If you’re a qualified and registered pharmacist from overseas (excluding Australia, Canada, USA, UK or Ireland), this is the pathway for you.
Pharmacy Practice in New Zealand
Pharmacists in New Zealand work closely with patients and are an important part of the healthcare team. They talk directly with people to give advice about medicines, answer health questions, and provide services like vaccinations, blood pressure checks, emergency contraception, and medicine reviews. Good communication is very important because pharmacists help people understand how to use their medicines safely and correctly.
Pharmacy degrees that focus on clinical therapeutics – how medicines work, how they affect the body, and how they are used to treat health problems – are especially useful for working in New Zealand. Degrees from other countries that include a lot of clinical learning are more likely to match what is needed for pharmacy practice here.
For pharmacists trained overseas, experience working directly with patients, especially after registration is gained, is also helpful. It shows that they can use their clinical knowledge in real-life situations. Working with patients in different settings, across a range of health needs helps build confidence and competence. These are important for safe and effective pharmacy practice in New Zealand.
To become a pharmacist in New Zealand through the Non-REQR pathway, you must first be approved through a Preliminary Review. You cannot continue with any other steps until this approval is granted.
Step 1: Preliminary Review – get approval to start
This is the first and most important step. It helps us decide if you’re suitable to follow the non-REQR pathway.
You can apply for preliminary review if you have:
- A pharmacy degree(s) (e.g. BPharm, MPharm, PharmD)
- Current registration as a pharmacist in the country where you earned your degree
- Relevant clinical work experience in a pharmacy setting as a pharmacist, after registration
- Passed a Council-approved English language exam.
What we assess
We look at your qualifications, registration, and experience working as a pharmacist overseas to decide if you are suitable for the non-REQR process and likely to succeed in getting registered. We also check if you meet the legal requirements to register as an Intern Pharmacist/Pharmacist later on in this process.
As part of the preliminary review, we consider a range of factors to assess whether your pharmacy qualifications and experience align with the expectations for pharmacy practice in New Zealand. This includes reviewing the content of your pharmacy degree to ensure it covers relevant subject areas and practical experiences such as therapeutics, patient care, and clinical or training placements.
We also confirm that your registration as a pharmacist overseas is in good standing. This means you are currently eligible to practice, have maintained your registration, followed professional standards, and have not been subject to serious complaints or disciplinary actions.
In addition, we look at the type of work you’ve done, both during your studies and after completing your degree, with particular focus on your experience as a registered pharmacist.
Experience post registration is necessary, and we will consider other experience (during degree or practical placements) if this is highly relevant and extensive.
We assess whether you’ve developed the skills and knowledge needed to begin working as an intern pharmacist in New Zealand. This includes looking for evidence of your critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and working directly with patients, which are key aspects of pharmacy practice here. You will continue to build on these skills during your internship as you work toward full registration.
Important: The preliminary review does not lead to registration yet. It only confirms if you can follow this pathway.
What you need to apply
To be considered for the non-REQR pathway, you’ll need to complete an online application and provide documents about your:
- Identity
- Pharmacy degree
- Registration status
- Employment history
- Self-assessment of your knowledge, experience and skills
Documents guide
When you apply online, you’ll need to pay the non-refundable application fee (Pharmacist – non-REQR Applicants).
Most documents must be uploaded with your online application. Some documents, such as your degree transcripts and registration certificates, must be sent directly to us by the relevant overseas authority. Once you’ve submitted your application, you’ll have 90 working days to ensure these external documents are received.
We will only begin reviewing your application when all required documents have been received.
Documents Guide
This guide details what documents are needed and how to submit them. It is important to read and understand these requirements before you attempt to make an application.
CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE DOCUMENTS GUIDE
Your application is fully complete when you have submitted the online application form, and we have received all the required documents.
This includes documents you upload with the application form and documents sent to us from other places (like your university or Regulatory Body).
Assessing an application
We usually take 8 weeks to review your application after we receive everything.
If your application is missing documents, or if we need more information from you, it may take longer than 8 weeks.
Application outcomes
Application rejected
Your application cannot be processed if the required information and documentation is:
- Not submitted according to the specifications outlined in the application and document guide,
- Not received within 90 days of submitting the online application,
- Incomplete, missing, or not provided in the specified format or timeframe,
- Not an acceptable quality.
If any of these issues occur, your application may be ‘rejected’. Your application will be closed without full review. To continue, you will need to submit a new application along with the applicable fee. You will need to ensure all required information and process is followed if you wish to reapply.
Not approved (declined)
If we have assessed all information provided and you do not meet the criteria and/or are not deemed suitable for this pathway, your application will not be approved (application declined). You cannot follow this pathway.
