Foreign-trained Pharmacy Graduates / Pharmacists

A pharmacy graduate from overseas seeking registration in Singapore must fulfil the following criteria:

1. The applicant must hold a university degree^* accepted by the Singapore Pharmacy Council (SPC).
   
   ^*The graduate must undertake the entire pharmacy course in the country where the main university confers the pharmacy degree.

   1. SPC will allow the registration of Singapore Citizens (SC), Permanent Residents (PR), or foreign pharmacy graduates or pharmacists who have enrolled in universities on the gazetted list (Aug 2011) before 1 August 2020.

   2. SPC will not allow the registration of SC, PR, or foreign pharmacy graduates or pharmacists who enrolled in universities on the gazetted list (Aug 2011) from 1 August 2020.

   3. For SC/PR serving National Service (NS) who are enrolled in universities on the gazetted list (Aug 2011), the cut-off date for registration eligibility will be based on the date of the acceptance letter/email sent by the university, regardless of the actual enrolment or commencement date. 
      
      The applicant (NS man) must adhere to the following:

      1. He must commence the pharmacy course at the earliest opportunity (the next available commencement date of the course with respect to the acceptance date) upon completion of his full-time national service duty.

      2. He must present the following information to SPC when applying for registration:

         1. The date of the acceptance letter/email (must be before 1 August 2020)

         2. Original email/correspondence with the university’s admission officer regarding the deferment of the pharmacy course commencement. Deferment must be due to his obligation as a Singapore Citizen to serve his full-time national service.

         3. Letter to report for national service from the Singapore Armed Forces or the equivalent.

         4. Letter of agreement from the university to hold the placement for the pharmacy undergraduate programme until after he completes his national service. 

2. The applicant must have acquired the prescribed training and be registered as a pharmacist in the country of study^**; and is currently holding a valid license to practise in that country^**; and 

   1. Have acquired at least 3 months of practical experience in the practice of pharmacy at an SPC-approved training institution;

   2. Have been selected for employment^*** in Singapore as a pharmacist at an SPC-approved training institution; and

   3. Have sat for and passed the Competency and Forensic examinations prescribed by SPC.

Upon fulfilling the requirements stipulated by SPC, the applicant will be eligible to be registered as a pharmacist with conditional registration for a period of not less than 12 months.

^**Applicable to applicants who commenced their pharmacy course from 1 June 2018.

^***The applicant must have secured a job offer with an SPC-approved training institution. The SPC will not consider any application without a job offer.

Online application for pre-registration training

The following documents are required for the online application for pre-registration training:

1. Letter of offer of employment from the SPC-approved training institution

2. Certified true copy of NRIC (for Singaporeans / Singapore PR) or Passport (for non-Singaporeans)^#

3. Certified true copy of certificate of pharmacy qualification^#

4. Curriculum Vitae (include all relevant education, professional registration and work experience)

5. Two testimonials from former employers (printed on company letterhead, signed and dated within 6 months of the application date)

6. Certificate of registration with accepted foreign registration authorities (if applicable)

7. Evidence of pharmacist registration status (licence to practice) with accepted foreign registration authorities (if applicable)

8. Evidence of proficiency in English language (if applicable)

^#NRIC or Passport must be certified true copy by a notary public or HR of the employing institution. Certificate of qualification must be certified either by a notary public, authorised personnel of the conferring institution, or HR of the employing institution.

9. Basic pharmacy qualification transcript

10. Letter of verification confirming the period of pharmacy study and the location of study, i.e. the campus(es) where the entire pharmacy course was conducted

Documentation required from foreign registration authority:

11. Certificate of Good Standing

Documents 9, 10 and 11 must be sent directly to SPC by the respective authorities via email (preferred) at SPC@spb.gov.sg or by mail to the following address:

Singapore Pharmacy Council
81 Kim Keat Road
NKF Centre Level 9
Singapore 328836

Additional notes:

1. Documents 6, 7 and 11 are not required if you are not registered as a pharmacist with accepted foreign registration authorities.

