NABP (US): FPGEC Certification, Exams and Fees

• FPGEC certification: required for foreign pharmacy graduates before they can apply for licensure in the US and most US territories. Status is shown in your NABP e-Profile; there is no paper certificate.
• NAPLEX: the general practice licensure exam used by boards of pharmacy.
• MPJE and UMPJE: jurisprudence exams. The MPJE is state specific; the UMPJE, launched in 2026, is a uniform version some boards adopt.
• Electronic Licensure Transfer Program (eLTP): the system licensed pharmacists use to transfer a license to another state.
• NABP e-Profile: your record with NABP, used by boards to see your exam results and FPGEC status.

• A pharmacy degree from a recognized or accredited school outside the US (or a US school that is not ACPE accredited). The school must be accredited by a body that accredits pharmacy degree programs, or be regionally recognized.
• Program length: at least four years if you graduated before January 1, 2003, or at least five years if you graduated on or after January 1, 2003. Coursework, internships or work after graduation do not count toward the length.
• An unrestricted, permanent pharmacist license or registration from a country outside the US, certified by the issuing agency and sent in a sealed envelope. A degree without the required license does not qualify.
• An ECE General Evaluation Report, with an extra copy sent directly to the FPGEC. ECE reports older than two years must be redone.
• A passing TOEFL iBT score report sent by ETS (OET for pharmacy results will be accepted for tests taken from January 11, 2027). No one is exempt, including native English speakers and US citizens.
• A notarized FPGEC attestation with two passport-size photos taken within three months, and a notarized copy of a current photo ID.
• All FPGEC application requirements completed within two years of applying, and the FPGEE passed within two years of acceptance, with a maximum of five FPGEE attempts.
• Graduates of ACPE-certified or internationally accredited programs outside the US, and of ACPE-accredited post-baccalaureate programs whose first pharmacy degree was not a US entry-level degree, also need FPGEC certification.

Check your route with the route finder

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   1. Choose your state and read its board's rules

   Licensure is state by state. Before paying any fees, read the board of pharmacy rules for the state where you want to work, including intern hour requirements, which law exam it uses and any extra waiting periods. NABP directs foreign graduates to contact the board directly because requirements vary.
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   2. Create an NABP e-Profile and submit the FPGEC application

   Set up your e-Profile with your name exactly as on your transcripts and ID, choosing Pharmacist as your profession. Then submit the FPGEC application and pay the nonrefundable $750 fee ($650 document evaluation plus $100 administration) by card. Do not send any documents until the application is submitted.
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   3. Mail the attestation, photos and ID

   Sign the FPGEC Attestation in front of a notary, consular official or magistrate, attach one passport-size photo with the official's seal overlapping it, and include a notarized copy of your passport or another accepted ID. The FPGEC does not accept electronic documents, and NABP advises sending everything within three months of applying. Do not send originals.
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   4. Pass the TOEFL iBT at an approved center

   For tests from January 21, 2026 (the new ETS scale), the FPGEC requires Reading 4, Listening 5, Speaking 5 and Writing 4.5. You must test at an ETS center in the US, its territories or one of ten Canadian provinces; the at-home test is not accepted. Have ETS send the report to FPGEC code 9103. Scores are valid for two years.
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   5. Send proof of your pharmacist license

   Ask each licensing agency to certify your license or registration, showing the issue date, number, seal and an inked signature, and to seal it in an envelope with the seal or signature across the flap. Non-English documents need a word-for-word certified translation. Missing seals and unsealed envelopes are among the most common reasons for delay.
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   6. Get your ECE General Evaluation Report

   Apply to Educational Credential Evaluators for a General Evaluation Report and order an extra copy for the FPGEC. Your school must send official transcripts showing dates attended, each course, hours of study and grades, plus proof of your degree. ECE sets its own fees, and NABP says the evaluation takes about 12 weeks.
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   7. Register for and pass the FPGEE

   Once your application status is Accepted, buy the FPGEE during the registration window ($750 first attempt; $850 for a retake on the same application). You will get an Authorization to Test from Pearson and must book a seat, as appointments are first come, first served. The 2026 exam is on October 15; registration closed September 1. You need a scaled score of 75, and results take about eight weeks.
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   8. Complete your state's intern hours

