Pharmacy License from New York to Alabama: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Alabama accept a New York pharmacist license?
A pharmacist license transfers from New York to Alabama by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Alabama State Board of Pharmacy, verify your New York license, and meet Alabama's endorsement requirements. NAPLEX is not retaken; license history transfers via the NABP eLTP. Alabama requires passing the Alabama MPJE (the state-specific Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination, applied for separately through NABP) before a license is issued; Alabama has not adopted the Uniform MPJE as of 2026-07-21.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Your New York license transfers into Alabama through the NABP Electronic Licensure Transfer Program — NABP forwards your license and NAPLEX history to the Alabama State Board of Pharmacy — but Alabama gates the license behind its own pharmacy-law exam. Coming from New York neither speeds this up nor slows it down; the eLTP is origin-neutral, so the timeline below is Alabama's standard out-of-state queue. Open the e-Profile transfer and book the law exam as early as Alabama allows.
What's different between New York and Alabama
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Alabama. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
New York to Alabama (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Alabama to New York (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from New York matter?
Coming from New York does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Alabama.
- Application fee
Alabama lists $425 for an out-of-state applicant and New York lists $339 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Alabama and New York carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Alabama (this move): NAPLEX is not retaken; license history transfers via the NABP eLTP. Alabama requires passing the Alabama MPJE (the state-specific Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination, applied for separately through NABP) before a license is issued; Alabama has not adopted the Uniform MPJE as of 2026-07-21.
- New York (the reverse move): NAPLEX is not retaken; license history transfers via the NABP eLTP. New York requires passing the New York-specific Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE) before licensure by endorsement is granted; New York had not adopted the Uniform MPJE (UMPJE) as of 2026-07-21.
What changes, New York → Alabama
| New York (current) | Alabama (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $339 (New York fee for licensure plus first registration, paid with Form 1; not charged twice if already paid with the NABP application. NABP eLTP fees ($300 application + $100 per jurisdiction) and the MPJE exam fee are separate.) | $425 (ALBOP fees for every new pharmacist license, including reciprocity applicants: $125 license fee + $300 statutory exam fee = $425 (Board pharmacist page, fee amounts updated June 30, 2026; Admin Code 680-X-2-.34, effective June 14, 2026). An optional initial controlled substance permit costs $100 more. NABP charges its own eLTP and Alabama MPJE fees separately; they are not included here.) |
| Processing time | NYS Education Department does not publish a specific endorsement processing time; add NABP eLTP review, Board approval to sit for the MPJE, and MPJE scheduling | Board does not publish a processing-time figure; reciprocity requires a virtual Board interview held once per month on Board-meeting days, so timing tracks the Board's monthly meeting cycle plus NABP eLTP/MPJE completion |
| Licensing authority | New York State Board of Pharmacy (NYS Education Department, Office of the Professions) | Alabama State Board of Pharmacy |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Alabama sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Alabama's current requirements on the Alabama State Board of Pharmacy website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Alabama State Board of Pharmacy (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Submit the NABP eLTP license transfer application through your NABP e-Profile.
- Apply through NABP to take and pass the Alabama MPJE (separate application from the eLTP).
- Upload proof of U.S. citizenship (e.g., birth certificate or U.S. passport).
- Be personally interviewed by two or more Board members (interviews held virtually once a month on Board-meeting days).
- Hold an active pharmacist license in any state, and furnish confirmation of original licensure by examination in any state (that exam-based license need not be currently active, and no out-of-state license has to be kept after Alabama licensure).
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Do I retake the NAPLEX moving from New York to Alabama?
No — the NAPLEX is a one-time national exam that transfers with your record.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified New York 2026-07-21, Alabama 2026-10-29.
- Alabama Administrative Code Rule 680-X-2-.17 — Reciprocity (fee $300.00) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Alabama Administrative Code Rule 680-X-2-.34 — Fees for Applicants for Pharmacist License ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Alabama Board of Pharmacy — Pharmacist how-to-apply (reciprocity steps: eLTP + AL MPJE) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Alabama Board of Pharmacy — Policy 24-001 Pharmacist Licensure by Reciprocity ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- NABP — Electronic Licensure Transfer Program (eLTP) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Alabama Board of Pharmacy — Policy Statements (24-001 Pharmacist Licensure by Reciprocity, current) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Alabama State Board of Pharmacy newsletter, Feb 2025 (Policy 24-001 replaced the earlier requirement to maintain the home-state license) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Alabama Administrative Code Chapter 680-X-2 (official PDF, revised 7/13/26; rules .17 and .34) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- NABP — General Requirements for Licensure Transfer (Alabama row; last updated 8/26/2026) ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- NYS Office of the Professions — Licensure Transfer by Endorsement (step-by-step instructions; fee $339; apply via NABP eLTP; pass the MPJE) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NYS Office of the Professions — Pharmacist License Requirements (age 21, ACPE degree, NAPLEX/MPJE within 5 years, PharmD experience exemption) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources New York 2026-07-21, Alabama 2026-10-29
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