Pharmacy License from California to Massachusetts: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy ↗
A pharmacist license transfers from California to Massachusetts by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy, verify your California license, and meet Massachusetts's endorsement requirements. NAPLEX is not retaken; license history transfers via the NABP eLTP, with NABP acting as the Board's agent to conduct the preliminary reciprocity evaluation. Massachusetts requires passing the MPJE with a score of at least 75; Massachusetts has not adopted the Uniform MPJE..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Your California license transfers into Massachusetts through the NABP Electronic Licensure Transfer Program — NABP forwards your license and NAPLEX history to the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy — but Massachusetts gates the license behind its own pharmacy-law exam. NAPLEX is not retaken; license history transfers via the NABP eLTP, with NABP acting as the Board's agent to conduct the preliminary reciprocity evaluation. Massachusetts requires passing the MPJE with a score of at least 75; Massachusetts has not adopted the Uniform MPJE.. Coming from California neither speeds this up nor slows it down; the eLTP is origin-neutral, so the timeline below is Massachusetts's standard out-of-state queue. Open the e-Profile transfer and book the law exam as early as Massachusetts allows.
One wrinkle at the origin: California sits outside the eLTP, so confirm with NABP and the California State Board of Pharmacy how your license history will be transmitted before you rely on the standard transfer timeline.
What changes, California → Massachusetts
| California (current) | Massachusetts (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $260 (California pharmacist examination-for-licensure application fee, non-refundable. Non-California residents add a $49 fingerprint-card fee ($32 DOJ + $17 FBI); the CPJE administration fee is paid separately to PSI; and an initial license fee applies on issuance. NABP score/license-transfer fees are separate.) | The Massachusetts state reciprocity application fee could not be verified on a fetch-accessible official page (mass.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated access, and the 801 CMR 4.02 rate schedule was not machine-readable); it is collected through the Health Professions Licensing Portal (vendor Professional Credential Services). A recurring '$525' figure is the MPJE reciprocity fee paid to NABP/PCS, not the state application fee. Separate NABP eLTP fees ($300 + $100 per jurisdiction, 2026-07-21) apply. Left null rather than guess. |
| Processing time | 6–7 weeks (Board advises allowing 45 days to process the application; excludes CPJE scheduling and fingerprint-card clearance (fingerprint cards take about six weeks).) | No board-stated processing timeframe found on an accessible official page; NABP conducts the preliminary evaluation and, once approved, the reciprocity application is valid for one year. |
| Licensing authority | California State Board of Pharmacy | Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Massachusetts sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Massachusetts's current requirements on the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Be licensed by examination in another U.S. state and be in good standing in all states where you hold a license.
- Submit a preliminary NABP license transfer application (eLTP); NABP evaluates your qualifications as the Board's agent.
- Pass the MPJE with a score of at least 75.
- Provide documentation of internship experience per 247 CMR 8.01 (foreign graduates: NABP FPGEC certification plus a 1,500-hour internship).
- Pay the fees (The Massachusetts state reciprocity application fee could not be verified on a fetch-accessible official page (mass.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated access, and the 801 CMR 4.02 rate schedule was not machine-readable); it is collected through the Health Professions Licensing Portal (vendor Professional Credential Services). A recurring '$525' figure is the MPJE reciprocity fee paid to NABP/PCS, not the state application fee. Separate NABP eLTP fees ($300 + $100 per jurisdiction, 2026-07-21) apply. Left null rather than guess.) and allow No board-stated processing timeframe found on an accessible official page; NABP conducts the preliminary evaluation and, once approved, the reciprocity application is valid for one year..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Massachusetts accept a California pharmacist license?
A pharmacist license transfers from California to Massachusetts by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy, verify your California license, and meet Massachusetts's endorsement requirements. NAPLEX is not retaken; license history transfers via the NABP eLTP, with NABP acting as the Board's agent to conduct the preliminary reciprocity evaluation. Massachusetts requires passing the MPJE with a score of at least 75; Massachusetts has not adopted the Uniform MPJE..
Do I retake the NAPLEX moving from California to Massachusetts?
No — the NAPLEX is a one-time national exam that transfers with your record. NAPLEX is not retaken; license history transfers via the NABP eLTP, with NABP acting as the Board's agent to conduct the preliminary reciprocity evaluation. Massachusetts requires passing the MPJE with a score of at least 75; Massachusetts has not adopted the Uniform MPJE..
What will the move to Massachusetts cost?
The Massachusetts state reciprocity application fee could not be verified on a fetch-accessible official page (mass.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated access, and the 801 CMR 4.02 rate schedule was not machine-readable); it is collected through the Health Professions Licensing Portal (vendor Professional Credential Services). A recurring '$525' figure is the MPJE reciprocity fee paid to NABP/PCS, not the state application fee. Separate NABP eLTP fees ($300 + $100 per jurisdiction, 2026-07-21) apply. Left null rather than guess. (The Massachusetts state reciprocity application fee could not be verified on a fetch-accessible official page (mass.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated access, and the 801 CMR 4.02 rate schedule was not machine-readable); it is collected through the Health Professions Licensing Portal (vendor Professional Credential Services). A recurring '$525' figure is the MPJE reciprocity fee paid to NABP/PCS, not the state application fee. Separate NABP eLTP fees ($300 + $100 per jurisdiction, 2026-07-21) apply. Left null rather than guess.).
How long will licensing in Massachusetts take?
No board-stated processing timeframe found on an accessible official page; NABP conducts the preliminary evaluation and, once approved, the reciprocity application is valid for one year. — No board-stated processing timeframe found on an accessible official page; NABP conducts the preliminary evaluation and, once approved, the reciprocity application is valid for one year..
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Mass.gov — Apply for a pharmacist license (Board of Registration in Pharmacy) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- 247 CMR 3.02 — Licensure by Reciprocity (Code of Massachusetts Regulations, via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NABP — Electronic Licensure Transfer Program (eLTP) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- California State Board of Pharmacy — Pharmacist Examination for Licensure application packet (17M-29 rev 1/2026): $260 fee, CPJE, 1,500/900 hours, fingerprints, 45-day processing ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- California State Board of Pharmacy — Pharmacist applicants page ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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