Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee (FPGEC) Credentials Verification

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) administers the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee (FPGEC) certification program in order to establish the educational equivalency of a foreign candidate's pharmacy education, license and/or registration status. In the process of FPGEC Certification, candidates are required to provide documents that verify their educational backgrounds, licensure and/or registration status.

The NABP requires that each candidate must be a graduate of a four-year educational program. Effective January 1, 2003, foreign-educated pharmacists will be required to have earned their professional degree from a five-year educational program in order to be considered for FPGEC Certification. This change affects only those foreign-educated pharmacists who have earned their pharmacy degree after January 1, 2003. The new curriculum requirements do not apply to foreign-educated pharmacists who have completed their pharmacy degree prior to January 1, 2003. These individuals remain eligible for the FPGEC Certification.

At present, all States with the exception of California require FPGEC Certification as a prerequisite for pharmacy licensure. The FPGEC Certificate itself is not a license to practice pharmacy. Applicants who receive the FPGEC Certificate are then able to take the pharmacy licensing examination. A few States however, may also approve foreign graduates who are not FPGEC-certified on the basis of their foreign credentials.

Total fees: $700 (for FPGEC credentials verification & FPGEE)