CPSO is committed to providing its registrants with better access to the services they need via a self-serve Portal.
The Portal makes accessing services faster and easier by:
- Improving and modernizing the annual renewal survey, making it faster and easier to complete.
- Allowing physicians to log in once and get access to the services and forms they need to practice medicine in Ontario. Services and applications that used to be available on our main website, like postgraduate applications and incorporation forms, are now available on the secure Portal.
- Giving physicians access to more online services, like profile updates, registration renewal, incorporation forms and service requests.
- Allowing physicians to make online payments associated with applications or service requests.
Take a virtual tour of the portal’s features and services.
Have Questions? Need Help?
Questions may be submitted via the Portal message centre or by contacting Physician Advisory Services at 416-967-2606 or 1-800-268-7096 ext. 606.
Annual Registration Renewal
Q: Before I start the annual renewal survey, I must ensure that my personal information is complete and current. Where can I review my personal and practice information?
A: The “Profile” section of the portal captures all your personal and practice information (both current and historical).
Q: How do I update my contact and practice information?
A: Please click on the “Profile” tile of your Portal. This action will take you to the Profile section of the portal, where personal and practice information is saved. Click on the different links listed on the left-hand side to view, edit and save changes to your information. Please note that historical information (e.g., past addresses) cannot be removed from the Register.
Q: I have no plans to continue my practice in Ontario for the foreseeable future, what are my next steps?
A: If you no longer wish to practice medicine in Ontario, click on the Membership Services tile on your Portal dashboard; select Resign your Membership and complete the Resignation Service Request. Please consult the College’s Closing a Medical Practice policy for practice management and notification expectations that may apply to your circumstances.
Q: How do I pay my outstanding invoices?
A: Go to the main homepage of your portal — the first page you see after logging in. Click on “Profile.” Next, click on the “Financial Transaction” link in the left-side menu. Then, click on the “Invoice ID(s)” under the “Outstanding Invoices” section and follow instructions to remit payment.
Q: How do I notify CPSO about my clinical activities?
A: Go to the main homepage of your portal — the first page you see after logging in. Next, click on “Profile” and then “Practice” in the left sidebar. To add a new clinical activity, click on the blue “Add Clinical Activity” button. If you do not see your clinical activity in the dropdown menu, please select "Other."
To remove a clinical activity, on the “Practice” page click on the drop-down arrow next to “Active” and select “View Details.” Click on the “Remove” button in the pop-up window.
Q: How do I notify CPSO about new hospital privileges?
A: You can easily add your hospital privileges by clicking “Profile” on your portal homepage and then “Practice” in the left sidebar.
If you need to remove inactive hospital privileges, click the “Remove” button to set the status to historical. It will not remove it from the system.
Q: How do I update or change an address?
A: Registrants can add a new address by clicking “Profile” on the homepage and selecting “Addresses” from the left-side menu. If you want to update your existing Primary Business or Mailing address, click the “Add Address” button and enter the new address details. The system will activate your new address and change the status of the previous address to historical on the selected effective date. The “Effective From” date cannot be today’s date or earlier. Please be sure to select a date after today to ensure your address is updated successfully.
If you no longer have any business addresses, please select “Not in Practice” from the dropdown menu in the “Addresses” section of your “Profile.” Please remember to update this if/when you resume practice.
If you want to remove an Additional Business Location (also known as a “Secondary Business” address), you must send a portal message to CPSO by clicking on the “Messages” link from within your “Profile.” Please include the address that you wish to remove in your message. You can also launch the portal message centre by clicking the bell icon at the top of your portal homepage.
CPSO is obligated to communicate regulatory and policy information to all registrants of the College. One of the ways we do this is via our official electronic magazine Dialogue.
Q: I can’t open the portal. How do I proceed?
A: To access and navigate the Portal, your device and internet browser must meet specific technical requirements. Please ensure the web browser you use to access the internet is one of the following supported browsers: Chrome, FireFox, Edge or Safari. Please do not use Internet Explorer — the portal won’t work properly.
