How to apply for a pharmacy business licence
Applicants and their representatives can use the Pharmacy Business Ownership Administration System (PBOAS) to submit online applications to the Queensland Pharmacy Business Ownership Council (Council).
PBOAS also allows relevant persons e.g. the applicant (or the executive officer of a corporate applicant), directors, and material interest holders (e.g. shareholders or beneficiaries) to log in and complete their required consents and declarations (including fit & proper person declarations where relevant).
Important
When adding the contact details of a relevant person into PBOAS, you must enter the unique personal email address that they used to create their digital identity.
Follow the steps below to submit your PBOAS application.
1. Set up your secure digital identity
PBOAS requires you to log in with a digital identity (for example myID, Queensland Digital Identity – QDI) to confirm who you are.
Learn more about digital identity, including how to set it up at Queensland Digital Identity FAQ.
Important
Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM) is not required to log in to PBOAS.
2. Log in to PBOAS using your digital identity
When you first log in, you will be asked to select your user category.
| User category | Select when |
|---|---|
Pharmacist | You are a practising pharmacist (or eligible non-practising pharmacist) with Ahpra registration. |
Spouse (Non-pharmacist) | You are the spouse of a practising pharmacist. Spouse includes a person who is one of the following:
|
Adult child (Non-pharmacist) | You are a child (over 18 years of age) of a practising pharmacist. Children are taken to include biological, adopted and stepchildren. |
Representative | You are representative of an applicant authorised to act on behalf of the applicant. For example, legal/accounting representatives or an executive officer of an applicant corporation. |
Director – friendly society or Mater Misericordiae Ltd | You are a director of a friendly society or the Mater Misericordiae Ltd applying for a pharmacy business licence. |
You will then be taken to your dashboard, where you can create new applications and see the status of other applications you may have submitted.
3. Create a ‘New Application’
Follow the prompts, fill in the required fields, and click ‘Save and Next’ as you move through the application.
You will need to add details of relevant persons including the applicant (or the executive officer of a corporate applicant), directors, and material interest holders (e.g. shareholders or beneficiaries). This information will be used to contact the relevant person via email to complete their required consents and declarations (including fit & proper person declarations where relevant).
Important
When adding a relevant person, you must enter the unique personal email address that they used to create their digital identity.
4. Upload supporting documents at the end of the application in the section called ‘Document checklist’
The document checklist outlines the required supporting documents you will need to upload.
Additionally, dependent on the ownership structure, required documents may include:
- title documents, leases, subleases
- partnership agreements
- trust deeds and any amendments
- Please ensure you review the requirements for trusts before submitting any trust related documents and information.
- franchise or licensing agreements
- any other business arrangements such as service agreements, finance agreements, member agreements
- current ASIC company extracts
- shareholder agreements and company constitutions
- for purchase transactions, the business sale agreement or contract of sale.
Once all required documents are uploaded, click ‘Submit’
Important
The Council may request further information or documents to support the assessment of the application.
5. Consents and declarations (including fit & proper person declarations)
The application now progresses to the declaration stage. All relevant persons added in the application, including the applicant (or the executive officer of a corporate applicant), directors, and material interest holders (e.g. shareholders or beneficiaries) will be contacted by email with instructions for logging into PBOAS to complete the required consents and declarations (including fit & proper person declarations where relevant). When they log into PBOAS, they will see the declarations under the 'Pending Declarations' tab on their dashboard.
Once all consents and declarations are completed, Council staff will issue an invoice for the application fee.
6. Respond to requests from the Council (including payment and information requests) and await decision.
Application assessment
When an application is submitted to the Council, Council staff will do an initial review to ensure it contains all the required information and documents. Council staff may also contact the applicant or their representative to clarify details or ask for additional information.
An application will only be valid once all the necessary information has been provided and the application fee has been paid.
In some cases, an inspection of the pharmacy premises may be required. Further information about premises requirements and inspections is available at the Council's webpage on authorised premises.
Each application is then assessed against the requirements of the Pharmacy Business Ownership Act 2024. As application complexity varies, it is not possible to provide a fixed timeframe for completion. The Council is aware of the impact the application process may have on settlement processes and is committed to timely consideration of all applications. However, the time taken will depend on the complexity of the application, the timely receipt of all necessary information and payment of the application fee.
Applications requiring a Council decision are considered at its monthly meetings (unless delegated to the Chief Executive Officer).
- 13 August
- 9 September
- 14 October
- 11 November
- 9 December
Administrative arrangement - duty exemption for pharmacy businesses complying with the PBO Act
The Queensland Revenue Office has published a public ruling setting out the terms of an administrative arrangement to provide an exemption from transfer duty, landholder duty and corporate trustee duty for businesses complying with the ownership and interest requirements under the PBO Act.
This administrative arrangement applies to eligible pharmacy business transactions and acquisitions where the liability for duty arises on or after 1 January 2025 and within the relevant period stated in the public ruling.
The public ruling can be accessed on the Queensland Revenue Office website via https://qro.qld.gov.au/resource/da000-19/
PBS approved suppliers
If you are approved to supply Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme (PBS) medicines, you should consider whether you also need to notify the Commonwealth Department of Health, Disability and Ageing about any changes to your business. You should provide a copy of your licence to the PBS Approved Suppliers Team, Commonwealth Department of Health, Disability and Ageing when granted. For further information review the ‘About PBS approved suppliers’ webpage.
Contact us
We are here to help. If you have any questions about submitting an application, please contact us via enquiries@pboc.qld.gov.au or (07) 3325 6200