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United Kingdom · Registration assessment

How to become a pharmacist in the UK

You go through four stages: an accredited Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) degree, foundation training, the Common Registration Assessment and registration. To practise in England, Scotland or Wales, you must be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), and in Northern Ireland you register with the Pharmaceutical Society Northern Ireland. If you qualified abroad, the route to becoming a pharmacist in the UK depends on where you qualified.

  • 4Stages from degree to registration
  • 3Nations the GPhC covers
  • Each yearWhen you renew your registration
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Updated November 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

How do you become a pharmacist in the UK?

If you study in the UK, the route runs like this:

  1. Complete an accredited MPharm degree.
  2. Get a foundation training place and complete your supervised training year.
  3. Pass the Common Registration Assessment.
  4. Apply to register with the GPhC, or with the Pharmaceutical Society Northern Ireland.
See how training works →Read about the assessment →

Pharmacist registration in the UK

To register with the GPhC, you meet its requirements for education, training and experience, and you need professional indemnity insurance in place.

When you renew, you complete a declaration that you meet all the standards for pharmacy professionals. The GPhC publishes its registration criteria on its registering page, and passing the assessment is one of them.

If you qualified as a pharmacist outside the UK

The GPhC sets out separate routes:

  • Qualified outside the European Economic Area (EEA), or with an EEA qualification not recognised in the UK: you complete training before you register, through an Overseas Pharmacists’ Assessment Programme (OSPAP)
  • Qualified in the EEA: you may apply for recognition of your qualification
  • Qualified in Switzerland or one of the EEA countries in the European Free Trade Association (EFTA): you can apply to have your qualification assessed

After an OSPAP you go on to foundation training and the same assessment. The assessment regulations also cover EEA-qualified pharmacists who must take it as part of their route to registration.

Sources: GPhC and 3 more. Checked November 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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