Technical issues can often be resolved by following a few simple steps. Further guidance and troubleshooting tips are available in the College’s Portal Technical Guide.
Q: My computer is out-of-date. How can I complete the renewal?
A: The Portal allows registrants to complete the renewal using a portable device, such as a tablet or smartphone. You may use these devices instead of a laptop or desktop computer. If you are having technical difficulties, please call 416-967-2600 and select option 3 > option 3.
Q: I logged into the Portal, however, I can’t see Membership Renewal? How do I proceed?
A: We are sorry you are experiencing this issue. The most likely reason is you logged into the portal using an email address CPSO does not have on file. The email address you use to log into your account should be the same one CPSO uses to send you College email communications . If you no longer have access to this email account or if you forget which email address CPSO has on file, please send a message via the Portal with a request for an email address update.
Q: How do I access the annual renewal survey?
A: Visit the Portal webpage to log in to the portal. After you’ve logged in, click on the “Membership Renewal” tile located on your portal homepage to access the annual renewal survey.
Q: I can’t find my saved Annual Renewal Survey — what do I do?
A: We are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused. Please do not begin a new survey. Please contact CPSO’s Inquiries Department by calling 416-967-2678 or sending a message via the Portal message center.
Q: Can I just pay the annual renewal fee without completing the survey?
A: All physicians are required to complete their Annual Registration Renewal online in CPSO’s Portal.
A reminder that to complete the renewal, both the annual renewal survey and payment need to be submitted. Only paying the Annual Renewal Fee would not be sufficient. While Registrants have various options to pay their renewal fee, the Annual Renewal Survey is only available in electronic form in the portal. Please note: CPSO’s Annual Renewal is completely independent and distinct from other types of renewal that you may have completed (e.g., Professional Medicine Corporation renewals, or renewal of membership with the CCFP or RCPSC).
Q: I forgot my password — what do I do?
A: If you forget your password, you can reset it through the “Password Reset” link on the portal login page. You will receive an email with a link to reset your password. Once the reset process is complete, you can log in to the Portal with your new password.
Q: How do I pay my Annual Registration Fee?
A: After completing your survey, click on the “Save & Submit” button to proceed to the payment page. Next, click on the “Proceed to Payment” button to remit payment using any of the following payment methods:
- Visa
- Visa Debit
- MasterCard
- MasterCard Debit
- American Express
Please note: To comply with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards, the College is not able to accept credit card information by email or telephone.
CPSO does not accept payment by wire transfer, email transfer service (Interac e-Transfer, Visa Direct) or by digital wallet services (PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Wallet). As of January 2019, the College is no longer enrolled in the bill payment service offered through financial institutions.
Q: I am having a baby this year — do I still have to complete annual renewal?
A: If you plan on taking a parental leave greater than 4 months during the upcoming registration year, please go to your Portal homepage and click the “Membership Services” tile prior to beginning your survey. From there, please submit a “Request for Membership Fee Reduction.” You may then complete your renewal survey after your request has been successfully submitted.
For further information about parental leave fee reductions, please send us a message via the Portal message centre.
Q: I will be away from practice for several months. Can I put my license “on hold?”
A: Physicians who wish to maintain their license must complete annual renewal during the annual renewal period by completing the survey and paying the applicable fees.
Q: Would I be subject to the College’s practice re-entry requirements if I decide not to practice for several months during the year?
A: As per CPSO’s Ensuring Competence: Changing Scope of Practice and/or Re-entering Practice policy, only physicians who have been out of practice for two years or more would be subject to the practice re-entry requirements set out in the policy.
Q: I wish to keep my license active, but I am retiring in three months. How can I indicate this on the Annual Renewal Survey?
A: Physicians are expected to respond to questions on the survey based on their circumstances at the time when they are completing their annual registration renewal. Please refer to CPSO’s General By-Laws and Mandatory and Permissive Reporting policy for further guidance on what information physicians must report to the College, both during the annual renewal period and throughout the year.
