Pharmacy License from Illinois to Arkansas: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy ↗
A pharmacist license transfers from Illinois to Arkansas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy, verify your Illinois license, and meet Arkansas's endorsement requirements. NAPLEX is not retaken; license history transfers via the NABP eLTP. Arkansas does not accept the MPJE or UMPJE — reciprocity applicants must appear in Arkansas to sit for and pass the Arkansas Jurisprudence Examination, a state-specific 76-question true/false and multiple-choice law exam..
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Your Illinois license transfers into Arkansas through the NABP Electronic Licensure Transfer Program — NABP forwards your license and NAPLEX history to the Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy — but Arkansas gates the license behind its own pharmacy-law exam. NAPLEX is not retaken; license history transfers via the NABP eLTP. Arkansas does not accept the MPJE or UMPJE — reciprocity applicants must appear in Arkansas to sit for and pass the Arkansas Jurisprudence Examination, a state-specific 76-question true/false and multiple-choice law exam.. Coming from Illinois neither speeds this up nor slows it down; the eLTP is origin-neutral, so the timeline below is Arkansas's standard out-of-state queue. Open the e-Profile transfer and book the law exam as early as Arkansas allows.
What changes, Illinois → Arkansas
| Illinois (current) | Arkansas (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $200 (Illinois endorsement fee $200 for a pharmacist licensed in another state/territory (Ill. Admin. Code tit. 68 sec. 1330.20(b)(3), effective 6/2/2023); separate NABP eLTP fees ($300 + $100 per jurisdiction) and the MPJE exam fee apply) | $235–$310 (Arkansas reciprocity application fee, per the Board's License by Reciprocity Application: $310 if the license is issued in an even-numbered year (e.g., 2026), $235 if issued in an odd-numbered year (the underlying statutory license-transfer fee is $200). Separate NABP eLTP fees ($300 application + $100 per jurisdiction) apply and are not included here.) |
| Processing time | IDFPR does not publish a fixed processing-time estimate for pharmacist endorsement; NABP eLTP review is 3-5 business days | Board does not publish a fixed processing time; after the law exam and Board-member meeting a temporary license may be issued that expires at the next regularly scheduled Board meeting. The reciprocity application is void if not completed within one year of receipt. |
| Licensing authority | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — State Board of Pharmacy | Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Arkansas sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Arkansas's current requirements on the Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Submit the NABP license transfer (eLTP) application.
- Hold a pharmacist license obtained by examination in another state, in good standing, for at least six months (a California-licensed applicant's license must have been issued on or after January 1, 2004).
- Travel to Arkansas to sit for and pass the Arkansas Jurisprudence Examination (76 questions).
- Complete a state and federal (fingerprint-based) criminal background check.
- Appear before the Board (a single Board member for a temporary license; a full-Board meeting via Zoom).
- Pay the fees ($235–$310 (Arkansas reciprocity application fee, per the Board's License by Reciprocity Application: $310 if the license is issued in an even-numbered year (e.g., 2026), $235 if issued in an odd-numbered year (the underlying statutory license-transfer fee is $200). Separate NABP eLTP fees ($300 application + $100 per jurisdiction) apply and are not included here.)) and allow Board does not publish a fixed processing time; after the law exam and Board-member meeting a temporary license may be issued that expires at the next regularly scheduled Board meeting. The reciprocity application is void if not completed within one year of receipt..
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Arkansas accept a Illinois pharmacist license?
A pharmacist license transfers from Illinois to Arkansas by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy, verify your Illinois license, and meet Arkansas's endorsement requirements. NAPLEX is not retaken; license history transfers via the NABP eLTP. Arkansas does not accept the MPJE or UMPJE — reciprocity applicants must appear in Arkansas to sit for and pass the Arkansas Jurisprudence Examination, a state-specific 76-question true/false and multiple-choice law exam..
Do I retake the NAPLEX moving from Illinois to Arkansas?
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. Arkansas does not accept the MPJE or UMPJE — reciprocity applicants must appear in Arkansas to sit for and pass the Arkansas Jurisprudence Examination, a state-specific 76-question true/false and multiple-choice law exam..
What will the move to Arkansas cost?
$235–$310 (Arkansas reciprocity application fee, per the Board's License by Reciprocity Application: $310 if the license is issued in an even-numbered year (e.g., 2026), $235 if issued in an odd-numbered year (the underlying statutory license-transfer fee is $200). Separate NABP eLTP fees ($300 application + $100 per jurisdiction) apply and are not included here.) (Arkansas reciprocity application fee, per the Board's License by Reciprocity Application: $310 if the license is issued in an even-numbered year (e.g., 2026), $235 if issued in an odd-numbered year (the underlying statutory license-transfer fee is $200). Separate NABP eLTP fees ($300 application + $100 per jurisdiction) apply and are not included here.).
How long will licensing in Arkansas take?
Board does not publish a fixed processing time; after the law exam and Board-member meeting a temporary license may be issued that expires at the next regularly scheduled Board meeting. The reciprocity application is void if not completed within one year of receipt. — Board does not publish a fixed processing time; after the law exam and Board-member meeting a temporary license may be issued that expires at the next regularly scheduled Board meeting. The reciprocity application is void if not completed within one year of receipt..
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy — License by Reciprocity Application (Arkansas Jurisprudence Exam; even/odd-year fee) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy — official board page ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NABP — Electronic Licensure Transfer Program (eLTP) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- IDFPR — Pharmacy (application forms; ILPRO as MPJE alternative) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Illinois Administrative Code tit. 68 sec. 1330.20 — Fees (endorsement $200) (via Cornell LII) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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