What is the best app to carry my medical information when I travel?
Short answer: the best app to carry medical information when traveling depends on who has to read it. Your phone's own medical ID (Medical ID on iPhone, Emergency information on Android) is free and readable from the lock screen, so set it up first. For a trip abroad, add an app that keeps your full record and can show it to a doctor who does not have the app, or a MedicAlert ID if you want a person on the phone 24/7. The CDC advises travellers with a chronic illness to carry medical information on their person and suggests travel health apps for records and medications (CDC Yellow Book).
The options compared
Each entry says only what the maker's own website states, checked on 27 October 2026. "Not stated" means the site does not say.
| Option | Runs on | Keeps | How someone else reads it | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical ID (iPhone) | iPhone, Apple Watch | Conditions, medications, allergies, emergency contacts | From the lock screen without the passcode, if "Show When Locked" is on; can be shared with emergency services during a call | Built in |
| Emergency information (Android) | Some Android phones, in the Safety app | Blood type, allergies, medications, emergency contacts | From the lock screen: swipe up, Emergency, View emergency info | Built in |
| MedicAlert | Engraved bracelet or necklace, QR ID, online account | Conditions, allergies, medications, implanted devices, advance directives; documents on the higher plans | Responders are trained to look for the ID and call MedicAlert's 24/7 team | $35, $55 or $75 a year, ID sold separately |
| CuraPass | Web, Android | Medicines, allergies, conditions, vaccinations, scans | Emergency card from the lock screen, also offline; a clinic scans a QR code that opens the record read-only for 1 hour to 7 days | Free plan; CuraPass+ $100 a year |
| MediWall | iPhone and iPad | Medications, allergies, conditions, immunizations, imported from hospital portals (Epic/MyChart) | An emergency card to print or keep on the phone, with a scan-to-call QR code | Free |
| SyncMD | Mobile app | Prescriptions, allergies, conditions, vaccinations, scanned documents | Shared remotely or in person, or exported | Not stated |
| Vaxy | iPhone, Android | Vaccinations and antibody tests for the family, scans | A PDF overview you share | Free |
| HealthPass (ours) | Browser on any phone or computer, added to the home screen | Conditions, medications, allergies, vaccinations, emergency contacts, documents | A QR code on the emergency card opens it in a browser in English, German, French, Spanish or Portuguese, without an app or login | Free card; PLUS $9 a month |
TravelMedID (travelmedid.com) says it is coming soon for iOS and Android, so it is not compared here.
How to choose
- Everyone: fill in your phone's medical ID and turn on "Show When Locked". It costs nothing and is where a first responder looks first.
- If you may be unconscious or alone (epilepsy, diabetes on insulin, severe allergy): wear a physical ID. The CDC suggests a medical alert bracelet or carrying medical information on your person (CDC Yellow Book).
- If a doctor abroad must read your record: choose an option that opens without the app, in a language the doctor reads. Check whether it works offline, since you may have no roaming data.
- If you need your vaccination history for entry rules: keep a scan of your International Certificate of Vaccination; the paper certificate is still what a border asks for.
- If your records are in a US hospital portal: an app that imports from it saves typing.
- If you travel with children or an older parent: set up a medical ID on each person's own phone where they have one, and keep their summaries in your record app as well, so that one adult can answer for everyone. A child's card in a pocket or backpack, with your phone number on it, helps if you are separated in a crowd or at an airport.
- If you travel often: pick the option you will actually keep up to date. A record that was correct two years ago can mislead a doctor more than no record at all.
What to put in it, whichever you pick
- Your diagnoses, in plain words
- Every medicine with its generic name and dose
- Allergies, and what happens when you are exposed
- Blood group, if known; implanted devices
- Your doctor's name and contact details (CDC Yellow Book), your insurer's emergency line and one emergency contact
Who actually reads your record, and when
An app is only useful if the right person can read it at the right moment. Three different people may need your information on a trip, and they reach it in different ways.
- A first responder at the roadside or in a hotel room. They have seconds, they may not speak your language, and your phone is locked. What they can use is what shows on the lock screen or what you wear: the phone's medical ID, a bracelet, a card in your wallet. Anything behind a passcode or an app login is invisible to them.
- A doctor in an emergency department or a clinic. They have minutes, and they want your diagnoses, your medicines and your allergies, ideally in their own language. A record that opens from a QR code in any browser works here; a record that needs the same app on their side usually does not.
