Virginia State Requirements

You must hold the appropriate registration from the Virginia Board of Pharmacy before performing pharmacy technician duties. Submitting an application or being hired by a pharmacy does not allow you to begin pharmacy technician work.

Virginia has two main registration tiers: Pharmacy Technician Trainee and Pharmacy Technician. A separate limited-use registration is available for pharmacy technicians whose practice is restricted exclusively to qualifying free clinics.

You cannot perform pharmacy technician duties while waiting for registration. Note that anyone gaining practical experience as part of a training program must first register as a Pharmacy Technician Trainee.

There is no minimum age requirement though training programs and employers may set their own requirements.

There is no minimum education requirement, such as a high school diploma or GED, though training programs or employers may set their own.

The trainee pathway is for someone enrolled in a pharmacy technician training program who needs practical pharmacy experience. The registration is issued for the estimated time needed to complete training and pass the required examination, up to a maximum of two years.

Beginning July 1, 2025, full Pharmacy Technician applicants must complete an accepted program. Qualifying options include a joint ASHP/ACPE-accredited program, an accredited Virginia Career and Technical Education program, a federal or military program, a program accredited by an organization accepted by Virginia, or a program recognized by PTCB or NHA.

After registration, each employing pharmacy must provide training covering its own computer systems, equipment, procedures, calculations, and other duties performed at that location.

Full registration requires passing a national certification examination administered by either PTCB or NHA. Note that completing an accepted training program without passing one of these examinations is not enough for full registration.

Virginia requires applicants to pass the PTCE or ExCPT, but the state credential itself is called Pharmacy Technician registration. Maintaining the separate national certification is not stated as a condition of annual state renewal.

The standard application does not currently require fingerprints or a separate criminal-background-check fee. Applicants must still disclose criminal convictions, disciplinary action, and other relevant history when answering the application questions.

Pharmacy Technician and Pharmacy Technician Trainee applications are submitted exclusively online through the Virginia Department of Health Professions’ Online Licensing system.

The initial fee is $20 for Pharmacy Technician Trainee registration and $35 for full Pharmacy Technician registration.

Full Pharmacy Technician registrations expire on December 31 and must be renewed annually. Note that pharmacy technicians first registered on or after July 1 do not need to renew until December 31 of the following year.

The current annual renewal fee is $35.

Under Virginia’s temporary expanded authority effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, registered Pharmacy Technicians and Pharmacy Technician Trainees are authorized to administer FDA-approved influenza and COVID-19 vaccines to people age 3 or older under pharmacist supervision and according to the manufacturer’s directions. This authority supplements Virginia’s existing pharmacy vaccination protocols and should be reviewed again if it is used after June 30, 2027.