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Staying safe

How to verify a pharmacy is GPhC-registered

Look the pharmacy up on the GPhC register — the official list of every pharmacy legally allowed to operate in Great Britain. A genuine online pharmacy shows its registration number on its website, and the name and address on the register match the site you're looking at. The whole check takes about a minute.

Written by MHC Editorial Team · Medically reviewed by Dr Ashish [Surname], GP, GMC reg. [GMC number pending] · Last reviewed 6 July 2026 Verify on the GMC register →
The one-minute check

Check the register in five steps

Anyone selling medicines online in Great Britain must operate from a pharmacy registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council. Unregistered sellers exist, and the register is how you tell the two apart.

Find the registration number

Look in the website's footer, or on its "About" or "Regulatory" page. A registered online pharmacy displays its GPhC premises number, the pharmacy's registered name and the name of its superintendent pharmacist.

Open the official register

Go directly to the GPhC's pharmacy register at pharmacyregulation.org. Type the address yourself or use the button below — don't rely on a link the pharmacy's own site provides.

Search by number or name

Enter the registration number if you have it. Searching by pharmacy name or postcode works too, but a number match is harder to fake.

Compare the details

The registered pharmacy name and address on the register entry should match what the website says about itself, and the registration should be current. A mismatch is your cue to stop.

Check the superintendent pharmacist

The register entry names the pharmacy's superintendent pharmacist — the person professionally responsible for it. Check that name against what the website itself says. A site that names no pharmacist at all is a warning in itself.

Open the GPhC register →
Warning signs

When to walk away

Any one of these is reason enough to close the tab and choose a pharmacy you can verify.

Red flag

No registration number anywhere

A registered pharmacy has nothing to hide and displays its GPhC number. A site that won't tell you who it is has answered your question already.

Red flag

Register details don't match

A different trading name, a different address, or a lapsed registration. Some illegitimate sites quote a real number that belongs to someone else — which is exactly why step four matters.

Red flag

No consultation asked for

Prescription-only medicines can only be supplied after a registered prescriber has assessed you. A site offering them with no questions asked is operating outside the rules.

Red flag

Pressure to hurry

Countdown timers, "only 3 left" stock warnings, or prices that look too good against every registered competitor. Legitimate pharmacies don't rush you into medicines.

GPhC, CQC or MHRA — who regulates what?

Three regulators come up when you check an online pharmacy. Each covers a different part of the picture.

RegulatorWhat it coversHow to verify
GPhC — General Pharmaceutical Council Pharmacies, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in England, Scotland and Wales. In Northern Ireland the equivalent is the Pharmaceutical Society NI. Search the pharmacy register by name or registration number.
GMC — General Medical Council Doctors, including those prescribing through online clinics. Search the medical register by name or GMC number.
CQC — Care Quality Commission Online doctor and clinic services in England, including the consultation side of many online providers. Search the provider on cqc.org.uk and read its latest inspection report.
MHRA — Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency The medicines themselves: licensing, safety monitoring and the rules on how they may be advertised and sold. The MHRA doesn't register pharmacies. Its guidance on gov.uk covers buying medicines safely.

We run this check so you can skip it.

The same register lookup, done before a provider ever appears in a comparison.

Where we've verified a provider's GPhC registration, we link its register entry next to the listing so you can check it yourself. Where we can't verify something, the card says "not verified" — we never guess on your behalf.

See the comparisons → How we source and check our data →
Common questions

Checking a pharmacy, answered

How do I know if an online pharmacy is legitimate in the UK?

Find its GPhC registration number on the website, then look it up on the official register at pharmacyregulation.org. If the registered name and address match the site and the registration is current, the pharmacy is genuine. If you can't complete that check, don't order from it.

What is the GPhC register?

The public register kept by the General Pharmaceutical Council, the statutory regulator for pharmacy in England, Scotland and Wales. It lists every registered pharmacy premises, pharmacist and pharmacy technician, and anyone can search it free of charge.

Is the GPhC the same as the CQC?

No. The GPhC regulates pharmacies and the people who work in them. The CQC regulates health services in England, including many online clinics' consultation services. An online provider often holds both: CQC for the clinic side, GPhC for the pharmacy that dispenses.

Should I trust a pharmacy logo or badge on a website?

No. The GPhC's voluntary internet pharmacy logo scheme has been discontinued, so a logo or badge on a website is not proof of registration, and badges are easy to copy. The check that counts is the pharmacy's entry on the register at pharmacyregulation.org: match the registered name and address to the site and confirm the registration is current.

What if a pharmacy isn't on the register?

Don't buy from it, even if the prices look tempting. You can report unregistered sellers to the GPhC through its website, and to the MHRA via its Yellow Card scheme if you've received a suspect medicine. If you've already taken something you're unsure about, speak to a pharmacist or your GP.

Sources

Primary UK sources used for this page, all publicly checkable.