   With FPGEC certification you apply to your chosen board for an intern license and complete the practice hours it sets. For example, California law requires 1,500 hours of pharmacy practice experience and FPGEC certification. Keep careful records signed by your supervising pharmacist.
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   9. Pass the NAPLEX and the law exam

   Apply to the board for eligibility (NABP's eligibility application is $100, plus an $85 processing fee in some states), then buy the NAPLEX ($520) and the MPJE ($170) or UMPJE ($350), as your board requires. Schedule with Pearson after you receive your Authorization to Test. Results are pass or fail and usually appear within 14 business days if your board uses online results.
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    10. Receive your state license

    The board, not NABP, issues the license once you meet all its requirements, including background checks. To work in another state later, you usually transfer your license through NABP's eLTP and pass that state's law exam.

• FPGEE (Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination)

  A 200-question computerized exam in 4.5 hours (5.5 hours seat time), with two 15-minute breaks. Content: 12% foundational biomedical sciences, 31% pharmaceutical sciences, 20% social, behavioral and administrative sciences, and 37% pharmacy practice and clinical sciences. It is offered once a year in the fall at Pearson centers in the continental US, Puerto Rico and Guam, not in Alaska, Hawaii or other territories. The passing scaled score is 75, and you may not skip or go back to questions.

• NAPLEX

  A six-hour exam of 225 questions (200 scored, 25 pretest), mostly scenario based using patient profiles, with two optional 10-minute breaks and a total appointment of 6 hours 45 minutes. Results are pass or fail. You must wait 45 days after a failed attempt, may sit no more than three times in 12 months, and have a maximum of five attempts unless a board decides otherwise.

• MPJE

  A 2.5-hour, state-specific jurisprudence exam of 120 adaptive questions (100 scored), with no scheduled breaks. You must answer at least 107 questions to receive a result. The waiting period after a fail is 30 days, and you have five attempts per jurisdiction. New MPJE content outlines apply from March 1, 2027.

• UMPJE

  A uniform version of the MPJE covering law that is common across states plus federal law, in the same 2.5-hour, 120-question format. It launched in 2026 and each board decides whether to accept it, so check with your board before you buy it.

• TOEFL iBT (and OET for pharmacy from 2027)

  The English test for FPGEC certification. All four sections must come from one sitting (MyBest scores are accepted from November 1, 2026 for the 2027 FPGEE), and the test must be taken at an ETS center in an NABP member jurisdiction. OET for pharmacy will be accepted for tests taken from January 11, 2027; NABP will publish its OET scores later.

• TOEFL iBT tests taken on or after January 21, 2026 (new ETS score scale): Reading 4, Listening 5, Speaking 5, Writing 4.5.
• TOEFL iBT on the previous scale, for applications accepted on or after October 25, 2025: Reading 21, Listening 22, Speaking 25, Writing 22.
• Scores are valid for two years from the test date and must reach the FPGEC directly from ETS (institution code 9103). A shortfall in any one section means the report is not accepted, unless you use MyBest scores from November 1, 2026.
• The test must be taken at an ETS test center in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands or one of ten Canadian provinces. The at-home TOEFL iBT is not accepted.
• OET for pharmacy will be accepted for tests taken on or after January 11, 2027, at an approved computer-based OET center in an NABP member jurisdiction. Score requirements will be published by NABP.
• There are no exemptions or waivers for native English speakers, US citizens or US residents.

Estimate your total cost

• NABP says the ECE evaluation takes about 12 weeks per submission, and it advises mailing all FPGEC documents within three months of applying.
• You have two years from submitting your FPGEC application to complete all requirements, and two years from acceptance to pass the FPGEE.
• The FPGEE runs once a year in the fall. In 2026, registration ran May 15 to September 1, scheduling closed October 8 and the exam was on October 15. Results take about eight weeks.
• State intern hours add months to the route; California, for example, requires 1,500 hours of pharmacy practice experience.
• NAPLEX and MPJE results usually appear within 14 business days in states that use NABP's online results; a failed NAPLEX means a 45-day wait, a failed MPJE 30 days.