Registration requirements for registered Canadian nurses

This section outlines the registration requirements to become a Registered Nurse (RN) or a Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) in Ontario, if you are already registered to practice in another Canadian province or territory.

To register in Ontario in the General Class, you must have a certificate of registration equivalent to the class you are applying for.

This means if you want to apply as an RN in Ontario, you must be registered and entitled to practice as an RN in your current province or territory in Canada
Similarly, if you are registered as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) elsewhere in Canada, you can apply for RPN registration in Ontario.

Exceptions: RNs and LPNs who practice under Temporary, Provisional, Graduate or other similar registrations are considered to have registration not equivalent to the RN or RPN registration required to practice in Ontario. Please refer to this information about practicing as an RN or RPN in Ontario for details.

The Ontario Labour Mobility Act (OLMA) supports full labour mobility for nurses registered in Canada who want to practice in Ontario. To be eligible, you must demonstrate that you are registered to practice as an RN or RPN in good standing. “Good standing” means:

you are not the subject of any discipline or fitness to practice orders, ongoing investigations, interim orders or agreements resulting from complaints or proceedings
you are complying with the continuing competency and quality assurance requirements where you are currently registered to practice in Canada.

Required Documentation

You must provide a verification of registration from each Canadian nursing regulatory body where you hold an equivalent certificate of registration.

This documentation confirms your good standing as a nurse and your entitlement to practice in that province or territory.

Once this document is received, CNO will recognize the Nursing Education, Registration Exam, Transition to Practice and Language Proficiency registration requirements as being met with some exceptions.

Additional Registration Requirements

provide evidence of having practiced nursing or graduated from a nursing program within the past three years
successfully complete CNO’s Jurisprudence Examination
provide citizenship, residency status or authorization to work in Ontario
provide a Police Criminal Record Check
declare any past offences or findings related to nursing or other professions
declare any physical or mental conditions that could impact safe nursing practice
CNO must also be satisfied you will practice with decency, honesty, integrity and in accordance with the law

Options for Expediting Registration

CNO recognizes that obtaining third party information may cause delays in registration. To help ease this process, you will receive the following options to help you progress more quickly with your registration:

If you are not a recent graduate, you can declare your most recent nursing practice in the online portal. CNO may contact your nursing employer to confirm details about your employment and nursing practice.
You can choose to sign an Agreement and Undertaking instead of waiting for your Verification of Registration to be completed by your current Canadian regulator(s). Through this Agreement and Undertaking, you will:
- declare that your status as a current practicing registrant in another Canadian province or territory is in good standing, which includes information about discipline or fitness to practice orders, regulatory proceedings, investigations, complaints, interim orders or agreements, and compliance with continuing competence and quality assurance
- agree to arrange for the required Verification of Registration(s) to be submitted directly to CNO within 30 days of registering with CNO

Providing false or misleading information and/or documents in support of your application for registration may result in a refusal of your application for registration or the cancellation of any certificate that may have been issued.