CNO’s Registration Regulation requires all nurses in the General or Extended Class to make a declaration about their nursing practice within the previous three years, at the time of their annual renewal or at any other time when requested by CNO.
What you must declare on your declaration of practice
- General Class (Registered Nurse [RN] and Registered Practical Nurse [RPN]) registrants are required to declare whether they practiced nursing within the previous three years.
- Extended Class (Nurse Practitioner [NP]) registrants are required to declare whether they have practiced in a clinical NP role with a population appropriate for the specialty certificate they hold within the previous three years (visit NP Registration Information). NPs who hold multiple specialty certificates will be required to make the declaration for each specialty certificate they hold.
Determining the three-year period
You must determine whether you have practiced within the three previous years. The three-year period is unique to each member. It is based on the date you last practiced nursing according to your certificate of registration in Ontario. For example, if you stopped practicing nursing on July 1, 2025, you have until June 30, 2028 to acquire the necessary nursing practice to maintain your certificate of registration.
If you have recently registered with CNO, or had a certificate of registration reinstated, you have three years from the date of registration or reinstatement to acquire the necessary nursing practice.
You must provide evidence to support your declaration if CNO asks for it.
Why you must make this declaration
The declaration:
- supports accurate and transparent information about nurses by informing the public that registrants in the General or Extended Class have recent nursing practice for the certificate(s) they hold
- supports health human resource planning in Ontario
- ensures that only nurses who practice on an ongoing basis are allowed to continue the practice of nursing in either the General or Extended Class
How to determine whether you have “practiced nursing”
Review our list of reflective questions to help you determine whether you have practiced nursing according to the certificate you hold.
If you are an NP, you must maintain clinical NP practice to remain registered in the Extended Class. This clinical practice must include:
- direct interaction with the client population(s) consistent with each specialty certificate you hold and
- the use of advanced nursing knowledge and decision-making skill in health assessment, diagnosis and therapeutics in the treatment of those clients.
The determination is not based on hours worked
CNO does not specify the number of hours that you must practice during the three-year timeframe.
The amount of nursing practice needed to maintain RPN, RN, or NP competence will vary for individual nurses based on their experience, knowledge and skill level. It is up to you to determine how much practice is required to maintain the required level of competence.
General FAQs
If you have not practiced nursing at any time in the previous three years, you will have to answer “no” to the declaration of practice. You will no longer be eligible to hold registration in the General or Extended Class. You can either apply to register in the Non-Practising Class or resign from CNO. If you do not choose either option, your certificate of registration will expire and you will no longer be permitted to practice nursing in Ontario.
If you have practiced nursing in the previous three years, then you can answer “yes” to the declaration of practice.
No. You are expected to reflect on your nursing practice and determine whether it satisfies the requirement as outlined on this page. RPNs, RNs and NPs work in roles that involve various dimensions of nursing practice, including clinical and non-clinical components. You must determine whether you meet the requirement, irrespective of your nursing position.
Providing nursing services in a volunteer capacity meets the requirement if it is consistent with the practice requirement as described on this page. Keep in mind that you have to provide evidence to support your declaration if CNO requests it.
New and recently reinstated members FAQs
You have three years from your date of registration (or reinstatement) to acquire the necessary nursing practice. Since you have been registered for less than three years, you will be permitted to maintain your certificate even though you have not practiced yet, regardless of whether you select “yes” or “no” on your declaration.
However, if you do not practice nursing within your first three years of registering (or reinstating) with CNO, then you will be asked to either join the Non-Practising Class or resign from CNO when you try to renew your registration for a fourth year.
Dual registrant FAQs
As a dual registrant, you will be asked to declare whether you have practiced nursing within the previous three years. Your answer to the declaration will be applied to both your RPN and RN General Class certificates of registration.
Reflect on your nursing practice and determine whether it meets the requirements described on this page. Remember that CNO may ask you to provide evidence that supports the declaration that you make.
Employer FAQs
The employer’s location is not relevant. The nurses must be able to declare nursing practice within the last three years.
To determine whether they have practiced nursing, nurses should consult the definition of “practicing nursing”. Note also that NPs are required to have practiced in a clinical NP role providing direct care to a population appropriate for their specialty certificate. Details about these requirements are provided in the preceding FAQs for nurses.
Employers are not required to provide anything at the time the nurse is making their declaration. However, at a later date, you may be asked by a nurse or by CNO to provide some form of documentation that supports the declaration made by the nurse. The documentation must verify whether the nurse practiced nursing as defined in the previous question.
Since this nurse has not practiced for over three years, she will have to answer “no” to the declaration of practice question and enter the Non-Practising Class. It is up to you, as the employer, to determine the requirements for nurses who are in your employ but have not practiced nursing for over three years. When nurses in the Non-Practising Class want to return to nursing practice, they must apply for the reinstatement of their General or Extended Class certificate.
Members of the Non-Practising Class are prohibited from practicing nursing in either a paid or volunteer position in Ontario. You cannot hire them for a position that involves nursing practice (such as the performance of the controlled acts authorized to nurses) or one in which they would be portraying themselves as entitled to practice nursing. It is your decision whether to hire them for a position that does not involve nursing practice.