! HÆ, HELLO, HOLA, HEJ, BONJOUR, CIAO, AHOY! 

Are you an internationally educated pharmacist who wants to practise pharmacy in Iceland? 

A pharmacist is responsible for the safe and effective delivery of drugs, whether through prescriptions, vaccinations, or other ways. They are on the frontline of healthcare and the country’s health status depends on how well they perform their jobs. 

A pharmacist is someone who loves working in teams, can take up challenges, values people, and can communicate their thoughts. 

Icelandic Association of Pharmacist (LFÍ) houses over 500 licensed pharmacists presently. These individuals work in over 74 pharmacies spread across the country, with over 36% working in community pharmacies, 10% in hospitals, 30% in pharmaceutical companies and the rest in other key areas, such as universities, associations, and more. 

In order to work as a pharmacist in Iceland, you will need governmental approval, a so-called "approbation" or a permit to practice the pharmacist profession. 

Decisions concerning the recognition of pharmaceutical degrees and the granting of approbations or the license to practice are made by the Directorate of Health (Embætti landlæknis). You can apply for recognition of your pharmacy degree regardless of your nationality.

So where to start? 

• The right to practice as a pharmacist in Iceland is defined in ,,The regulation on the education, rights and obligations of pharmacists and the criteria for granting licences and specialist licences’’ (https://www.government.is/media/velferdarraduneyti-media/media/Reglugerdir-enska/Regulation-No-1090-2012---pharmacists.pdf) .
  
  

Required documents for a licence to practice as a pharmacist

• When applying for a licence to practice as a licensed pharmacist, an application form must be filled out, printed and signed. 
• All documents must be mailed to the Directorate of Health or delivered to reception. Applications or required documents sent by e-mail will not be accepted.
• All documents must be submitted in Icelandic or English. However, licences and certificates can be submitted in Danish, Swedish, or Norwegian. Documents in other languages must be translated by a certified translator. Both the translation and the translated document must be submitted.
• It is important to consider which documents are required, considering both citizenship and country of study. Note that in some cases, additional documents may be requested.

Degree in Pharmacy Earned Within Europe

• If you have completed your pharmacy education in a member state of the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA) or in Switzerland, the principles of automatic recognition will generally apply to your pharmacy degree. The automatic recognition process is regulated in, Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the recognition of professional qualifications (Professional Recognition Directive)

Documents you will need: 

• Copies of diplomas
• Copy of your Licence to practice – if you hold one.
• Copy of Letter of Good Standing from a competent authority confirming that your licence to practice has not been suspended or revoked and that the licence is valid and unrestricted. The Letter of Good Standing has to have been issued less than three months before being received by The Directorate of Health. This applies if you hold a licence.
• Copy of a Letter of Conformity from a competent authority in the country where the diploma was issued. The certificate must confirm that the applicant's education meets the requirements of Directive 2005/36/EC, with reference to the appropriate article for the relevant profession.
• Copy of passport.
• Icelandic ID number (kennitala)

Degree in Pharmacy Earned Outside Europe

• If you have completed your pharmacy education in a non-member country, meaning a country that is not a member of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, you will go through the individual recognition process. The process evaluates whether your education is equivalent to Icelandic degree. Anyone who has completed a program of study in another country has the right to have this equivalency assessment performed. Equivalency is checked in accordance with § 4 Para. 2 Federal Pharmacists Regulation (BApO) as is done for EU educational qualifications.

Documents you will need: 

• Certified copies of diplomas
• Certified copy of the licence to practice
• Certified copy of Letter of Good Standing from a competent authority confirming that your licence to practice has not been suspended or revoked and that the licence is valid and unrestricted. The Letter of Good Standing has to have been issued less than three months before being received by The Directorate of Health.
• Information about your studies. Diploma supplement and detailed description of your studies; list of all your courses, time length, credits, and description (often called Course Syllabus/Transcript)
• Information about your work experience. This is not mandatory but can be helpful.
• Copy of passport.
• Work- and residence permit in Iceland or employment contract within the Icelandic Health Service.
• Icelandic ID number (kennitala)
• Icelandic language certificate 

How much does it all cost? 

Fee for an evaluation 

When an application must be sent for an evaluation, a fee is collected by the Directorate of Health

• The fee for evaluating an application for a licence to practise or a specialist licence based on university education acquired outside of Iceland is 50.000 ISK 

Fee for licences and certificates 

A fee shall be paid for the issue of a licence to practise, a specialist licence, and a certificate. 

• The fee for issuing a licence to practise and a specialist licence is 12.000 ISK.
• The fee for a certificate for a licence to practise is 2.700 ISK. 

How long does it take to get a licence? 

• It can take up to two months after all the necessary documents are delivered to Directorate of Health to process the application.
  
  Thanks and have a nice one or njóttu dagsins as we say in Icelandic
  Barbora Gorová, Meðstjórnandi LFÍ
  4.mars 2024