Frequently Asked Questions

Only a notary public or lawyer will be accepted for notarizing your documents.  Other professionals, including a Commissioner for Oaths, will not be accepted.

Documents in a language other than English must be translated by a certified translator.  Thus, documents that require notarization, should be notarized first and then translated.

Your online student registration application and notarized documents should be received by the College office no later than September 1, before the start of your first year in the pharmacy program.

It takes at least 45 days days to process the application due to the Criminal Record Check (CRC).  If adjudication or fingerprinting is requested by the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, the processing time will be delayed.  Once your application has completed processing, you will receive a confirmation email..

Once you have submitted your application, it will be reviewed within 5 business days. Any changes or updates (including the addition of PEBC certification results) made to your application will require up to 5 business days to review. You will be notified by email of any updates to your application status.

Full registration applications are generally submitted online through eServices, although a paper application will be required for specific scenarios.  If the latter, instructions will be provided to the applicant.  You will be notified by email:

• If any required documents are rejected or missing;
• When there is an update to your application including instructions for submitting payment to complete your full registration;
• When your application is complete.

If any updated documents are required for your full registration application, most documents can be uploaded directly to the Full Registration online system unless otherwise instructed. These documents must be scanned in accordance with the requirements outlined in the College’s Scanning Guidelines and Checklist for Document Submissions document. Submitted documents will be rejected if they do not meet the scanning requirements.

Professional liability insurance may be provided by an employer or purchased yourself through a private insurance broker or membership with the BC Pharmacy Association. Your insurance must meet the three criteria listed on the Professional Liability Insurance for Pharmacy Professionals section of our website.

Refer to Appendix 1 of the Registration Committee Policy-1 for a list of the accepted ELP assessments.

ELP results are valid for 2 years from the date the exam was written. ELP results must be valid at the time that you begin your practical training for the Structured Practical Training (SPT) requirement.

Registration for the JE is completed online through eServices.Thus an applicant must be pre-registered with the College or registered as a student pharmacist in the final year of the pharmacy program at UBC, to be eligible to write the JE.

JE results are valid for 3 years from the date the exam was written.

The JE is based on legislation contained in federal and provincial acts, their regulations, bylaws and published College Professional Practice Policies that pertain to pharmacy practice and registrant (pharmacist or pharmacy technician) responsibilities in the practice of pharmacy.  Refer to the JE Information Guide for details.

Pharmacist applicants who are required to complete the SPT are required to complete 500 hours. Please refer to Registration Committee Policy 6 for the types of applicants who are required to complete SPT

Pharmacy technician applicants are required to complete 160 hours of SPT, if they graduated within the last 3 years preceding their SPT start date, or 500 hours of SPT if they graduated 3 years or greater preceding their SPT start date. Please refer to Registration Committee Policy 8 for details.

When received, up to 5 business days.  Once completed, a confirmation email will be sent.

Whether or not you are paid during your SPT, is an arrangement that is made between you and your site.  The College is not involved with this arrangement.

When received, up to 5 business days.  Once completed, a confirmation email will be sent.

You can complete your registration renewal once you have received your renewal notice, which is sent via email approximately 6 weeks before your registration expiry date.  You will not have access to submit your registration renewal application on eServices prior to receiving the renewal notice and fulfilling your CE requirements.  Refer to the Registration Renewal section on the College website for details on the renewal process. 

You will be transferred to the Former registrant category. As a Former registrant, you will not be permitted to practice pharmacy in B.C. and your access to PharmaNet will be disconnected. Your Drug Administration Certification (if applicable) will also be removed and you will be required to re-apply.

Please note that you will still have access to eServices to complete your renewal, for up to 90 days from your expiry date.  However, a late fee will be applied as per HPA Bylaw Schedule D – Fee Schedule.

You need to submit your online registration renewal application through eServices first, which includes the completion of your declarations (Statutory declaration, Professional Liability Insurance and Drug Administration re-certification, if applicable). When you reach the “Summary” tab, you will see a link to print the invoice to give your employer.  The employer can then mail the payment (cheque, bank draft or money order) along with this invoice or phone the College office to provide their credit card information (Visa or Mastercard).  Please note, Visa debit cards are not accepted.

If payment is not received, your registration renewal is incomplete.  It is a registrant’s responsibility to ensure payment is received at the College by their renewal due date.

All BC licensed pharmacies can be found in the system.  For all others, enter the name and address of your place of employment in the “Other Employer” text box in eServices.  The Registration Department will review the information, add your employer to the list, if applicable or they will contact you for further information.

You can print out your new wallet-size registration card through eServices under “My Profile” only when your current one expires because eServices is in real time.  For example, if a registrant completes their renewal before their renewal due date of October 31st, then the new card will be available on November 1st.

No, you must maintain at all times valid First Aid and CPR certification throughout your Drug Administration Certification and not let it lapse, otherwise your Drug Administration Certification will no longer be valid.  To become certified again, you may be required to re-complete a CCCEP-accredited drug administration training course and/or First Aid & CPR certification course. If you wish to acquire your drug administration certification again, email the Registration Department at: [email protected], immediately for the re-certification requirements.  Refer to renewal requirement #7 on the College website.

The CRC is completed for all registrants at least once every 5 years.  Thus, a new CRC is initiated in the 4th year because it must to be completed before you exceed the 5 year mark.  Further details can be found on the College website.

The College does not receive any specific details regarding the CRC.  We only receive confirmation of whether your CRC is cleared or not.  However, you can inquire directly with the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General about sharing the details and results of your criminal record check with other organizations.

Place an order through eServices by clicking Events & Services  > Online Store and then choose “Certificate of Standing”.  When placing the order, enter instructions and/or the name and address of the regulatory authority where it needs to be sent in the “Order Instructions” field.  It takes 5-10 business days to process the order once received.

