Pharmacy License from Ohio to Pennsylvania: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Pennsylvania accept an Ohio pharmacist license?
A pharmacist license transfers from Ohio to Pennsylvania by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Pennsylvania State Board of Pharmacy, verify your Ohio license, and meet Pennsylvania's endorsement requirements. NAPLEX is not retaken; license history transfers via the NABP eLTP. Pennsylvania requires passing the Pennsylvania MPJE unless you were initially licensed before January 26, 1983, or you passed the FDLE (Federal Drug Law Exam) for the license that is the basis of the transfer.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Your Ohio license transfers into Pennsylvania through the NABP Electronic Licensure Transfer Program — NABP forwards your license and NAPLEX history to the Pennsylvania State Board of Pharmacy — but Pennsylvania gates the license behind its own pharmacy-law exam. Coming from Ohio neither speeds this up nor slows it down; the eLTP is origin-neutral, so the timeline below is Pennsylvania's standard out-of-state queue. Open the e-Profile transfer and book the law exam as early as Pennsylvania allows.
What's different between Ohio and Pennsylvania
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Pennsylvania. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Ohio to Pennsylvania (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Pennsylvania to Ohio (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Ohio matter?
Coming from Ohio does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Pennsylvania.
- Application fee
Pennsylvania lists $45 for an out-of-state applicant and Ohio lists $337.50 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
Pennsylvania and Ohio carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Pennsylvania (this move): NAPLEX is not retaken; license history transfers via the NABP eLTP. Pennsylvania requires passing the Pennsylvania MPJE unless you were initially licensed before January 26, 1983, or you passed the FDLE (Federal Drug Law Exam) for the license that is the basis of the transfer.
- Ohio (the reverse move): NAPLEX is not retaken; license history transfers via the NABP eLTP. Ohio does not make most transferring pharmacists retake a full law exam: an applicant who already passed a board-approved jurisprudence exam in another jurisdiction (or was initially licensed before January 1, 2018) instead completes a board-approved Ohio pharmacy law and rules course with a scored evaluation (the reciprocity review and quiz). An applicant who has never passed any jurisprudence exam must take Ohio's law exam — the Uniform MPJE (UMPJE), which Ohio adopted as an NABP early-adopter board with first administrations in April 2026.
What changes, Ohio → Pennsylvania
| Ohio (current) | Pennsylvania (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $337.50 (Ohio licensure-by-reciprocity fee $337.50 per Ohio Admin. Code 4729:1-2-02, plus a $3.50 eLicense transaction fee; separate NABP eLTP fees apply ($300 application + $100 per jurisdiction) plus the UMPJE exam fee if the law exam is required) | $45 (Pennsylvania reciprocity application fee paid on PALS; separate NABP eLTP fees apply ($300 application + $100 per jurisdiction) plus the MPJE exam fee. Foreign pharmacy graduates additionally need FPGEC certification) |
| Processing time | Board does not publish a fixed processing time; the eLTP application is not reviewed until the Ohio reciprocity application and fee are received, and applicants have one year of eligibility to pass any required law exam | Board does not publish a fixed timeline; applications are processed in the order received, and supporting documents (FBI check within 180 days; others under six months) must be current when submitted |
| Licensing authority | State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy | Pennsylvania State Board of Pharmacy |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Pennsylvania sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Pennsylvania's current requirements on the Pennsylvania State Board of Pharmacy website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Pennsylvania State Board of Pharmacy (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Submit the NABP Electronic Licensure Transfer Program (eLTP) application, then apply on PALS (pals.pa.gov).
- Pass the Pennsylvania MPJE (unless exempt via pre-1983 licensure or a passed FDLE).
- Document 1,500 acceptable intern hours, or one year of full-time practice in another U.S. state, or a one-year U.S. residency.
- Obtain an FBI Identity History Summary Check dated within 180 days and submit an NPDB self-query report.
- Complete 3 hours of Act 31 child-abuse recognition training and 4 hours of ABC-MAP opioid education.
- 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 Ohio to Pennsylvania?
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 2026-07-21.
- Pennsylvania State Board of Pharmacy — Reciprocal Licensure Instructions (PharmM) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Pennsylvania Pharmacist Licensure Snapshot (Department of State) — $45 fee ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NABP — Electronic Licensure Transfer Program (eLTP) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Ohio Administrative Code 4729:1-2-02 — Criteria for licensure by reciprocity ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Ohio Administrative Code Rule 4729:1-2-02 (official codes.ohio.gov) — $337.50 reciprocity fee ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NABP — Uniform MPJE launches for early-adopter boards of pharmacy (Ohio listed) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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