Approved
If on assessment of all information provided, you do meet all criteria and/or are deemed suitable to follow this pathway, your application will be approved. You can move on to the next steps (in 2-4 below).
Ready to apply?
Please read the full non-REQR process below (steps 2 to 4) to make sure you understand everything that is needed before you make an application.
To access the online Preliminary Review application form you will need to create a Council online portal account.
Create a Pharmacy Council online portal account here
When you have a portal account, you can log in and under ‘My forms’ and look for ‘Preliminary Review Application’.
Step 2: Complete the required examinations
Once you have approval from the preliminary review, you must pass two exams to prepare you for registration:
- OPRA™ (Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment) is run by the Australian Pharmacy Council. This exam tests your pharmaceutical science knowledge. (Maximum two attempts allowed total).
- NZPL (New Zealand Pharmacy Legislation Course) is run by the University of Auckland. This course covers legal, ethical, and professional responsibilities in New Zealand.
You may complete these exams in any order, but you must pass both exams within 2 years of your Preliminary Review approval.
Visit the exam providers’ websites for details on enrolment, format, costs, and dates:
OPRA™ – Australian Pharmacy Council
NZPL – University of Auckland
Work as a Pharmacy Graduate (Optional)
In New Zealand, there are specific roles that can work in a dispensary legally. These include:
- Pharmacy Graduates (NZ pharmacy students, limited period)
- Council registered Intern Pharmacist (with practicing certificate)
- Council registered Pharmacist (with practicing certificate)
- Pharmacy Technician (fully qualified or while training)
- Pharmacy Accuracy Checking Technician (fully qualified or while training).
If you’re in New Zealand after your Preliminary Review is approved, you will have special approval to work as a Pharmacy Graduate. In the role of Pharmacy Graduate you can perform tasks such as dispensing and compounding medicines, but you must always work under the supervision of a registered pharmacist.
You must be actively seeking registration during this time. This approval is only valid while you are working towards passing the required examinations above (up to 2 years).
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Council’s preliminary review approval does NOT give you the legal right to work in New Zealand. You must meet all immigration and employment requirements separately.
Even if you have a legal right to work, remember it is illegal in NZ to work in a dispensary, unless you have:
- preliminary review approval from Council for the non-REQR pathway
- a recognized NZ technician qualification (or a working towards one)
- full registration as an Intern Pharmacist or Pharmacist and a practicing certificate issued by Council.
Step 3: Register as an Intern Pharmacist
Once you pass both exams, you can apply to register as an Intern Pharmacist.
Useful information about the Intern Pharmacist Scope of practice can be found on our website as linked below:
You will need to ensure you have a suitable training site/employment lined up in NZ to begin your Internship in NZ.
What you need to apply:
Since we will already have some records from your preliminary review application, the updated information we need from you when applying for Intern Pharmacist registration is:
- A new Certificate of Good Standing from overseas registration authority (if more than 6 months old since previously issued)
- An up-to-date criminal conviction record
- Required from NZ Ministry of Justice if you already residing in NZ at the time of this application
- From the relevant overseas authority for each country, you lived in, if you are not in NZ at the time of this application.
- Updated OPRA results if those previously provided are more than 2 years old.
If registration is approved, you’ll receive an Intern Annual Practising Certificate (APC) and begin supervised practice as an Intern Pharmacist in NZ.
As an Intern Pharmacist, you must successfully:
- Complete the Intern Training Programme, which starts in February each year; and,
- Pass the Council’s Assessment Centre examination at the end of the programme.
The Internship provides NZ specific training and to build your skills and competencies for practise in NZ.
For details on the Intern Training Programme, content, enrolment requirements, deadlines and costs, visit the Pharmaceutical Society of NZ (PSNZ) website.
The Assessment Centre Exam is Council’s registration exam to be eligible to register in the full pharmacist scope.
You will have 2 years to complete both requirements.
Step 4: Register as a Pharmacist
Provided no concerns are raised about your practice while completing these requirements, once you have successfully completed your Intern Training Programme and passed the Assessment Centre, you will be eligible to apply for registration in the full pharmacist scope.
If approved, you’ll be:
- Registered in the Pharmacist Scope of Practice
- Issued a Pharmacist Annual Practising Certificate (APC)
- Eligible to work as a pharmacist independently in Aotearoa New Zealand
This completes your non-REQR registration pathway!
Contact us
For any further questions about the non-REQR pathway or applications process not covered on our website or the document guide, please email [email protected].
Make sure to give us the following details when emailing us:
- Your full legal name
- Country of origin
- Your main email contact (if different from the email used or that will be used to create Council online account or submit application)
- Council online portal ID number (if already set up)
This helps us connect your enquiry to applications, documents or previous correspondence more efficiently.