Requirements for obtaining a license to practice pharmacy, which is required for some (but not all) residency experiences, vary from state to state. Foreign pharmacy graduates who wish to obtain a U.S. license need to contact the boards of pharmacy in states of interest to inquire about their prerequisites, especially as in some states, U.S. citizenship or legal, permanent residence in the state is required.

To obtain a license, pharmacy students generally are expected to have graduated from a school approved by the State Board of Pharmacy or accredited by the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE). As of 2009, the only such institution located outside North America was the Lebanese American University’s school of pharmacy.

However, states often allow foreign graduates to gain licensure eligibility by earning an FPGEC certificate (see article in this section, “Pharmacy Residencies,” for more information on the FPGEC). It must be emphasized that the FPGEC certificate is not a license to practice. The certificate's function is limited to rendering a candidate eligible to apply for licensure in most states as well as being a requirement for some clinically focused educational experiences.

States may have additional testing or other requirements for licensure. Pharmacists should contact the board of pharmacy in the state in which they want to become licensed for the most current details; contact information can be found on the Web site of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.