Pharmacy License from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Massachusetts accept a Pennsylvania pharmacist license?
A pharmacist license transfers from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy, verify your Pennsylvania license, and meet Massachusetts's endorsement requirements. NAPLEX is not retaken; license history transfers via the NABP eLTP, with NABP acting as the Board's agent to conduct the preliminary reciprocity evaluation. Massachusetts requires passing the MPJE with a score of at least 75; Massachusetts has not adopted the Uniform MPJE.
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Your Pennsylvania license transfers into Massachusetts through the NABP Electronic Licensure Transfer Program — NABP forwards your license and NAPLEX history to the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy — but Massachusetts gates the license behind its own pharmacy-law exam. Coming from Pennsylvania neither speeds this up nor slows it down; the eLTP is origin-neutral, so the timeline below is Massachusetts's standard out-of-state queue. Open the e-Profile transfer and book the law exam as early as Massachusetts allows.
What's different between Pennsylvania and Massachusetts
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Massachusetts. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Pennsylvania to Massachusetts (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Massachusetts to Pennsylvania (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Pennsylvania matter?
Coming from Pennsylvania does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Massachusetts.
- Application fee
Pennsylvania lists $45 for the reverse move; Massachusetts has no verified fee figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Massachusetts and Pennsylvania carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Massachusetts (this move): NAPLEX is not retaken; license history transfers via the NABP eLTP, with NABP acting as the Board's agent to conduct the preliminary reciprocity evaluation. Massachusetts requires passing the MPJE with a score of at least 75; Massachusetts has not adopted the Uniform MPJE.
- Pennsylvania (the reverse 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.
What changes, Pennsylvania → Massachusetts
| Pennsylvania (current) | Massachusetts (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $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) | The Massachusetts state reciprocity application fee could not be verified on a fetch-accessible official page (mass.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated access, and the 801 CMR 4.02 rate schedule was not machine-readable); it is collected through the Health Professions Licensing Portal (vendor Professional Credential Services). A recurring '$525' figure is the MPJE reciprocity fee paid to NABP/PCS, not the state application fee. Separate NABP eLTP fees ($300 + $100 per jurisdiction, 2026-07-21) apply. Left null rather than guess |
| Processing time | 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 | No board-stated processing timeframe found on an accessible official page; NABP conducts the preliminary evaluation and, once approved, the reciprocity application is valid for one year |
| Licensing authority | Pennsylvania State Board of Pharmacy | Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Massachusetts sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Massachusetts's current requirements on the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Be licensed by examination in another U.S. state and be in good standing in all states where you hold a license.
- Submit a preliminary NABP license transfer application (eLTP); NABP evaluates your qualifications as the Board's agent.
- Pass the MPJE with a score of at least 75.
- Provide documentation of internship experience per 247 CMR 8.01 (foreign graduates: NABP FPGEC certification plus a 1,500-hour internship).
- 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 Pennsylvania to Massachusetts?
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.
- Mass.gov — Apply for a pharmacist license (Board of Registration in Pharmacy) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- 247 CMR 3.02 — Licensure by Reciprocity (Code of Massachusetts Regulations, via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NABP — Electronic Licensure Transfer Program (eLTP) ↗ (accessed 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)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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