Can you buy Viagra at Boots without a prescription? Not in Australia, where sildenafil and tadalafil are prescription-only. In the UK the regulator's rule names no shop; it is written for pharmacies in general, and it lets one form of sildenafil for erectile dysfunction, Viagra Connect, be sold only after a discussion with the pharmacist. This page gives that rule; it does not describe any shop's service or prices.
How may a UK pharmacy sell Viagra Connect?
As a pharmacy medicine, after a discussion with the pharmacist. On 28 November 2017 the MHRA, the UK regulator, moved Viagra Connect from prescription-only to pharmacy medicine and said that "the medicine will be sold from pharmacies following a discussion with the pharmacist" (MHRA, 28 November 2017). Pharmacy medicines can be bought "only from a pharmacy and in the presence of a pharmacist", and "Pharmacy staff may discuss with the purchaser how to use the medicine, ask questions to make sure that the chosen medicine is appropriate, and check if the person needs to see another health professional such as a doctor" (MHRA guidance, updated 3 September 2026).
What does the pharmacist check?
Your heart, your other medicines and your other conditions. The MHRA's report describes a checklist that "can be used to determine whether the medicine is suitable for a patient by asking a series of questions around cardiovascular health, other medicines and other conditions". Pharmacists may use it or not: "The use of the checklist is not compulsory" (MHRA public assessment report). Viagra Connect "will not be sold to those with severe cardiovascular disorders; at high cardiovascular risk; liver failure; severe kidney failure; or taking certain interacting medicines" (MHRA, 28 November 2017). The full terms are on can Viagra Connect be bought over the counter?
Is all sildenafil sold this way in UK pharmacies?
No. The MHRA's table of approved reclassifications lists sildenafil only as 50 mg tablets with a maximum pack of 8 (MHRA table of approved reclassifications); sildenafil outside those terms needs a prescription. The detail is on can you buy Viagra over the counter in the UK?
Can an Australian pharmacy sell Viagra without a prescription?
No. In Australia sildenafil and tadalafil are not sold over the counter: they "can only be supplied to Australians with a prescription" (TGA). Viagra Connect is not on the Australian register either: a search of the ARTG for "viagra connect" returns no matching results (ARTG search, 27 September 2026).
The short answer
In the UK, Viagra Connect is sold from pharmacies after a discussion with the pharmacist, who checks whether it suits you; the rule is the regulator's, and it names no shop. In Australia "you need a prescription to get ED medicines", and a doctor assesses you first (healthdirect). What that means in practice is in can you get Viagra without seeing a doctor? The other over-the-counter questions are gathered in can you buy Viagra over the counter or online in Australia?
