Arizona State Requirements

You must be registered or licensed with the Arizona State Board of Pharmacy before practicing as a pharmacy technician. Arizona has two tiers: a pharmacy technician trainee registration and a full pharmacy technician license.

You must be at least 18 years old to register as a pharmacy technician trainee or obtain a pharmacy technician license.

You must have a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent to obtain a pharmacy technician license.

Arizona no longer requires a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent for pharmacy technician trainee registration. A trainee applicant must be at least 18 and register with the Board through an online application.

Applicants for an initial pharmacy technician license are required to undergo the applicable state and federal criminal background screening through fingerprinting. A valid Arizona Fingerprint Clearance Card is part of Arizona's fingerprint-screening framework. The Fingerprint Clearance Card is not required again for renewal of a pharmacy technician license. Note that the current DPS fingerprint clearance card fee is $67.

An applicant for a full pharmacy technician license must complete a pharmacy technician training program prescribed by Board rules and pass a Board-approved pharmacy technician examination. The trainee pathway allows you to obtain training and experience before applying for full licensure.

A pharmacy technician trainee may apply for full pharmacy technician licensure within 36 months after registering as a trainee. Note that the trainee registration cannot be renewed or reissued.

Arizona requires an applicant for the full technician license to pass a Board-approved pharmacy technician examination. National certification is not stated as a universal prerequisite for initial licensure; rather, the examination must be one approved by the Board.

The current ASBP fee schedule is $25 for pharmacy technician trainee registration and $82 for the pharmacy technician license.

Applications are submitted through the Arizona State Board of Pharmacy's online licensing system. Licensees and registrants must create an online profile using the Board's licensing portal.

A pharmacy technician license is renewed biennially. The Board assigns licenses to an even- or odd-numbered renewal group, with renewal due on or before November 1 of the applicable even- or odd-numbered year. Failure to renew and pay the required fees by November 1 suspends the license.

The current ASBP renewal fee for a pharmacy technician license is $72.

Pharmacy technicians working at an Arizona remote dispensing site must have at least 1,000 hours of outpatient pharmacy experience under pharmacist supervision and maintain an active, Board-approved national pharmacy technician certification. Note that pharmacy technicians may not perform extemporaneous sterile or nonsterile compounding at the remote site.

Arizona pharmacy technicians are not authorized under current state law to administer vaccines or immunizations. Arizona's immunization authority applies to licensed pharmacists and, under specified conditions, pharmacy interns working under the immediate personal supervision of a pharmacist (A.R.S. § 32-1974 and A.A.C. R4-23-411).