Q: Do I need to maintain my CMPA coverage if I will not be in practice during the year, or if I am not practicing in Ontario?
A: All registrants of CPSO must maintain appropriate professional liability coverage as per s.50.2 of the College’s General By-Law, unless they provide evidence, satisfactory to the College, that they are not providing any medical service in Ontario to any person. You must reinstate your professional liability coverage before resuming practice in Ontario.
Q: I was recently named in a civil lawsuit involving a patient along with many other physicians. The lawsuit is still in process. Do I need to report this to CPSO?
A: No. Physcians are only required to report if they settled any lawsuit or a court has made a finding against them in any lawsuit involving a patient or someone acting on behalf of the patient.
Q: I received a ticket for a traffic offence under the Highway Traffic Act. Do I need to report this to CPSO?
A: Yes. Physicians are required to report to CPSO if they have been charged with, and or found guilty of, any office in Canada or elsewhere under various statutes outlined in the survey, including offences under the Highway Traffic Act and any other offences related to the practice of medicine. A staff member from the College will contact the physician if further information is required.
Q: Am I required to participate in and track my Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities to renew or hold a CPSO license?
A: All physicians of CPSO are required to participate in CPD and track their activities with one of three approved CPD tracking organizations. There are three circumstances, however, where the College has determined that it is unlikely compliance is feasible:
- if you are ill/on disability;
- if you have fully retired from the practise of medicine in any form; or
- if you are only practising outside Ontario.
In these three cases, CPSO created a Cease to Practise Undertaking to address circumstances where physicians cannot comply. It requires that you not practise any form of medicine in Ontario, or use your certificate of registration professionally in any form or setting. If you sign a Cease to Practise Undertaking, you are not required to sign up with one of the CPD tracking organizations.
The Continuing Professional Development FAQs address most commonly asked questions, including exceptional circumstances in which CPSO determines compliance may not be feasible.
Q: How do I resign?
A: A: If you no longer wish to practice medicine in Ontario and would like to resign from CPSO, please complete the Resignation Service Request available in the “Membership Services” section of the portal. Go to the main homepage of the portal and click on “Membership Services.” Next, select “Resign your Membership,” click on “Start Request” and follow the instructions.
If you are currently in practice, please consult the College’s Closing a Medical Practice policy for practice management and notification expectations that may apply to your circumstances.
Q: How do I obtain a copy of my Registration Card?
A: To receive a copy of your current Registration Card, log in to the Portal and click on "Profile." Next, select "Registration" from the left sidebar, click on the applicable registration class link and then press the "Registration Card" button to have a copy of your Registration Card emailed to you.
Note: please check your junk/spam email folder if you do not see your Registration Card in your inbox. If you require further assistance, you can contact the College between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, by calling 416-967-2606 or 1-800-268-7096 select option 3 > option 2 > option 0, or sending a message via the Portal message center.
Q: I believe I renewed my license at the start of the year. Do I still need to complete the annual registration renewal?
A: The CPSO’s annual registration renewal commences in April of each year. You may have completed a renewal related to membership with another organization or the professional corporation renewal. These renewals are not related to your CPSO registration renewal. To renew your CPSO registration, please log into your Portal and click on the “Membership Renewal” tile.
Q: The renewal landing page states that, before I begin the renewal, I must ensure my personal information in the “Profile” section of my Portal is up to date. I have sent a portal message to the CPSO with a request to update my practice information. May I complete the renewal while I wait for a response to my request?
A: Yes. If you have submitted a portal message with a request for an update, please proceed to complete the survey and the payment by the annual renewal deadline (June 1, at 5 p.m. EDT). Your request will be actioned accordingly thereafter.
Annual Renewal Survey
Section G: Professional Liability
Q: If I have indicated on the survey that I have CMPA coverage, why am I required to respond to the other questions in the section? Do I require additional coverage?
