If you are an internationally educated pharmacy technician applicant, follow the steps below to register as a pharmacy technician in Ontario.
If you do not have an international pharmacy degree or diploma that is recognized by the PEBC, you cannot pursue registration as a pharmacy technician through this pathway. Instead, you must graduate from a CCAPP-accredited Canadian pharmacy technician program.
Step 1: PEBC Certification Process
- Your education and professional credentials must be evaluated and ruled acceptable as part of the PEBC application process
- Successfully complete the PEBC Pharmacy Technician International Evaluation to become eligible to apply for the PEBC Pharmacy Technician Qualifying Exam.
- This assessment process is administered by the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada
Step 2: Bridging Education
- Successfully complete bridging education*:
- You must provide to the College satisfactory evidence from the bridging education providers that you have successfully completed the bridging course and program before you may proceed to Step 3
Note: An alternative option to this bridging education would be to successfully complete a CCAPP-accredited pharmacy technician program and register with OCP through the registration pathway for CCAPP graduates.
Step 3: College-Based requirements
Create an online account with the College
- Login from the OCP homepage
- Pay the initial application fee
- Submit supporting documentation of your evidence of identity, your citizenship or status in Canada, and your education
Register as an Intern Technician
- Obtain personal professional liability insurance
- Submit a police background check
- Login to your account to apply
- Submit supporting documentation of your evidence of language proficiency
- Pay the intern technician application fee
- Enter and maintain your practice information for any site where you will be practicing as an intern technician
Practice Assessment of Competence at Entry (PACE) *
- Successfully complete PACE for pharmacy technician applicants
- Login to your account to apply
Jurisprudence, Ethics and Professionalism Exam*
- Successfully complete the Jurisprudence, Ethics and Professionalism exam
- Login to your account to apply
- Pay the exam fee
Step 4: PEBC Qualifying Exam
- Successfully complete Parts I and II of the PEBC Pharmacy Technician Qualifying Exam*
- You may complete this exam at any point after you have successfully completed Step 1
- The exam is administered by the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada
- You must submit your PEBC number to the College so that your results can be confirmed
Step 5: Final Application for Certificate of Registration as a Pharmacy Technician
- Obtain/maintain personal professional liability insurance
- Login to your account to apply
- Pay the final application fees
- Application fee
- Pharmacy Technician – New Applicant Registration
- Your police background check and evidence of language proficiency must be current to proceed
- Update your personal and practice information, including identifying a Designated Practice Assessment (DPA) site in Ontario
Time & Cost Estimates
Many of the requirements for registration have expiry dates to ensure that your knowledge, skills and judgment are current at the time of your final application. The Fees & Timelines chart lists all registration-related fees and timelines to help you anticipate the time and costs required to register as a pharmacy technician in Ontario.
Timelines can vary depending on the PEBC evaluation process and the format selected for each of the bridging education courses.
Estimated fees paid to OCP are $865 plus the annual fee. These fees are outlined in the Schedule of Fees.
Estimated fees paid to third parties are $6,858 plus the annual liability insurance premium.
*Non-exemptible requirement