Professional Licensing

To practice as a pharmacist or pharmacy technician in BC, you must be licenced with the College of Pharmacists of BC (CPBC).

To be granted a licence, you must satisfy the requirements stated in the HPOA Bylaws and Licence Committee Policies (LCP). CPBC ensures that only the applicants who have successfully met the requirements are granted a licence to practice pharmacy in BC.

Overview

1. Refer to the Pharmacist Licence or Pharmacy Technician Licence pages to determine your licence pathway.
    
2. Prepare & scan all your required documents, as listed in the Application Part 1 Checklist. Scans must be clear, good quality and in colour, as per the Scanning Requirements.
    
3. Go to eServices and click on the Online Licence Application link.
    
4. Create a new eServices account or log into your existing account.
    
5. Complete Licence Application - Part 1 and upload your documents.
    
6. Pay the application fee and criminal record check fee.
    
7. After fulfilling all outstanding requirements and CPBC has provided confirmation, you can access and complete the Licence Application - Part 2 and pay the licence fee. Refer to the Application Checklist for any updated documents you may be required to submit.
    
8. You will receive an email the next business day confirming that your licence has been granted, along with your new licence number.

Processing Times

• Allow up to 5 business days for your documents and information to be reviewed.
   
• You will be contacted via email if additional information is required. Results of criminal record checks may take 15+ days. If adjudication or fingerprinting is required, the processing time will be further extended. The processing time for the extrajurisdictional CRC can vary, depending on the country. Visit the CRC webpage for more information.

Fees

• Refer to the Fee Schedule for all applicable fees.
   
• All fees are not refundable or transferable.
   
• Visa or Mastercard credit card payments online only (no debit or prepaid credit cards, cheques, money orders or bank drafts).

Validity Periods

TYpe	Validity
Licence Application	3 years
English Language Proficiency (ELP)	2 years (must be valid at the start of your SPT)
Jurisprudence Exam (JE)	3 years
Structured Practical Training (SPT)	3 years
PEBC Qualifying Exams	No expiry

 

Annual Renewal of Licence

• Professional licence renewals are due annually on March 31.
• Refer to the Renewals page for more information.

Need Help?

• Refer to the FAQ page
• Contact Professional Licensing at: [email protected]