Incorporation Issuance and Renewal

The Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA) permits CPSO members to establish a corporation to practise medicine. For forms and instructions on how to incorporate, visit the Companies Branch of the Ministry of Government Services website or call 416-314-8880. 

After incorporating, you must apply to the College for a Certificate of Authorization to practise. Note, practising without a certificate or holding out as a professional corporation without a certificate is an offence.

Important: Before submitting articles of incorporation to the Ministry, ensure the articles, particularly the proposed name of the corporation, meet the requirements for a Certificate of Authorization.

• You must be a registered member of CPSO at the time of submission.
• You must complete the application form in the Member Portal, available via the “Corporations” tab in the “Profile” section.
• You must pay the application fee of $400.

The certificate will take effect on the received date or whenever all regulatory requirements are met.

You must renew your Certificate of Authorization annually. CPSO will send you a reminder via the Member Portal message centre approximately six weeks before the renewal deadline. You are responsible for initiating the application and paying the $175 fee. We do not accept applications by email or mail.

If a corporation does not apply or fails to comply with one or more of the requirements, CPSO will issue a notice to revoke the corporation's Certificate of Authorization in 60 days if unresolved. Upon revocation, the corporation ceases to be a professional corporation and is not authorized to practise.

To renew your certificate:

1. Login to your Member Portal account and select the “Profile” button on the home page.
2. Select the “Corporations” tab from the left-side menu.
3. Select the applicable Corporation number under the Corporations header.
4. Click the “Renew Certificate’ button at the bottom of the page and follow the steps to complete your COA renewal.

The following checklist will help corporations meet their obligations under the RHPA and CPSO by-laws to notify the College of a change in shareholders: 

• Corporations must notify the CPSO of any change in shareholders who are also members of the College.
•  Corporations must:
  • Submit the change in the Member Portal, via the “Corporations” tab in the “Profile” section.
  • Provide notice within 15 days of the shareholder change.
  • Identify new CPSO member shareholder(s) and/or former member shareholder(s), and the date of the change.

If there are any changes to the corporation’s current practice address(es) and/or registered office address, please use the Member Portal’s message centre to submit the change request and ensure full address details are included. Note, practice addresses are public and appear in the College's online Find a Doctor database. 

Holding companies may not own shares in medicine professional corporations. 

Trustee ownership is only permitted where an individual, as trustee, owns non-voting shares in trust for one or more children, who are minors and beneficiaries, of a voting physician shareholder.  

If there are any changes to the corporation name or number, it must be updated in the “Corporations” tab in the “Profile” section of the Member Portal. You do not have to submit Articles of Amendment.

Upon amalgamation with another corporation, a medicine professional corporation ceases to exist as a separate entity and CPSO may revoke its Certificate of Authorization. You can notify the College of the amalgamation process in the “Corporations” tab in the “Profile” section of the Member Portal by clicking on “Corporations Services.”

Health profession corporations incorporated in a jurisdiction outside Ontario, including corporations federally incorporated under the Canada Business Corporations Act, cannot obtain a Certificate of Authorization from the CPSO. They must incorporate under the Ontario Business Corporations Act, and satisfy the conditions and requirements of the RHPA to be considered a health profession corporation in Ontario. These requirements include filing for a Certificate of Continuance from the Ministry of Government Services. 

As a first step, corporations from outside Ontario should visit the Companies Branch of the Ministry of Government Services website or call 416-314-8880 to obtain forms and instructions on how to continue the corporation in Ontario. 

A license issued under the Ontario Extra-Provincial Corporations Act does not qualify for a Certificate of Authorization or recognition as a “health profession corporation” under the RHPA. 

Members can request a replacement Certificate of Authorization in the “Corporations” tab in the “Profile” section of the Member Portal by clicking on “Send Certificate of Authorization.” Once requested, a copy will be sent to the email associated with your portal account (i.e., the primary email CPSO has on file).