Pharmacist from Canada (CFTA)

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Pharmacist from Canada (CFTA)

If you are a licensed, practicing pharmacist in good standing from another Canadian province/territory, you are eligible for a licence through the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA).

The CFTA allows your current qualifications as a practicing Canadian pharmacist to be recognized, therefore you are not required to complete any additional assessments, including BC’s Jurisprudence Exam.

However, if you are on the non-patient care register in a province/territory you will need to transfer to the province’s patient care category in order to apply through the CFTA category.

Here are the steps to register with the College:

  1. Application for Full Pharmacists Licence (Part 1)
    • Access the Online Licence Module in eServices to get started.
       
    • Refer to the Application Checklist for the documents you need to upload.
       
    • Pay the application fee and criminal record check fee, as per the Fee Schedule.
       
    • A Criminal Record Check (CRC) will be initiated upon receipt of payment. You will also be required to initiate an extrajurisdictional CRC if you have been licensed as a health professional outside of Canada.
       

    • Refer to the Professional Licensing page for further information about processing times, application and assessment validity periods, and payment.

  2. English Language Proficiency (ELP) Assessments - if applicable
    • This is only required if you graduated from a pharmacy program in Quebec or a non-CCAPP/ACPE accredited program.
       

    • Acceptable test agencies and minimum scores are stated in Appendix 1 of the LCP-1.

    • If you completed your ELP test on or before August 31, 2024, you can apply the previous English Language Proficiency (ELP) standards.
       
    • Email your ELP score report to [email protected] for verification.
  3. Review the legislation under the Resources Tab
    • You must be familiar with all legislation relevant to pharmacy practice in BC in order to complete the Declaration of Currency with Legislation and Practice Standards section of the application.
  4. Application for Full Pharmacist Licence (Part 2)

    • To be eligible to submit Licence Application – Part 2, you must have completed your Licence Application – Part 1, including documents, CRC and extrajurisdictional CRC (if applicable), and completed all the required assessments (if applicable).

    • Log into eServices to complete Licence Application - Part 2 and pay the licence fee (fee prorated to align with the March 31st expiry date).

    • Refer to the Application Checklist for any updated documents you need to upload.

    • Obtain Professional Liability Insurance.
       
    • After payment, a confirmation email will be sent the next day, including your licence number. 
Additional Practice Information 

Drug Administration Certification (DAC) 

PRIME Enrolment (PharmaNet Access) 

  • All newly licensed pharmacists and pharmacy technicians requiring access to PharmaNet must enrol in PRIME.
  • Complete Step 1 of the PRIME enrollment process any time, but only complete Step 2 after 8pm on the day your full licence is granted.
  • Visit the PRIME webpage or contact PRIMESupport@gov.bc.ca. 

Other Training 

  • Additional training is required for specific types of pharmacy services (e.g. Opioid Agonist Treatment). Please visit the College website at: Declarations for more information.  
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