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Download here your free diabetes travel letter template
This article provides you with all the information you need to get through airport security checks with all of your diabetes supplies. And a special diabetes travel letter template is downloadable for free. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetic travelers should carry such a letter when traveling with diabetes.
Before we enter the subject, have you read our complete articles about flying with diabetes supplies?
You need a have a medical travel letter in order to get through airport security checks with all of your diabetes supplies. For it to be valid, there are a number of specific information that your diabetes travel letter must contain. Naturally, some doctors aren’t aware of the exact information that should be included in such a letter. To make things easier for you, and for your doctor, we’ve prepared a ready-to-print Diabetes Travel Letter Template.
All you need to do is download your template for FREE and ask your doctor to fill it in! It also comes with a notice sheet for your doctor to understand what that document exactly is, and what she/he needs to write!
Why do you need a diabetes travel letter?
You should not have any problems passing through airport security with your diabetic supplies. Nowadays, more and more people are traveling with diabetes, and airport security staff is getting more familiar with diabetes supplies such as insulin pumps, blood glucose meters, continuous glucose monitoring sensors, glucagon kits, and other diabetic pharmaceuticals.
According to the TSA requirements:
“Diabetes related supplies, equipment, and medication, including liquids, are allowed through the checkpoint once they have been screened. Passengers should declare these items and separate them from other belongings before screening begins.”
Insulin pens, vials, cartridges, insulin pumps, blood glucose meters, continuous glucose monitoring sensors, needles, syringes, diabetes tablets, lancets, and any other diabetic supplies, are all ALLOWED to pass through TSA. And more generally, this applies to any airport security in the world.
But to be completely safe, you do need to have a diabetes travel letter from your doctor specifying that you are a diabetic patient. And as such, they should let you go through TSA with your all diabetic supplies.
If you’re traveling abroad to a country that has few English speakers, it’s even better (but not compulsory) to have that your diabetes travel letter translated into your destination country’s language.
You might be asked to show it on arrival to local customs if they ask you about the medical supplies you’re bringing into their country. And you might be asked to show it at departure to the local airport security when you’ll catch your return flight.
Most of the time though, you won’t even be asked to show your diabetes travel letter. Believe me, I’ve been through a looooot of airport security checks with many different diabetic supplies (insulin pens, freestyle libre glucose sensors, glucose meters, needles, etc.). And, I have never been asked to show my letter.
But, I always, always, carry it on me just in case. It doesn’t cost you anything and it is legally all you need to get through if anybody asks.
In case you don’t have a diabetes travel letter and you’re having troubles with the airport security staff, don’t hesitate to ask for the chief of staff. He or she might more easily be able to let you go through.
Before flying with diabetes, should you have any more doubts about what you can take through airport security, do not hesitate to contact your departure airport’s referent authority. Here are a few useful phone numbers to save you some time:
4 Responses
Hi, we’ve been waiting for The travel letter for quite some time and nothing! Hopefully we’ll be able to travel abroad this Summer, so having time to put things in order ahead of time makes sense to us, Could you, please, send us a Diabetes Travel Letter Template. Thank you.
Hi Peter! I’m confused, normally you should automatically receive our template in your email box… Have you checked the Spam folder? I’ve manually sent it to you just now: let me know if you have any further problems! Sorry for the inconvenience, and hopefully we can all travel again this summer!
Hello
I enjoyed seeing all you have available for us diabetics to know/have while traveling with our condition. I was esp. glad to see you have a Travel Letter for the Doctor. In fact, I printed it off for my Doctor as I was going on a trip. She was so impressed that this letter was available & wanted me to print more copies of it for her patients when they come in for a travel letter. I wanted to do that for her & also for myself, as I have another trip coming up later this year. I tried to download the template again, in fact tried several times, and each time it said I was already on the email list. I know, & that’s great, but how do I received another template? Can you please help me. Thank you.
Hi Nancy! Sorry for such a late reply, somehow I’ve never received notification of your comment. I’ve just sent you another template via email, and you can download and print this one as much as you need. Thank you for sharing!