Find a pharmacy in Kehl
Kehl sits directly on the Rhine opposite Strasbourg, and its pharmacy ecosystem reflects that border position more than its modest population of around 36,000. PillsCard's directory lists 7 verified pharmacies serving year-round residents, commuters crossing the Europabrücke daily for work in Alsace, and a steady flow of French shoppers buying German-priced over-the-counter medicines. Concentration is heaviest in the compact Innenstadt around Hauptstraße and the train-station quarter, where foot traffic from the tram link to Strasbourg is highest. Outlying districts such as Kork, Auenheim and Neumühl are each served by a single neighbourhood pharmacy. Several pharmacists keep conversational French to handle cross-border customers asking about products dispensed without prescription in Germany but restricted in France.
Kehl's market is fragmented and owner-operated rather than chain-dominated — Germany's Apothekengesetz still prohibits corporate pharmacy ownership, so each shop here is run by a licensed pharmacist. Around the Marktplatz, Rohan's Anker-Apotheke and the Stadtapotheke anchor the central retail strip, with Rosenapotheke and Iris Apotheke nearby handling general dispensing and compounding. Hanauerland-Apotheke and Hanauer Apotheke serve the surrounding Hanauerland villages with delivery rounds and Botendienst arrangements for elderly customers. Storchen-Apotheke rounds out the central cluster. None of the city's pharmacies are hospital-affiliated — the Ortenau Klinikum site in Kehl runs its own internal dispensary — but several maintain referral relationships with GP practices in the Kinzigstraße medical quarter for repeat prescriptions.
Pricing & coverage
Prescription medicines on the German positive list are dispensed against GKV insurance with a statutory co-payment of €5–€10 per item, capped at 2% of gross annual income (1% for chronic patients). Over-the-counter staples are not reimbursed: a 20-pack of ibuprofen 400 mg typically runs €4–€7, a course of nasal decongestant €5–€9, and basic blood-pressure monitoring at the counter is usually free. PKV holders pay upfront and claim back, often at higher reimbursement rates. Pricing for prescription drugs is uniform nationally under the AMPreisV ordinance, regulated by BfArM, so cross-Rhine price-shopping affects only OTC products.
Emergencies & out-of-hours care
Kehl pharmacies operate a rotating Notdienst rota published daily at every shop window and on aponet.de; the duty pharmacy stays open through the night and on Sundays, with a €2.50 emergency service fee on top of normal charges. For acute medical emergencies, the Ortenau Klinikum Kehl on Kanzmattstraße handles initial A&E presentations, with major trauma transferred to the Offenburg site. Dental emergencies route through the Bezirkszahnärztekammer Karlsruhe weekend rota. Call 112 for life-threatening situations — ambulance, fire and cardiac arrest — and 116 117 for the non-urgent on-call medical service (ärztlicher Bereitschaftsdienst).
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a French prescription at a Kehl pharmacy?
Yes, but with limits. EU cross-border prescriptions issued in standardised format from any EU country, including France, are accepted in Germany under Directive 2011/24/EU. The prescriber's full details, patient identification, and the drug's INN (not brand name) must appear. Practical hurdles: French prescriptions often list brand names unavailable in Germany, and pharmacists may need to substitute. Reimbursement does not transfer automatically — you pay cash and claim back through your French CPAM or mutuelle on return.
Do Kehl pharmacies stock medicines unavailable in France?
Several common products dispensed freely in German pharmacies — certain codeine combinations, higher-strength ibuprofen packs, and some homeopathic preparations — are prescription-only or restricted across the border. Pharmacists in central Kehl are familiar with this asymmetry and will advise on legal personal-import limits when asked.
Is there a 24-hour pharmacy in Kehl?
No single pharmacy is open 24/7. The Notdienst rota assigns one duty pharmacy per night across Kehl and surrounding Ortenaukreis villages; the rota poster on any closed pharmacy's door names the current duty shop. Strasbourg pharmacies across the Rhine operate a separate French rota and do not honour German prescriptions for reimbursement purposes.
How do I get repeat prescriptions as an expat?
Register with a local Hausarzt (GP) — most surgeries in Kehl's Kinzigstraße quarter accept new GKV and PKV patients. The doctor issues an eRezept (electronic prescription) tied to your insurance card, which any pharmacy in the city scans directly. Paper prescriptions are being phased out but still accepted through 2026.
Can pharmacists in Kehl vaccinate?
Since 2022 German pharmacists who have completed the required training may administer influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations to adults. Not every Kehl pharmacy participates — call ahead. GKV covers the vaccine and administration fee for indicated patients; others pay around €15–€25 plus the dose cost.
Safety note
This directory is informational only and is not medical advice. Consult a licensed pharmacist or physician in Kehl for individual clinical decisions about medicines, dosing, or interactions.