A: If you have CMPA coverage, you do not require additional coverage — unless the CMPA advised you to purchase additional coverage for your practice, or your employer requires you to have additional protection for the work you do. You may respond “No” to scenarios and statements in this section that do not apply to you.
Section H: Practice description
Q: There are several settings listed in question H.2 that apply to me. Why can’t I select more than one practice setting?
A: While we appreciate physicians may have more than one practice location, physicians are expected to respond to the questions in this section based on their circumstances at the time of renewal and the setting they are practicing in most often.
Q: If I work in my private office, and not in a hospital, would that be considered an Out-of-Hospital Premise (“OHP”)?
A: No. OHPs are specific types of facilities where physicians perform procedures under various levels of anesthesia (e.g., colonoscopy clinics). For more information, please read about the OHP Program.
Using the Portal
A: How do I navigate the portal?
Q: Your customized dashboard with your name and CPSO number (if applicable) is the first page you see after logging in to the portal. It also lists the online services and activities you can access based on your status with CPSO.
Depending on your status, you may see the following services:
- Profile — Access all your registration and membership information, services and messages, including professional incorporation.
- Membership Services — Request services such as resignation, Certificate of Professional Conduct, fee receipts, and Change of Scope/Re-entering Practice.
- Membership Renewal — Registrants can access this section once annual registration renewal is open.
- My Practice — Manage your practice information, including hospital privileges, registration with other regulatory bodies and languages.
- Registration — Apply for a certificate of registration to practice medicine or postgraduate training in Ontario. To start, you must fill out a questionnaire that will determine your eligibility for registration under CPSO’s regulations and/or policies. Upon completion, you will be granted access to the registration application forms for which you’re eligible.
- Greatcare-Learning Management System — An online learning platform to achieve professional requirements and engage in continuous improvement.
- Out-of-Hospital Premises (OHP) Inspection Program — Submit notifications and updates about your OHP, and report adverse events.
- eHealth ONE ID — Securely access online health care applications.
Q: What is the message centre in the portal?
A: We created a message centre within the portal that allows physicians and applicants to communicate directly with the CPSO about registration, applications and other services in one place. You will be notified by email when you have a new message in the portal’s message centre.
Registration, Postgraduate and Resignation
Q: What’s changing with postgraduate registration? What’s changing with registration renewal?
A: Registration applications are available online through the Portal. To start, you must fill out a self-screening questionnaire that will determine your eligibility for registration under CPSO’s regulations and/or policies. Upon completion, you will be granted access to the registration application forms for which you’re eligible. Upload your supporting documentation directly through the portal. You can manage all communications or questions regarding your registration in the portal’s message centre.
It’s important to note not all applications are available after completing the self-screening questionnaire. A list of applications that require you to contact Registration Inquiries is on the questionnaire’s landing page.
Q: What is the self-screening tool?
The self-screening questionnaire helps us determine your eligibility for registration under CPSO’s registration regulations and policies authorizing medical practice or postgraduate training.
Once you complete the questionnaire, you will be able to access the registration applications for which you are eligible. This simplifies the registration process and makes it easier to identify which forms an applicant should complete.
It’s important to note not all applications are available after completing the self-screening questionnaire. A list of applications that require you to contact the Registration Inquiries is on the questionnaire’s landing page.
Document Request, Fee Receipts and CPC
Q: How do I access copies of my registration documents?
A: Registrants can request a copy of their Registration Diploma, Registration Card or Registration Certificate in the “Registration” tab of the “Profile” section of the portal.
Q: How do I access my application documents and document requests?
A: Applicants or registrants can request copies of certain documents related to their registration file through a service request in the “Membership Services” section of the Portal. We process the request in approximately 10-15 business days and will provide the requested documents through the portal's message centre.
Q: How do I request replacement certificates?
A: Registrants can request a copy of their certificate in the “Registration” tab of the “Profile” section of the portal. We will, then, email the registrant a copy.
Q: How do I request fee receipts?
