Guam Technician Requirements

You must register to the Guam Board of Examiners for Pharmacy before practicing as a pharmacy technician. Submitting an application does not authorize you to begin work, and Guam law prohibits assisting in pharmacy practice without registration. Guam does not offer a separate pharmacy technician trainee registration; it recognizes pharmacy technicians and nationally certified pharmacy technicians.

You must be at least 18 years old to register as a pharmacy technician. This requirement is established by the Guam Pharmacy Practice Act, 10 GCA § 12625.

Applicants must be high school graduates or hold a GED or equivalent qualification. A copy of the diploma or equivalency certificate must be submitted. Official transcripts are required when a college qualification is used.

You can qualify through an associate degree in pharmacy technology, an approved pharmacy technician training course, graduation from a school of pharmacy, national certification combined with practical experience, or another acceptable training and experience pathway.

Applicants holding PTCB or NHA/ExCPT certification must submit proof of certification and provide evidence of at least 500 hours of practical pharmacy experience.

Applicants without national certification must provide evidence of at least 1,500 hours of practical pharmacy experience. Note that this experience must be documented on Guam’s Affidavit of Completed Coursework/Practical Experience and verified by a licensed pharmacist or instructor.

Qualifying experience must be completed in Guam, another U.S. state, or a U.S. territory. Experience obtained in a foreign country is not accepted.

PTCB or NHA/ExCPT certification is not required for every applicant because a non-certified applicant may qualify with 1,500 hours of practical experience. Certification reduces the required practical experience to 500 hours and supports recognition as a certified pharmacy technician.

Applicants must submit both a police clearance and a court clearance issued no more than 60 days before the application date. Note that the current application does not require fingerprint submission or an FBI background check.

Three professional letters of recommendation are required. At least one must be written by a licensed pharmacist in good standing, and none of the letters may be more than two years old.

Applicants must complete the paper Application for Registration as a Pharmacy Technician, include the required supporting documents and original signatures, and submit it to the Guam Health Professional Licensing Office. Guam advises applicants to allow approximately 45 days before checking the application’s status.

Guam does not currently provide a fully online pharmacy technician application. The application is submitted on paper, although payment can be made through the Guam Board of Examiners for Pharmacy Pay Online system.

The initial pharmacy technician license fee is $50. The fee is non-refundable.

Pharmacy technician registrations are renewed every two years and expire on September 30 of odd-numbered years. A technician must renew on time to continue working after the expiration date.

The biennial pharmacy technician renewal fee is $30. Applications submitted after September 30 incur an additional $40 late fee.

Pharmacy technicians are not authorized to administer vaccines in Guam.