Application for registration with the Order of Pharmacists
last update: 01/03/2026
• Registering with the Order of Pharmacists
The criteria for lawfully practising as a pharmacist in Belgium are as follows:
- To have a degree in pharmacy;
- To have a visa from the SPF Santé Publique [Public Health Service];
- To be registered in the official register of the Belgian Order of Pharmacists.
The visa number is sent directly by the Public Health Service, electronically, to the Order of Pharmacists (for all questions concerning the visa: visa@health.fgov.be).
Registration on the Order’s official register is the last formality to be completed. An unregistered pharmacist is not authorised to practise as a pharmacist. Registration is free of charge and is the responsibility of the Provincial Councils of the Order (see their page on the website for the contact details).
• The application
Registration can be done online (the relevant Provincial Council is assigned automatically according to the data entered) or at the secretariat of the Provincial Council to which the pharmacist belongs:
- As the holder: the Council in the province in which the pharmacy is located.
- As a non-holder: the Council in the province of residence.
A paper or electronic form, available in French, Dutch and English, must be completed and signed. This must be accompanied by various documents corresponding to the pharmacist’s particular situation:
A. EEA national (EU, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein) or Switzerland
- A.1. With a degree from Belgium
- A.2. With a degree from the EEA (EU, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein) or Switzerland
- A.3. With a degree from outside the EEA (EU, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein) or Switzerland
B. Non-EEA national (EU, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein) or from Switzerland
- B.1. With a degree from Belgium
- B.2. With a degree from the EEA (EU, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein) or from Switzerland
- B.3. With a degree from outside the EEA (EU, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein) or from Switzerland
If registering online, it is possible to temporarily save the registration at any time and complete the data or add documents at a later stage. Documents must be downloaded in Word or PDF format. The application can be sent only when the registration is complete.
• Processing of applications
The Provincial Council's executive board verifies whether the conditions for registration are met and submits the file to the Provincial Council.
The Provincial Council decides on the application within one month from receiving it (if not, the pharmacist concerned may send a registered letter to the president of the Appeals Board asking the Board for a decision on the application). For new graduates, registrations are approved at an extraordinary meeting of the Council (the dates of Provincial Council meetings are published on their page on the website).
Until the Provincial Council gives a decision on the registration application, the applicant is not authorised to practise as a pharmacist. It follows from the foregoing that neither the date of the degree nor the date of submission of the registration application determines the date on which the applicant may begin to practise as a pharmacist. The only relevant date is the date of the Provincial Council’s decision to authorise registration with the Order of Pharmacists.
If registration on the official register is refused or postponed, an appeal may be lodged with the Appeals Board within 30 days of notification of the decision. The appeal should be sent by registered letter to the President of the Provincial Council that issued the decision.
Do you have any questions? We are at your disposal to assist you. Click here to ask a question or contact the relevant Provincial Council (their contact details are listed on their page on this website).
Useful references:
• Changes to the pharmacist’s details
Any changes to a postal or email address, telephone number or position must be reported as soon as possible to the chair of the Provincial Council on whose list the pharmacist is registered.
• Removal from the register
A pharmacist who no longer wishes to be registered on the register of the Order of Pharmacists must submit a written request (by post or email) for removal to the chair of the Provincial Council on whose register he is listed at the time of the request.
Removal from the register means that, from that moment onwards, the pharmacist may no longer practise pharmacy. He will only be able to resume his role as a pharmacist after submitting a new application for registration (re-registration) on the register of the Provincial Council to which he belongs on the date of the request and following its approval by the Provincial Council.
When a pharmacist who is registered on the Order’s list retires and no longer wishes to be registered, it is important that they request their removal. Removal is not automatic, after all. However, a retired pharmacist who wishes to work as a pharmacist for a few days a year, as permitted by law, must be registered on the list and pay the annual subscription (the amount of which is reviewed after the age of 65).
