Virginia Pharmacist license renewal and CE requirements
Virginia pharmacists must complete 15 contact hours of continuing education every year to renew their license with the Virginia Board of Pharmacy (Virginia Department of Health Professions).
Pharmacist licenses expire on December 31 and must be renewed every year before that date. Renewal takes the fee, the renewal form, an NABP e-profile number, and a statement of compliance with the continuing education requirement. A pharmacist licensed on or after October 1 does not have to renew until December 31 of the following year. A late renewal is possible for up to one year after expiration with a late fee; after a year it becomes a reinstatement.
Summary
Virginia pharmacists must complete 15 contact hours of continuing education every year to renew their license with the Virginia Board of Pharmacy (Virginia Department of Health Professions). Pharmacist licenses expire on December 31 and must be renewed every year before that date. Renewal takes the fee, the renewal form, an NABP e-profile number, and a statement of compliance with the continuing education requirement. A pharmacist licensed on or after October 1 does not have to renew until December 31 of the following year. A late renewal is possible for up to one year after expiration with a late fee; after a year it becomes a reinstatement. Hours do not carry over between cycles.
Virginia Pharmacist renewal and continuing education rules
"Not stated" means the board's pages and rules we read do not address it. We do not fill in typical values.
| Renewal cycle | Annual (12 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Same date for every licensee, 12/31 each cycle |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 15 contact hours |
| Live or interactive minimum | 3 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | No |
| First renewal exempt | Not stated |
| Other accepted activities | Attendance at a board meeting or formal hearing, maximum 1 hour, counts toward the live hours; Serving as a preceptor for a pharmacy student or resident, or for a foreign trained student obtaining practical experience, maximum 1 hour, counts toward the live hours; Volunteer pharmacy services without compensation to low income patients at a local health department or free clinic, 1 hour of credit for every 3 hours served, maximum 2 hours |
Rule 18VAC110-21-120 states the requirement both ways, as a minimum of 1.5 CEUs or 15 contact hours per annual renewal, and the chapter's definitions set a CEU at 10 contact hours, so the two figures describe the same requirement and hours_per_cycle holds the contact hour number. At least three of the 15 must be live or real time interactive; the rule sets no cap on the remaining home study hours. Excess hours may not be transferred or credited to another year, so carryover is not allowed. The board may grant an extension under Va. Code 54.1-3314.1 E, with any subsequent extension only for good cause. Reactivating or reinstating a license requires hours equal to the number of years the license was not active, capped at 60 hours, and after more than five years lapsed, also a passing score on the board approved law examination. The rule does not state a first renewal exemption; instead 18VAC110-21-110 B gives a pharmacist licensed on or after October 1 until December 31 of the following year to renew. These figures are the pharmacist requirement; pharmacy technician continued competency is set separately in 18VAC110-21-180.
Required CE topics for Virginia pharmacists
The Virginia Board of Pharmacy (Virginia Department of Health Professions) pages and rules we read do not mandate specific subject areas for this license type. Hours may be in any approved subject.
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 2 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | An approved program is one accredited by ACPE, one approved as a Category I continuing medical education course whose primary focus is pharmacy, pharmacology, or drug therapy, or one approved by the board itself under 18VAC110-21-130. Pharmacists attest to compliance at annual renewal rather than filing certificates, and the renewal application also requires an NABP e-profile number. After each renewal period the board may audit the immediate past two years of continuing education documents. Pharmacists keep the original completion certificates for two years after renewal, showing the date and title of the program, the number of CEUs or contact hours, and a certifying signature or other certification from the approved provider, and must produce the originals by the deadline in an audit notice. The board's continuing education page links licensees to ACPE and to NABP CPE Monitor, but the rule requires only the e-profile number, not CPE Monitor reporting. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Virginia RPh/PharmD need to renew?
