Do pharmacists have to renew their licenses?

Every U.S. state requires a licensed resident pharmacist to renew annually or biennially (every 2 years). Requirements can be complicated when a pharmacist is licensed in other states as a non-resident pharmacist, and prescriptions are mailed.

Typically, resident pharmacist licenses must be renewed every one to three years, and most renewal applications may be filed online. The date of renewal is either a fixed annual date or based on the date of issuance of the original license.

A license holder must be diligent about properly renewing his or her license or may face serious penalties for noncompliance.