A Certificate of Standing must be mailed or emailed directly from the regulatory body(ies) to the College office and dated no earlier than 3 months from the date the pre-registration application was received.  

Place an order through eServices by clicking Events & Services > Online Store and then choose “Replacement of Registration Certificate”.  The College requires the original certificate to be returned to the College before a replacement certificate can be printed. However, if your certificate is lost, a notarized affidavit must be mailed to the College. The affidavit should state that you no longer possess the initial registration certificate you received because it is lost, and if the initial certificate is found, you must return one of the certificates to the College.

All registration classes are listed in section 41 of the HPA Bylaws, and individuals who are registered in any of those classes are collectively referred to as “registrants”.  The College currently has 10 registration classes, which can be grouped into 4 major types:

1. Full Pharmacist or Pharmacy Technician
   • May practice pharmacy to their full scope of practice in British Columbia
   • Annual registration fee required
   • Professional liability insurance required
   • Professional Development and Assessment Program (PDAP) requirements must be completed for annual registration renewal
      
2. Non-Practicing Pharmacist or Pharmacy Technician
   • May use the title “Pharmacist (Non-Practicing)” or “Pharmacy Technician (Non-Practising), but must not provide pharmacy services in British Columbia
   • Annual registration fee required
   • Professional liability insurance not required
   • PDAP requirements not required for annual registration renewal
   • Must apply for reinstatement to transfer back to the Full Pharmacist or Pharmacy Technician category and to provide pharmacy services
   • This registration class is not available for initial registration with the College.  A Full Pharmacist or Pharmacy Technician may transfer to this class at registration renewal.
      
3. Limited Pharmacist or Student Pharmacist
   • May provide pharmacy services only under the supervision of a Full Pharmacist, as they have not met all requirements for full registration.
   • Registration can be renewed twice for a maximum of three years for Limited Pharmacists; registration must be renewed annually until graduation for UBC students but no renewal for non-UBC students.
   • Annual registration fee is required for Limited Pharmacists.
   • Professional liability is required for Limited Pharmacists.
   • PDAP requirements not required for annual registration renewal.
   • Student Pharmacist registration is ceased at graduation. Pharmacy students who have graduated from their pharmacy program but wish to continue providing pharmacy services under the supervision of a Full Pharmacist may apply for Limited Pharmacist registration after graduation, if eligible.
   • Limited Pharmacist registration application must be reviewed by the Registration Committee.
      
4. Temporary Pharmacist or Pharmacy Technician; Temporary Limited Pharmacist; Temporary Student Pharmacist
   • Temporary registration is only enabled under 45(1) of the HPA Bylaws.
   • Differences for each class can be found here: https://www.bcpharmacists.org/temporary-registration

For those who are not registered in any of the above classes, they are not a registrant and are termed a Former Pharmacist or Pharmacy Technician if they were registered as a Full Pharmacist or Pharmacy Technician with the College at one time.

• Must not provide pharmacy services and cannot use the reserved title “Pharmacist” or “Pharmacy Technician”
• Annual registration fee not required
• Professional liability insurance not required
• PDAP requirements not required
• Must apply for reinstatement to transfer back to the Full Pharmacist or Pharmacy Technician category and to provide pharmacy services
• May order Letter of Standing and replacement of Registration Certificate.

It is up to a registrant whether or not they choose to renew and maintain their registration in the same registration class or transfer to Former  while on any type of leave of absence.  For complete details on the registration renewal requirements, refer to the College website.  If a registrant chooses not to renew their registration and decides to transfer to the “Former” category upon their next renewal, they can do so by logging into their eServices account to submit a transfer request online.  Click on Renew Registration > Former > Proceed to Renewal.

Registrants who are unemployed or on leave are not required to transfer to the non-practising registration class, which  is generally intended for those who do not provide pharmacy services (direct-patient care) but chooses to maintain  registration for keeping the “pharmacist (non-practising)” title for work purposes or meeting the pharmacy ownership director requirements.  Registrants who decide to change to non-practising are expected to understand their responsibilities should they wish to reinstate their registration to Full Pharmacist and Pharmacy Technicians in the future.

Registrants who transfer to the “Former” or “Non-Practicing” categories will have to apply for reinstatement and complete all reinstatement requirements before they can be transferred back to the Full Pharmacist or Pharmacy Technician registration class.  At least 45 days is required to process the Reinstatement application due to the Criminal Record Check (CRC) and up to 5 business days to process the Full registration application.  Refer to the College website for details on the Reinstatement process in the “Less than 6 years in Non-Practicing or Former” category and “6 years or more in Non-Practicing or Former” category.

• For Pharmacists
• For Pharmacy Technicians

This depends on whether the professional liability coverage you have covers activities in BC. If the professional liability insurance coverage obtained in another province covers your activities in BC, then you may use it to meet the CPBC registration requirements. 

If the coverage you have obtained does not cover your activities in BC, then you will be required to purchase new or additional professional liability insurance to meet the CPBC registration requirements. 

Your drug administration certification (DAC) becomes invalid until recertified.  You must not administer any drugs by injection or intranasal route immediately; otherwise, you will be engaging in authorized practice.  You must inform the College immediately to remove your DAC. 

Once you have obtained your first aid and CPR recertification, contact the Registration Department.  You may resume administering drugs by injection or intranasal route once you have successfully recertified your DAC.

The College of Pharmacists of British Columbia is transitioning to a single renewal date to enhance operational efficiency and to support the College's administrative processes. This change supports the College in its mandate of protecting public health.

There are no changes to the requirements or process for renewing registration.