Google Ads adds NABP route to telemedicine certification
Google will let telemedicine advertisers in Canada, the UK and the US apply for certification through NABP accreditation from November 2026. Existing routes stay. Here is what to check.
Telemedicine advertisers in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States are getting a second way into Google Ads healthcare certification. Google announced on 4 November 2026 that accreditation by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) will become an eligible route, but only for advertisers who already hold that accreditation before they apply.
If you run telemedicine accounts in those three countries, nothing about your current certification changes. What changes is who can get in, and in what order the paperwork has to happen.
What changed
Announced, with timing given only as November 2026. Google says that in November 2026 the Canada, United Kingdom and United States country-specifics of the Healthcare and medicines policy "will be updated to introduce a new certification option for telemedicine". Telemedicine advertisers accredited by NABP's Healthcare Merchant Accreditation Program will be eligible to apply for Google Ads telemedicine certification.
Google states that the update is additive: "This is an additional certification option, and doesn't impact the existing certification options available to advertisers in these countries." (Google, Advertising Policies Help.)
Sequence. Google says advertisers will be able to apply for Google certification once the policy is published, and that advertisers must be NABP-accredited before applying to Google. So the NABP step sits outside Google and comes first.
What the policy page showed on 6 November 2026. The main Healthcare and medicines page, as retrieved that morning, had not yet been changed. Its Canada and US sections still say Google allows telemedicine providers accredited by LegitScript's Healthcare Merchant Certification Program. The UK section says telemedicine providers must be certified by LegitScript's Healthcare Merchant Certification Program, and does not mention NABP at all. The NABP references that do appear on the Canada and US sections concern online pharmacies (Digital Pharmacy Accreditation and .Pharmacy), not telemedicine. That is consistent with Google's announcement, which describes a coming change, but it means the route was not yet written into the live policy text at that point.
What stays as it is. The current text says advertisers must also be certified with Google in all three countries, and the UK section says advertisers cannot promote prescription drugs in their ads and landing pages. Google's announcement does not say any of that is changing.
What this means for specialists
For most telemedicine advertisers already certified through LegitScript, this is background. Google says the existing options are unaffected, so there is no stated reason to move or re-apply.
The practical effect is for advertisers who have been unable or unwilling to go through LegitScript. A telemedicine business that holds, or can obtain, NABP accreditation under the Healthcare Merchant Accreditation Program now has a stated path to Google certification in Canada, the UK and the US. Whether that is quicker, cheaper or easier than the existing route is not something Google's announcement says, and it should not be assumed.
NABP accreditation must be obtained before applying to Google. The sources do not state accreditation or Google review times.
The broader policy text is a reminder of what certification does and does not cover. Under the policy, prescription drug services need an application. For most healthcare policies, Google says ads are labelled "Eligible (limited)" when campaigns target allowed locations and the domain is properly certified. Offering prescription drugs without a prescription, or targeting locations where an advertiser is not licensed, falls under the unauthorized pharmacies policy. Google treats violations of that policy as egregious, with account suspension on detection and without prior warning. A new route to certification does not relax those rules.
What to do this week
- Open the Healthcare and medicines policy page and read the Canada, United Kingdom and United States sections again after the update is published, to see exactly how the NABP route is worded for telemedicine.
- For each telemedicine account in those countries, record which certification it currently relies on (LegitScript's Healthcare Merchant Certification Program, per the current text) and confirm it is still in good standing.
- Confirm that each account has Google's own healthcare certification in place, since the policy says advertisers must also be certified with Google.
- For UK accounts, check that no ad or landing page promotes prescription drugs, which the UK section says is not allowed for telemedicine providers.
- Confirm the advertiser is licensed for every targeted location and meets that location's certification requirements, including Google's own certification and the applicable third-party accreditation.
- If a prospective client says it holds NABP accreditation, ask for the programme name and confirm it is the Healthcare Merchant Accreditation Program before treating it as the basis for an application.
What we do not know yet
- The day in November 2026 on which the policy text is published. Google gives the month only.
- Which specific NABP accreditation within the Healthcare Merchant Accreditation Program counts for telemedicine. The announcement names the programme, not a product within it.
- Any difference in requirements between Canada, the UK and the US. The announcement treats the three together.
- How the Google application, review time or fees compare with the existing route. None of this is stated.
- Whether other countries, where telemedicine is currently tied to LegitScript or a local licence, will get the same option. The announcement covers only Canada, the UK and the US.
Sources & Further Reading
- support.google.com: Update to Healthcare and Medicines Policy (November 2026) - Advertising Policies Helphttps://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/18794834?hl=en
- support.google.com: Healthcare and medicines - Advertising Policies Helphttps://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/176031
