Under the rules in force, yellow and green prescriptions are issued on forms from the doctor's secure booklets (HG 1915/2006, art. 32(3) and art. 35).

Written by Andrei-Șerban Stoian, founder of HartaFarmacii — software engineer, not a doctor or pharmacist·Updated 2026-11-01