- You, at a pharmacy or a border. You may need to show what a medicine is and that it was prescribed to you, or prove a vaccination. A scan of the prescription and of your vaccination certificate, stored where you can open it offline, covers this.
Most people need something for all three, which is why the usual answer is a combination: the free medical ID on the phone, plus one record app or a physical ID, plus paper.
Before you leave: a ten-minute setup
- Fill in your phone's medical ID and switch on "Show When Locked" (iPhone) or add your emergency information in the Safety app (Android). Lock the phone and check that you can see it.
- Write a one-page medical summary. The CDC lists what it should hold: your diagnoses, your regular medicines by generic rather than brand name, and your allergies, plus an emergency contact card and your insurance details (CDC Yellow Book, travel health kits).
- Put the same summary in the app you chose, and open it once in airplane mode to see what works without a connection.
- Scan your prescriptions and your vaccination certificate. For injectable medicines such as insulin, the CDC advises carrying a copy of the prescription (CDC Yellow Book).
- Print the summary and keep it with your passport. Paper does not run out of battery.
- Tell your travel companion where the information is and how to open it.
Medicines at the border
An app does not replace the rules for carrying medicines. The CDC notes that narcotic and psychoactive medicines for personal use should be carried in the original prescription container, and that many countries limit them to a 30-day supply or less (CDC Yellow Book). Check the rules of every country you enter, including transit stops, with that country's embassy before you go.
What an app does help with is the name. A brand sold under one name at home is often sold under another abroad, and the generic name is what a pharmacist or doctor will recognise. List every medicine by its generic name and dose, in the app and on paper. The WHO's travel health guidance also advises carrying enough of your prescribed medicines for the whole trip (WHO, travel and health).
Privacy: what a stranger can see
Anything on the lock screen can be read by whoever holds your phone. Google says so plainly for Android's emergency information (Google), and the same is true of Medical ID with "Show When Locked" on. Put there only what helps a responder: conditions, medicines, allergies, blood group, a contact. Keep the rest, such as past diagnoses that do not change emergency care, in an app behind a login or a share link you control.
When an app shares your record by QR code or link, check three things on the maker's site: whether the link expires, whether you can revoke it, and where the data is hosted. The table above gives what each maker states; where a site does not say, we wrote "Not stated" rather than guess.
Offline, flat batteries and no signal
Roaming data is often switched off abroad to save money, and the moment you need your record may be the moment your phone is at 2%. Three habits cover most of this:
- Choose an option whose emergency view works offline, and test it in airplane mode at home.
- Carry a power bank on long travel days.
- Keep the printed summary with your passport, and a photo of it on your companion's phone.
About HealthPass
HealthPass is ours, so weigh this section accordingly. It runs in the browser, so there is nothing to install from an app store, and it does not appear on your phone's lock screen; use your phone's medical ID for that. The emergency card is free. PLUS ($9 a month, or $25 for a single trip of 90 days) adds vaccination tracking, document storage and offline access. Data is hosted in Virginia, USA. See what it keeps.
Start your free HealthPass account — it takes a minute and costs nothing.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Can a paramedic see my iPhone's Medical ID if the phone is locked?
A: Yes, if "Show When Locked" is turned on in the Health app (Apple).
Q: Is my medical information on the lock screen visible to anyone?
A: Yes. Google warns that anyone who picks up your phone can see your emergency information (Google). Put on it only what a stranger may know.
Q: Do I still need a paper copy?
A: Carry one. A printed card works with a flat battery, and the CDC advises carrying medical information on your person (CDC Yellow Book).
Q: Will a doctor abroad understand my record?
A: Only if it is in a language they read. Use generic drug names, which are the same in most countries, and choose an option that shows the record in the local language where you can.
Q: Should I use more than one app?
A: Use one record app at most, so you only have one place to keep current. Combine it with your phone's free medical ID and a printed summary.
Q: What should I do with my vaccination certificate?
A: Carry the original International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis if a country requires it, and keep a scan in your app. The CDC lists the certificate among the documents to pack (CDC Yellow Book).
Q: How often should I update the record?
A: Whenever a medicine or dose changes, and once more in the week before you travel.
Keep this checklist, your medications and your documents in one place you can open at a border, a pharmacy or an emergency room.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or a travel clinic about your own health before you travel; the WHO recommends a visit, preferably 4–8 weeks before departure. In an emergency abroad, call the local emergency number first.
Keep your medications, allergies and vaccinations with you abroad: a travel medical records app with an emergency card a doctor can read in five languages.