PROCEDURES FOR APPLICATION FOR FOREIGN PHARMACEUTICAL PRACTICE CERTIFICATES

What are the current conditions for granting a pharmacy practice certificate? What does the profile include? What is the order of execution? The procedure for applying for a pharmacy practice certificate for foreigners includes:

1. Conditions  

Diploma, certificate, or professional certificate (hereinafter referred to as a professional diploma) granted or recognized in Vietnam suitable to the job position and pharmaceutical business establishment, including:

• Bachelor’s degree in pharmacy (hereinafter referred to as Pharmacist Degree);
• Bachelor’s degree in general medicine;
• Bachelor’s degree in traditional medicine or university in traditional pharmacy;
• Bachelor’s degree in biology;
• University degree in chemistry;
• College degree in pharmacy;
• Associate degree in pharmacy;
• College degree or associate degree in medicine;
• Associate degree in traditional medicine or traditional pharmacy;
• Basic diploma in pharmacy
• Certificate of traditional physician or pharmacist, certificate of hereditary remedy, or other traditional medicine qualifications issued before the effective date of the Law on Pharmacy 2016.
• Has served an apprenticeship at at a pharmacy business establishment, a pharmacy department of a medical examination and treatment establishment, a pharmacy training school, a pharmacy research facility, a drug or drug ingredient testing facility, or an agency pharmacy managers or representative offices of foreign traders operating in the pharmaceutical field in Vietnam (hereinafter referred to as pharmaceutical establishments); medical examination and treatment establishments  suitable to the practitioner's expertise
• Having a certificate of health enough to practice pharmacy issued by a competent medical facility.
• Not falling into one of the following cases:

► Being examined for penal liability, serving a court judgment or decision; during the period of being banned from practicing medicine or doing work related to pharmacy activities according to court judgments or decisions;

► Limited capacity for civil acts.

• In addition, the conditions for granting a pharmacy practice certificate in Vietnam to foreigners and overseas Vietnamese must meet the requirements on language use in pharmacy practice as prescribed by the Minister Ministry of Health.

2. Profile elements

• An application for a pharmacy practice certificate according to Form No. 02 in Appendix I issued together with Decree 54/2017/ND-CP; 
• Certified true copy of the applicant’s qualification. If the qualification is issued overseas, its certified true copy must be enclosed with an equivalence certification issued by a competent authority specified in Clause 2 Article 18 of Decree 54/2017/NĐ-CP;
• The original or a certified copy of the certificate of practice/internship as prescribed in Form No. 03 in Appendix I issued together with Decree 54/2017/ND-CP. In the case of practicing at many establishments, the practice time is counted as the total practice time at the establishments, but a certificate of practice/internship time must be obtained from each of those establishments;
•  If the scope of practice covered by the pharmacy practice certificate applied for requires different internship durations and facilities, the application shall be enclosed with a certificate of internship of one or several facilities that meet requirements of each position.
• The original copy or certified true copy of the confirmation of examination result specified in Clause 2 Article 28 of Decree 54/2017/ND-CP if the pharmacy practice certificate has to be obtained after passing an examination;
• Papers issued by foreign competent authorities must be consular legalized according to regulations. These documents must be translated into Vietnamese and notarized according to regulations.

3. Order of execution

Step 1: The applicant for the pharmacy practice certificate sends a dossier to the Department of Health of the province where the applicant's business place is located.

Step 2: After receiving the application, the Department of Health shall return the application receipt form (Form No. 01, Appendix I of Decree No. 54/2017/ND-CP) to the applicant for a pharmacy practice certificate

• Suppose there is no request to amend or supplement the dossier. In that case, The Pharmacy Practice Certificate must be issued within 15 days from the date on which the application is received; if the application is rejected, provide explanations in writing.
• In case there is a request to amend and supplement the dossier, the Department of Health must send a written notice of the request for modification and supplementation to the requester within 10 working days from the date on which it is stated on the application form receiving records.

Step 3: After receiving the amended and supplemented dossier, the Department of Health shall return to the applicant the receipt of the amended and supplemented dossier according to Form No. 01, Appendix I of Decree No. 54/2017/ND-CP.

Step 4: Within 05 working days from the date of issuance, reissuance or adjustment of the pharmacy practice certificate, the receiving authority shall update the following information on its website:

• Full name, date of birth of the holder of the pharmacy practice certificate;
• Number of the pharmacy practice certificate;
•  The scope of practice.

4. How to implement

By post or directly at the Department of Health.

5. Processing time

20 working days from the date of receipt of the complete application.