A1. Submit an online application for licensure with the required fee and send the Pharmacist Online Application Supplement Packet to the Board's office by mail: 2 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, SE 11th Floor – East Tower, Atlanta, GA 30334. Submit proof of graduation from an ACPE approved school or college of Pharmacy. Applicants applying for licensure by examination must complete 1500 hours of pharmacy internship or its equivalent as provided by the Board. An applicant for licensure by examination shall submit to the Board a certification that states that the applicant has satisfied the required 1500 hours of pharmacy practice experience, which shall include practice experience in both a retail and hospital practice setting, in accordance with the standards set by the Board. An applicant for examination shall submit the certification in writing and signed under oath by a duly authorized representative of the applicant's school or college of pharmacy on a form approved by the Board. Any intern wishing to obtain internship credit for work in a research and /or industrial program must first submit a request for approval of the program to the Board along with an outline of the program from the individual who will supervise the intern in this program. If approved by the Board, the hours will be awarded in accordance with the standards set by the Board. If the applicant obtained his/her internship hours in another state, these hours must be transferred directly from the state board office or school in which the hours were obtained. The applicant must contact that state board or school to request that the hours be transferred to Georgia.
A2. See Rule Board Rule 480-2-.02 A school or college of pharmacy located outside of the United States, provided that graduates of such foreign schools or colleges may be deemed qualified to apply to practice as pharmacists or pharmacy interns if and only if the Board, after a review of the graduate’s verified academic records, finds that the graduate is qualified and, in the case of a graduate who seeks licensure as a pharmacist, has passed the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination (FPGEC), and the Test of Spoken English, and the Test of English as a foreign language, all administered by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP).
A3. First, determine if you are eligible for an intern license. For example, if you are already licensed as a pharmacist or have met the requirements to be licensed as a pharmacist, you do not qualify for intern licensure. Please see applicable law and rules including without limitation O.C.G.A. §§26-4-41(c), 26-4-46, 26-4-47, 26-4-48 and Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 480-2-.03. You are eligible for intern licensure if you have: (1) Have submitted an online application and sent a completed Pharmacy Intern Online Application Supplement Packet to the Board of Pharmacy;
(2) Have attained the age of majority;
(3) Be of good moral character; and
(4) Have paid the fees specified by the board for the issuance of the license.
(5) The following individuals shall be eligible to be licensed as a pharmacy intern:
(a) A student who is currently enrolled in an approved school or college of pharmacy;
(b) An individual who is a graduate of an approved school or college of pharmacy who is currently licensed by the board for the purpose of obtaining practical experience as a requirement for licensure as a pharmacist; or
(c) An individual who does not meet the requirements of paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection and is a graduate of a pharmacy school or college located in another country but who has completed all requirements of the Foreign Pharmacy Equivalency Certification Program administered by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. This shall include without being limited to successful completion of all required examinations, the issuance of the equivalency certificate, and an individual evaluation by the board of the applicant's proficiency in the English language. The Board shall approve all internship programs for the purpose of providing the practical experience necessary for licensure as a pharmacist. A pharmacy intern is authorized to engage in the practice of pharmacy under the supervision of a pharmacist. You may download the Pharmacy Intern Application , if you do not want to apply online.
A4. Yes, each candidate submitting an application for a pharmacist license must take and pass the Georgia MPJE and NAPLEX. The candidate must receive an overall passing score of 75%. If you fail an examination the NABP requires that you wait 31 days to be re-examined for the MPJE and 45 days to be re-examined for the NAPLEX. NAPLEX and MPJE scores are valid for two (2) years
A5. Application processing times vary due to the volume of applications we receive. Currently, application processing takes approximately 35 business days. Effective July 1, 2012, the Georgia Board of Pharmacy stopped printing hard copies of blue wall licenses and pocket cards to licensees free of charge. This change impacted all license types. You may print a PDF version of your pocket license card, free of charge. If you would like to order a hard copy of your license directly from the Board, you may print a request form , complete it, and send the request form with a fee of $25 to the Georgia Board of Pharmacy, 2 Peachtree Street NW, 6th Floor, Atlanta, GA 30303. To order a copy of your wall certificate, please complete an order form and send the form with a fee of $50 to the Georgia Board of Pharmacy, 2 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, SE 11th Floor – East Tower, Atlanta, GA 30334.
A6. Yes, the Georgia State Board of Pharmacy reciprocates with all states. Georgia reciprocates with applicants licensed in California after 2004. Applicants licensed in California prior to 2004 must sit for the complete pharmacy examination (NAPLEX and MPJE).
A7. Submit an application and the required fee. License transfer applications are available via NABP. NABP's review process can take three to five business days. Once this process is complete, NABP will submit your official license transfer application to the Georgia Board of Pharmacy. You must register and pay the required fee to NABP to sit for the MPJE. Submit your official Georgia application with the required $550 total fee in two separate checks one for $500 and one for $50 ($500 non-refundable application fee, and $50 non-refundable decorative wall certificate fee). Applicant must reciprocate from the first state in which he/she was licensed by examination with a current license and in good standing. You may review additional reciprocity requirements .
A8. O.C.G.A. § 26-4-43 allows for temporary licenses. A temporary license may be issued by the executive director upon the approval of the president if satisfactory evidence is provided in pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 26-4-43. Contact the Board office to obtain a form for a temporary license.
A9. Georgia issues several different types of licenses. Each type of license has a non-refundable application fee. Please see the fee schedule .
A10. The Board accepts address changes for pharmacists and interns submitted online, via letter, or by fax. For a pharmacist or intern interested in a name change, you must send a letter requesting a change to the Board office, along with a copy of the legal document showing the change. For example, if Ms. Jane Doe née Smith wanted to change the name on her professional license to reflect her new married name, she would send a letter to the Board office stating as follows: “I, Ms. Jane Smith (pharmacist license number: RPH000000), would like my name changed to Ms. Jane Doe on my professional license.” She would include a copy of her marriage license showing Smith as her new name. Name change requests should be sent to the Georgia Board of Pharmacy: