Welcome to CNO’s guide to registration for nurses educated outside Canada. This guide outlines the requirements you must meet to become registered with CNO and practice nursing in Ontario.

We have made every effort to make sure our information is accurate and up to date, but please contact CNO if you have any questions or discover an error.

Who is this guide for?

This guide is intended for anyone who wants to become a Registered Nurse (RN) or Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) in Ontario and meets the following conditions:

• you graduated from a nursing program outside Canada

and

• you are not currently registered as a nurse in the same category in any part of Canada.

This means:

• if you want to become an RN in Ontario, you are not currently registered as an RN in another Canadian jurisdiction
• if you want to become a RPN in Ontario, you are not currently registered as an RPN, also known as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), in another Canadian jurisdiction

This guide is for both non-Canadians and Canadian citizens who received their nursing education in another country.

Please see our other registration guides if you are:

• a recent graduate of an Ontario nursing program

• a graduate of any nursing program in Canada but not registered to practice in any province or territory
• a nurse currently registered to practice in another Canadian province or territory
• applying to CNO to practice as a Nurse Practitioner (NP).

Education in other medical disciplines

CNO does not accept other medical qualifications as a basis for registration as a nurse. If you were trained as a doctor, midwife, medical technician or any health professional other than a nurse in your home country, then your training will not qualify you to practice nursing in Ontario. This is true even if your training allowed you to carry out the duties of a nurse in your home country.

Your application will not be processed until you can show that you have successfully completed  a program that meets the nursing education requirement.

The application process

Follow these steps to complete your application:

• Create an online account on CNO’s “Maintain your Membership” portal.When you create your account in the online portal, make sure your personal information is correct.

• To start the application process, you will need to have your education credential documents validated by an approved education credential assessment service (ECA) provider.

  You may also need a third party to send some documents from the country where you were registered and employed as a nurse. Request these documents early to prevent any delays in processing your application.

  Please select the approved educational credential assessment (ECA) service provider you prefer and you will be directed to information on how to start the validation process. Contact the ECA service provider of your choice directly about its fees and refund policy.

• The ECA service provider will authenticate and verify the required documents. They will then send your education credentials to CNO. You will be notified by the ECA service provider that your information has been sent to CNO.

  If you had an ECA with one of the approved service providers before April 1, 2025, you must contact the service provider and ask them to send your information to CNO.

  CNO may ask you for more information, such as course descriptions, to determine whether your education meets substantial equivalence.

• Once you receive confirmation that your information has been sent to CNO from an ECA service provider, log in to our online portal, Maintain Your Membership and select “create a new application.”

• Pay the application fee. The fee is non-refundable.

• Provide proof of your Canadian citizenship or immigration status in a category that is authorized for practicing nursing in Ontario. You may submit this at any time during the application process.

  If you need to request documents from third parties, make the requests early to avoid delays in processing your application.

• Complete the application form, including all supporting documents.

  CNO will not start your application process until we receive:

  • the fee required to begin the registration process
  • your nursing education documents from one of our approved ECAs

  Once we receive and review your information, you will receive a message from us telling you what other information is needed to assess your application. For example, evidence to demonstrate that you have met CNO’s other registration requirements.

Notes about your application

Declaration: On your application, if you answer “yes” to any question on the declaration, you will need to provide additional information. We may ask for a personal statement and supporting documentation separately. We will send you instructions about how to submit the documents to CNO. CNO’s Registrar and CEO will review your information and may refer your application to the Registration Committee. This additional step will extend the time it takes to process your application. 

Proof of authorization or citizenship: You can submit your proof of authorization to work (citizenship, residency status or authorization to practice nursing in Ontario) at any time during the application process, but we recommend you submit this when you create your application. 

Name changes: You must let us know if your name has changed, by sending us a written request for a name change. You can find details of what to include in the request on our Applying to CNO FAQ page.

Criminal record check: Note that criminal record checks are valid for only six months from their date of issue. If the criminal record check you submitted has expired, you will need to apply for and submit a new one.

Complete information: Incomplete or missing information may result in a delay in processing your application.

Sharing your information: Your application is confidential. We will not share information about your application with anyone unless you give us written permission to release it to a third party, such as an employer, spouse, agency or lawyer. To authorize this, you can either send us a written and signed letter of permission or complete the Authorization to Release Information form. Please review the Privacy Policy on the CNO website to understand how your personal information will be used.

Closing your application: You have two years from the date CNO notifies you of receiving both your application and your application fee to meet all your registration requirements. If you don’t meet all the requirements by that date, your application will be closed. If it is closed, you can reapply by submitting a new application, fee, and supporting documents, if required. CNO may use any information it has on record, if available, for your new application.

False information: If you provide false or misleading information and/or documents in support of your application for registration, CNO may refuse your application for registration or cancel any certificate that has been issued.

Registration requirements

This section lists the registration requirements for applicants who have graduated from a nursing program outside Canada.

See Registration Requirements for further information about each of these requirements.

If we find that you do not meet one or more of these requirements, you may be asked to provide more information or do something, such as complete an evaluation or additional education, that allows you to meet those requirements.

You have the right to request a review of your application if you want to appeal any decision made by CNO or the Registration Committee concerning your application.

Upgrading programs

Some Ontario community colleges provide opportunities for nurses to update their nursing education. These programs may be available to applicants who need to update their practice in order to meet the evidence of practice requirement for registration.

Contact an approved nursing school to enquire about programs to upgrade your education and experience.

Examinations

Registration examination

All applicants to CNO must successfully complete the registration examination that Council has approved for the category they are applying to.

If you are applying to practice as an RN, you will write the NCLEX-RN.

If you are applying to practice as an RPN, you will write the REx-PN.

Both exams consist of a series of questions designed to measure the competencies of nurses at the start of their practice. Both exams must be written at a designated testing facility approved by an exam provider.

For information about exam fees, visit the National Council of States Board of Nursing (NCSBN).

Jurisprudence examination

Applicants must successfully complete a separate jurisprudence exam. This online exam is designed to evaluate your knowledge and understanding of the laws, regulations and CNO by-laws, practice standards and guidelines that govern the nursing profession in Ontario.

The RN/RPN jurisprudence exam can be completed online at any time. After you have submitted your application form and fees, we will send you information about how to access the secure testing site.

Visit our Examinations section for more information about the registration and jurisprudence exams, including fees, refund policies and accommodation requests.

Registration timelines

Completing the registration process can take approximately 12 months, but this is a guideline only. Your process may take longer if we are waiting for you to submit your documentation and other information.

Your registration may take longer if:

• you graduated from a program that doesn’t meet the nursing education requirement
• you have not provided evidence than you have practiced nursing or graduated from a nursing program within the past three years
• you have not provided evidence that demonstrates language proficiency in either English or French
• it takes time to translate official documents into either English or French
• you did not successfully complete the required transition to practice, registration examination or jurisprudence examination requirements
• during the application process, CNO receives any information about issues that could affect your ability to practice nursing safely and we need time to review the information.
• you did not provide, or took a long time to provide, other documents we requested

If the name on any of your supporting documents is different from the name on your application, you must also send us a copy of a legal name change document, such as a marriage certificate, divorce decree, or change of name certificate.

Criminal record checks are valid for only six months from their date of issue. If a previously submitted criminal record check has expired, you will need to apply for and submit a new one.

Closing your application: You have two years from the date you opened your application and paid your application fee to meet the registration requirements. If you don’t meet all the requirements by that date, your application will be closed. If it is closed, you can reapply and any information we have on record, if available, can be used for your new application.

Completing your registration

When you have successfully met all registration requirements, you can complete your registration online and pay the applicable fee.

Once you have completed your registration, you can confirm your registered status by searching for your name on Find a Nurse, CNO’s online register.

Note: CNO does not return documents it receives as part of the application process, so keep copies of all documents that you submit as part of your application.

Paying your annual fee

You must pay the full registration fee for the year you become registered, no matter when during the year you complete your registration. The fee is not pro-rated.

You must pay this fee before you can practice as a nurse in Ontario.

Documents from official sources

When you apply to CNO, you are required to obtain certain documents from official sources relating to your nursing education, practice and other requirements. These sources include schools, employers and regulatory boards.

Here are some types of documents you may need to get from official sources:

• Verification of Nursing Practice forms, job descriptions or letters of reference from nursing employers

These documents should be sent directly to CNO from the official source. They must not come from you.

If circumstances make it impossible for official source to send documents directly to CNO, contact us and we will tell you what you will need to do to proceed with your application.

This may happen if, for example, the source experienced a natural disaster at their facility or it closed down for other reasons.

Translation of documents

All documents submitted to CNO as part of your application process must be in either English or French. This includes documents that we receive directly from an official source.

The translation process

If CNO receives documents from official sources that are not in English or French, we will send you copies of the documents. You are responsible for arranging translation of the documents into English or French by an approved translator.

You can:

• request a translated copy from the official source that created the document,
• request a translation from a consulate, high commission or embassy or
• have the document translated by an accredited translator.

1. If an official source (such as a school, employer or health regulatory body) provides translated copies of the document, they must send the translated document directly to CNO, not to you.

2. CNO also accepts translations from:

• the consulate, high commission or embassy in Canada of the country that issued the document(s)
• a Canadian consulate, high commission or embassy in the country from which the document(s) originated

3. If you cannot get a translated copy of the document from the official source or a government body, CNO will accept documents translated by certified translators.

All translations must be accompanied by an original statement from the translator that affirms:

• the translation is accurate and authentic
• the translator is an accredited member of a provincial association, society or corporation
• the identification number and/or seal, name, address and telephone number of the translator
• the printed name and original signature of the translator

After the translation is completed, the translator must send the translated document directly to CNO, not to you.

Finding an accredited translator

The Canadian Translators, Terminologists and Interpreters Council (CTTIC) provides links to translators who are certified through a provincial association or other organization that is a member of CTTIC. To find an accredited translator, contact the specific provincial association or organization directly.

For a list of accredited translators in Ontario, contact the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario at 1 800-234-5030 (613 241-2846 in the Ottawa region), or by email info@atio.on.ca.

If you need services in Quebec, contact the Ordre des traducteurs, terminologues et interprètes agréés du Québec (OTTIAQ) to find an accredited translator.

When you contact the provincial association or organization that certifies the translator, make sure to confirm that the translator is certified to translate into English or French from the original language of the document. CNO will not accept translations completed by candidates for certification.

Practicing as an RN or RPN in Ontario

Registering with CNO is a legal requirement to practice nursing in Ontario.

Only nurses registered with CNO can practice nursing in Ontario and use the titles “nurse,” “Registered Nurse (RN),” “Registered Practical Nurse (RPN),” or “Nurse Practitioner (NP).”

It is illegal for anyone to practice nursing or use any of these titles in Ontario without a valid certificate of registration issued by CNO.

Your status as an RN or RPN informs the public that you have the knowledge, skill and judgment required to provide safe and ethical nursing care.

General and Temporary Classes

Most CNO applicants enter the General Class, the most common class of registration for nurses in Ontario.

If you have applied for the General Class but you don’t yet meet the registration requirements, you can apply for the Temporary Class, as long as you meet the Temporary Class registration requirements. This will allow you to work as a nurse while you complete the General Class requirements.

RN prescribing practice

RNs registered with CNO in the General Class can add prescribing authority to their practice by completing RN prescribing education approved by CNO. RNs with this authority can prescribe certain medications and communicate diagnoses for the purpose of prescribing those medications.

If you have completed education that qualifies you to prescribe medication as an RN in another Canadian jurisdiction or country, you will still need to successfully complete CNO-approved education to become authorized to prescribe in Ontario. There are many differences in RN prescribing across jurisdictions. CNO-approved education is based on the legal scope of practice for RN prescribing in Ontario. Visit RN Prescribing Practice for more information, including a list of continuing education approved by CNO for RN prescribing in Ontario.

For those who complete CNO-approved RN prescribing education, RN prescribing authority comes into effect after they become registered as an RN in the General Class.

Do you have any other questions about your examinations or the registration process? Contact CNO.

Related links

• Timelines for registration processes
• Application and membership fees

Further resources

To learn more about nursing education in Ontario, the province’s health care system, or how to access programs and services designed to help newcomers, please visit the following sites:

Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing /Association canadienne des écoles de sciences infirmières
The national voice for nursing education and nursing research in Canada.

CARE - Centre for Internationally Educated Nurses
An organization to help internationally educated nurses gain the knowledge and experience needed to pass the registration exam and practice nursing safely and confidently in Ontario.

HealthForceOntario.ca
Help for internationally educated health care professionals preparing for practice in Ontario. Knowledgeable advisers work one on one to review your experience, explain steps to qualification and assess your opportunities.

Hamilton Health Sciences’ Internationally Educated Nurse (IEN) Integration Project
An overview of the Community Collaboration Employment Model, which was developed to support IENs integrating into the Canadian health care system when they are close to having their registration as RNs/RPN. It is currently funded by the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development.

Occupation-Specific Language Training
Government-funded courses, available for free at select Ontario colleges, that are designed to help health care professionals improve their language and workplace culture skills.

Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
The ministry responsible for administering the health care system and providing services to the Ontario public.

Ontario Ministry of Labour
The ministry that advances safe, fair and harmonious workplace practices that are essential to the social and economic well-being of the people of Ontario.

Settlement.org
A website that provides information and resources for newcomers to Ontario.

Supervised Practice Experience Partnership

The Supervised Practice Experience Partnership is a partnership program between CNO, Ontario Health and CNO-approved organizations. The program offers applicants the option to complete a supervised practice experience in Ontario.

Working in Ontario: Nursing
Information provided by the Government of Ontario for internationally educated nurses who want to practice in Ontario.