Maryland State Requirements

You must register with the Maryland Board of Pharmacy before working as a pharmacy technician. Note that submitting an application does not authorize you to begin regular technician duties. However, you can work for up to six months as a pharmacy technician trainee while completing a Board-approved training program. Maryland recognizes pharmacy technician trainees, registered pharmacy technicians, and validated pharmacy technicians with additional product-verification qualifications.

A trainee is an individual completing a Board-approved pharmacy technician training program. This pathway allows the trainee to gain the required pharmacy work experience before registration, but the training program must be completed within six months. Note that trainees are not authorized to administer vaccines.

You must be at least 17 years old to qualify for registration. However, an applicant who is at least 16 years and 6 months old may begin completing the education, examination, training, and background-check requirements.

Applicants must be enrolled and in good standing in high school, have graduated from high school, or hold a GED or equivalent qualification.

Maryland provides three primary application pathways: national certification, Board-approved training and examination, or reciprocity from another state. All pharmacy technicians working in Maryland must obtain Maryland registration, even if they already hold national certification.

An applicant may qualify by holding current certification from a national pharmacy technician certification program. The Board’s application requires proof of active certification. PTCB and NHA’s ExCPT are both recognized by the Board.

Applicants who do not hold national certification must complete a Board-approved pharmacy technician training program, obtain at least 160 hours of pharmacy work experience, and pass a Board-approved pharmacy technician examination. Note that the training program may last no longer than six months.

The Board may register a technician who holds a substantially similar registration in another state. If the applicant’s state does not register or license pharmacy technicians, the applicant must provide a notarized affidavit showing at least six months of pharmacy technician work experience immediately preceding the Maryland application.

Applicants must complete a Maryland criminal-history records check through the Criminal Justice Information System, including fingerprinting. CJIS sends the report directly to the Board, and the application will not be processed until the Board receives it. Fingerprinting and criminal-history check charges are separate from the Board application fee.

Applicants must download the current Pharmacy Technician Registration Application from the Maryland Board of Pharmacy website. The completed form, supporting documents, and payment are mailed to the Board. Maryland does not currently provide an online portal for initial pharmacy technician applications.

The initial pharmacy technician registration application fee is $45. The application remains valid for one year after the Board receives it, and the fee is non-refundable.

Pharmacy technician registrations are renewed biennially. The renewal period generally ends on the final day of the technician’s birth month, and a technician may not continue working after the registration expires. Online renewal is available through the Maryland Board of Pharmacy eGov/MyLicense system.

The biennial pharmacy technician renewal fee is $45.

A registered technician may qualify as a validated pharmacy technician after completing at least one year of experience as a Maryland-registered pharmacy technician and obtaining an active product-verification certificate from a Board-approved national pharmacy technician certification program. A validated technician may perform certain final-product-verification activities when the conditions in COMAR 10.34.34.04 are met. However, the technician cannot verify a product they personally prepared or perform final verification of compounded medications.

Maryland Health Occupations Code § 12-6B-06, as amended by House Bill 693 of 2023, allows a qualified registered pharmacy technician to administer specified vaccines. A registered technician may administer influenza, COVID-19, and pneumonia vaccines to adults aged 18 or older and RSV and shingles vaccines to adults aged 50 or older after satisfying the applicable training and Board-notification requirements. Note that pharmacy technician trainees cannot administer vaccines.