A non-contaminating application of a medical catheter into a body canal, in particular a urethra catheter, and of the kind provided with a friction-reducing surface coating, is effected by placing the catheter in a packaging designed as an applicator and composed of two essentially rectangular plastic foil blanks which are joined in essentially linear peeling zones extending along their edges, the catheter being placed with its distal insertion end positioned opposite a predetermined first zone of the edge joint. By the application, the walls are separated gradually and completely in peeling zones in the direction away from the first zone during simultaneous insertion of the catheter.