- Virginia pharmacists must complete 15 contact hours of continuing education every year to renew their license with the Virginia Board of Pharmacy (Virginia Department of Health Professions). Rule 18VAC110-21-120 states the requirement both ways, as a minimum of 1.5 CEUs or 15 contact hours per annual renewal, and the chapter's definitions set a CEU at 10 contact hours, so the two figures describe the same requirement and hours_per_cycle holds the contact hour number. At least three of the 15 must be live or real time interactive; the rule sets no cap on the remaining home study hours. Excess hours may not be transferred or credited to another year, so carryover is not allowed. The board may grant an extension under Va. Code 54.1-3314.1 E, with any subsequent extension only for good cause. Reactivating or reinstating a license requires hours equal to the number of years the license was not active, capped at 60 hours, and after more than five years lapsed, also a passing score on the board approved law examination. The rule does not state a first renewal exemption; instead 18VAC110-21-110 B gives a pharmacist licensed on or after October 1 until December 31 of the following year to renew. These figures are the pharmacist requirement; pharmacy technician continued competency is set separately in 18VAC110-21-180.
- How often does a Virginia RPh/PharmD license need to be renewed?
- Pharmacist licenses in Virginia renew every year. Pharmacist licenses expire on December 31 and must be renewed every year before that date. Renewal takes the fee, the renewal form, an NABP e-profile number, and a statement of compliance with the continuing education requirement. A pharmacist licensed on or after October 1 does not have to renew until December 31 of the following year. A late renewal is possible for up to one year after expiration with a late fee; after a year it becomes a reinstatement.
- Does Virginia require specific CE topics for pharmacists?
- The Virginia Board of Pharmacy (Virginia Department of Health Professions) does not list mandated subject areas for RPh/PharmD renewal on the pages we verified; the 15 contact hours may be in any approved subject.
- Do Virginia pharmacists have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- Licensees attest to completion at renewal rather than submitting certificates, the board audits a sample of renewals and asks for documentation, and records must be kept for 2 years. An approved program is one accredited by ACPE, one approved as a Category I continuing medical education course whose primary focus is pharmacy, pharmacology, or drug therapy, or one approved by the board itself under 18VAC110-21-130. Pharmacists attest to compliance at annual renewal rather than filing certificates, and the renewal application also requires an NABP e-profile number. After each renewal period the board may audit the immediate past two years of continuing education documents. Pharmacists keep the original completion certificates for two years after renewal, showing the date and title of the program, the number of CEUs or contact hours, and a certifying signature or other certification from the approved provider, and must produce the originals by the deadline in an audit notice. The board's continuing education page links licensees to ACPE and to NABP CPE Monitor, but the rule requires only the e-profile number, not CPE Monitor reporting.
Sources
Last verified September 10, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- 18VAC110-21-120, Requirements for continuing education, Virginia Administrative CodeStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 10, 2026
- 18VAC110-21-110, Renewal and reinstatement of license, Virginia Administrative CodeStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 10, 2026
- 18VAC110-21, Regulations Governing the Licensure of Pharmacists and Registration of Pharmacy Technicians, full chapterStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 10, 2026
- Continuing Education, Pharmacist, Virginia Board of PharmacyState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
- Virginia Board of Pharmacy, Department of Health ProfessionsState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
The hour total, the CEU equivalence, the three live hours, the no carryover rule, the two year retention, and the audit come from 18VAC110-21-120 read on the Virginia Administrative Code site and reproduced verbatim on the Board of Pharmacy's own continuing education page. The December 31 annual expiration and the NABP e-profile number requirement come from 18VAC110-21-110. Reading the full chapter 18VAC110-21 found no subject mandate for pharmacists: no jurisprudence, opioid, human trafficking, implicit bias, or immunization hour requirement appears anywhere in it, so mandatory_topics is an empty array. Virginia does let pharmacists initiate treatment with naloxone, epinephrine, hormonal contraceptives, vaccines, HIV prophylaxis, and several test and treat conditions under 18VAC110-21-46, but that rule attaches statewide protocols, patient record, and notification duties rather than any continuing education hours, so no add on topic was recorded from it.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Virginia Board of Pharmacy (Virginia Department of Health Professions) before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.