2. Document 8 is required for applicants who obtained their pharmacy degree outside the UK, USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand.

3. For certificates or qualifications in languages other than English, a certified true copy of the English translation must be submitted along with the original copies of the documents.

Applications will only be processed after all the documents are received and in good order. The processing time for a straightforward application is 2 to 4 weeks. This excludes the processing time for employment pass applications for non-Singaporeans from the Ministry of Manpower by the hiring institution.

Approval of applications is subject to the Council's decision.

Pre-registration training can only commence upon receipt of the Confirmation Letter issued by SPC.  

Pre-registration training

The applicant may then commence his/her pre-registration training at the SPC-approved training institution. The training duration ranges from 3 to 12 months.

The applicant must take and pass both the Forensic Examination (relating to Pharmacy Laws in Singapore) and Competency Examination.

1. Forensic Examinations (Forensic Exam Information) will be conducted four times in 2025. The examination dates for 2025 are:

   • 10 March 2025 (Mon)

   • 2 June 2025 (Mon)

   • 1 September 2025 (Mon)

   • 10 November 2025 (Mon)

The fee payable is $300.

Applicants are required to apply online for the Forensic Examination at least 2 weeks before the exam date.  All candidates will be notified via email when the online application for the Forensic Examination opens.

The passing mark for the Forensic Examination is 60. The maximum number of attempts allowed is 3.

2. Competency examinations (Guide to Competency Assessment/Exam) will be conducted four times in 2025. The examination dates for 2025 are:

   • 20 February 2025 (Thu)

   • 5 May 2025 (Mon)

   • 11 August 2025 (Mon)

   • 25 November 2025 (Tue)

The fee payable is $300.

Applicants are required to apply online for the Competency Examination at least 2 weeks before the exam date.  All candidates will be notified via email when the online application for the Competency Examination opens.

The passing mark for the Competency Examination is 60. The maximum number of attempts allowed is 3.

Upon successful completion of pre-registration training which includes the following:

1. Completion of minimum pre-registration training period;

2. Passing both the Competency Examination and Forensic Examination;

3. Achieving the minimum competency standards stated in the SPC Competency Standards Framework; and

4. All other requirements stated for pre-registration training.

The preceptor will then be notified to submit the end training evaluation to SPC.

Once SPC has received the satisfactory assessment report, the pre-registration pharmacist will be notified to submit the online application for conditional registration. 

Online application for conditional registration

The following documents are required for the online application for conditional registration:

1. Certified true copy of NRIC (for Singaporeans / Singapore PR) or Passport & Employment Pass (for non-Singaporeans)^#

2. Certificate of Attendance of PSS Pre-Registration Pharmacists’ Training (if applicable)

3. Passport-size coloured photo (in jpg format)

^#NRIC or Passport must be certified true copy by a notary public or HR of the employing institution. Certificate of qualification must be certified either by a notary public, authorised personnel of the conferring institution, or HR of the employing institution.

A payment comprising the registration fee ($250) and practising certificate fee (amount to be indicated at the time of application) is to be made during the online application. Payment can be made using a credit card (Visa or MasterCard).

Upon approval by SPC, the registration certificate and practising certificate will be issued to the applicant.

The applicant can then commence work as a pharmacist under conditional registration at the SPC-approved training institution. 

Conditional registration

Conditionally registered pharmacists must work under the supervision of an SPC-approved supervisor.

The supervisor must submit regular assessment reports (Supervisory Assessment reports) on the pharmacist's performance to SPC at 6-monthly intervals.

Conditions to practise for pharmacists on conditional registration:

1. Restricted to practise in SPC-approved training institutions for the full duration of conditional registration

2. Subject to Supervisory Framework by a fully registered pharmacist with a minimum of 3 years’ working experience

3. No restrictions on Poison Licenses

4. May be pharmacist-in-charge but subject to Supervisory Framework

Upon successful completion of the conditional registration period, the pharmacist will be notified to submit the online application for full registration.

Please email SPC if you need more information regarding foreign-trained pharmacist registration matters.