A: You can download fee receipts for paid invoices from the past (2018 and later) in the “Financial Transactions” tab of the “Profile” section of the Portal. You may request older receipts by submitting a service request in the “Membership Services” section of the portal.
Q: How do I request a certificate of professional conduct (CPC)?
A: You can request a certificate of professional conduct directly through the Portal by selecting “Membership Services”. CPC’s are automatically generated if you do not have any outstanding issues with CPSO.
All other requests that include additional information will be processed in approximately 15 business days, but some requests may take longer. We send the official copy of the CPC directly to the requesting organization. You will receive a confirmation notice in the Portal’s message centre when your request is complete.
Scope of Practice, Re-entering Practice, Clinical Activity and Hospital Privileges
Q: How do I notify the College that I would like to change my scope of practice?
A: Should you wish to change your scope of practice, log into the Portal, click the “registration Tile” and complete the Self Screening Questionnaire to be provided with the appropriate change scope of practice application.
Q: How do I notify the College that I am re-entering practice?
A: If you have been continually out of clinical practice for a period of two years or more, you will be required to complete a re-eentering clinical practice application. Log into the Portal click the “registration Tile” and complete the Sefl Screening Questionnaire to be provided with the re-entering clinical practice application.
Incorporation, Name/Address Update and Fee Schedule
Q: What’s changing with incorporation issuance and renewal?
A: You can now complete all incorporation-related activities online through the Portal. These include:
- applying for a certificate of authorization;
- renewal of a certificate of authorization;
- change in shareholders;
- change of address;
- amalgamation of a corporation; and
- requesting a replacement certification of authorization or duplicate receipt.
You can also pay application and renewal fees online in the secure portal.
Q: How do I renew my Certificate of Authorization?
- Login to your Portal account and select the “Profile” button on the home page.
- Select the “Corporations” tab from the left-side menu.
- Select the applicable Corporation number under the Corporations header.
- Click the “Renew Certificate’ button at the bottom of the page and follow the steps to complete your COA renewal.
Q: How do I request a name change?
A: Registrants can request a name change and upload supporting documentation via a service request in the “Membership Services” section of the Portal. You can manage all communications or questions regarding your request in the portal’s message centre.
MINC, Greatcare LMS, New Member Orientation and OHP Inspection Program
Q: How do I access my Medical Identification Number for Canada (MINC)?
A: Your MINC is available on your profile page for quick reference. If you don’t yet have a MINC, you can request one in the “Membership Services” section of the portal. MINC is a Canadian identification number that is available to every physician in the country. It makes it easier for medical organizations across Canada to confirm your identity and benefits Canadian medical research, which leads to better care for your patients.
Q: How do I access the Greatcare Learning Management System?
A: Greatcare Learning Management System can be accessed via the Portal. This is the online learning platform that allows physicians to complete their professional Quality Improvement requirements. CPSO will inform physicians before they are required to access the Greatcare site. If you are selected to participate in the quality improvement program, you will be able access all the tools or activities required to complete the program and earn associated CPD credits. Please note, only physicians selected to participate in the Quality Improvement Program will have access to these tools and activities.
Q: How do I access the New Member Orientation?
A: If you are a new applicant applying for your license to practice medicine, you will have access to the New Member Orientation section. To access, please disregard the Privacy Statement and click Yes to proceed to the New Member Orientation section.
Q: How do I access the Out-of-Hospital Premises (OHP) Inspection Program?
A. Submit notifications and updates regarding new and/or current OHPs, and report adverse events via the Portal.
Granting Third-Party Access
Q: Can I share my Portal password with a third party, like my lawyer?
A: Yes. However, please be reminded that if you choose to share your login credentials with another person, including professionals (such as lawyers) you engage to act on your behalf, any activity performed in your account is considered done by you personally.
If you elect to share your login information, please change your password before and after granting another person access to your account.
Have Questions? Need Help?
Our team will be available by phone during regular business hours to answer questions about the Portal or assist with login issues. You can reach them by calling 416-967-2678 or sending a message via the Portal message center.