New Hampshire State Requirements

You must hold the appropriate credential from the New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) before carrying out pharmacy technician work. Registration should be completed within 15 days of starting employment. Note that an unregistered person cannot perform pharmacy technician duties, so being hired or submitting an application does not by itself authorize you to begin working as a pharmacy technician.

New Hampshire has three pharmacy technician levels: Registered Pharmacy Technician, Certified Pharmacy Technician, and Licensed Advanced Pharmacy Technician. Each level has different eligibility requirements and authorized duties.

This is the entry-level option. You must be at least 16 and either have a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent, or be working toward one. National certification is not required.

You must be at least 18, hold a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent, and maintain national certification through a Board-recognized organization. Both PTCB and NHA satisfy the board-recognized course requirement.

You must have completed at least 2,000 hours of work as a certified pharmacy technician in good standing. You must also complete four nationally recognized assessment-based programs - including product verification and vaccine administration - complete any required workplace product-verification training, and pass the Board-approved jurisprudence examination.

You cannot perform pharmacy technician duties while a standard registration or certification application is pending. Limited temporary licensing routes may be available to qualifying out-of-state healthcare professionals, military members, spouses, and veterans, but a temporary credential must be issued before work begins.

Registered technicians may still be enrolled in high school or working toward an equivalent qualification. Certified technicians must have already earned a high school diploma or equivalent, while the advanced tier builds on certified status, experience, and additional training.

New Hampshire does not set a specific number of training hours for entry-level registered technicians. Before completing a delegated task, you must receive suitable training and demonstrate the necessary skill; training provided to certified technicians under a pharmacist’s direction must be documented.

Certified technicians whose work includes sterile or nonsterile compounding must complete an ASHP, PTCB, or other nationally recognized training program before undertaking those duties.

PTCB or NHA certification is not required for the registered tier. It is required for both certified and licensed advanced pharmacy technicians and must remain active throughout the state credentialing period.

Applicants must disclose relevant criminal history and cannot qualify under the technician rules if they have been convicted of - or admitted facts sufficient to support a finding of - a drug- or pharmacy-related felony or misdemeanor. The current pharmacy technician application requirements do not establish a routine fingerprint-based background check for every applicant.

Applications are handled through the New Hampshire OPLC. The current fee schedule lists a total initial fee of $138 for registered and certified pharmacy technicians. This consists of the $110 application and licensing fee plus the mandatory Professionals Health Program charge.

The current licensing fee for a licensed advanced pharmacy technician is $110. You should check the current OPLC fee page before applying because an additional mandatory program fee may be included in the amount collected.

Renewal is required every two years. You must renew before the expiration date shown on your credential; once it expires, you can no longer work under that credential unless it is reinstated or a new credential is issued.

The current total renewal fee for registered and certified pharmacy technicians is $138.

Under RSA 318:16-b, a certified pharmacy technician may administer influenza and COVID-19 vaccines to the general public under the supervision of an on-site immunizing pharmacist. Note that you must hold current state and national credentials, complete approved vaccine-specific training with hands-on injection instruction, maintain qualifying CPR certification, and carry at least $1 million in professional liability coverage.

Licensed advanced pharmacy technicians may administer influenza and COVID-19 vaccines and may also administer other FDA-licensed, ACIP-recommended vaccines to adults under the supervision of an on-site immunizing pharmacist. The immunizing pharmacist must order the additional adult vaccines, and the advanced technician must meet the applicable training, CPR, insurance, and competency requirements.

Entry-level registered pharmacy technicians are not authorized to administer vaccines.

A licensed advanced pharmacy technician may perform product verification, process refills, verify repackaged drugs, and complete certain other tasks that do not legally require a pharmacist. Advanced technicians cannot interpret or evaluate prescriptions, verify compounded preparations, or counsel patients about the clinical use of medications.