Registrant Information

Last Updated: December 13, 2024

This section provides information on managing your registration with the College.

Questions?

If you need assistance, please contact the Registration Team at registration@collegept.org or 1-800-583-5885 ext. 222.

Overview of Fees

Below is a complete list of registration and application fees as of April 1, 2024.

Application Fee: $114

Independent Practice Certificate of Registration: $648 (this fee will be pro-rated for applicants depending on when their application is approved)

Independent Practice Certificate of Registration – Cross Border: $113

Provisional Practice – Certificate of Registration: $85 (to be paid once application is approved)

Letter of Professional Standing: $58

Wall Certificate: $29

Fee Credits

Physiotherapists may be entitled to a receive a fee credit if they leave practice for longer than thee months between April 1 to December 31 for the following reasons:

Parental leave
Education leave
Health-related leave
Compassionate/bereavement/family-related leave
Moving out of province
Anyone who retires and then re-applies within one year

Fee credits are pro-rated by the day. In most cases, they expire 12 months from the date you resign. Fee credits for parental leave are valid for 18 months.

The fee credit will be applied automatically when you apply to re-activate your registration.

Going on Leave, Retiring or Resigning

Short-Term Leave

Physiotherapists who are planning a parental leave or a leave of absence for another reason, have two options to manage their registration with the College:

Option One

Continue to Hold an Independent Practice Certificate

You do not have to be working to be registered with the College. As long as you meet the practice hour requirement and continue to fulfill other professional obligations (for example, Professional Issues Self-Assessment (PISA) and the Jurisprudence Module) you will be eligible to renew your registration.
Option 2

Resign Your Registration with the College as outlined below

Resign Your Registration

If you wish to resign, please sign in to the PT Portal, then click My Profile and select Submit Resignation Notice. You may be eligible for a fee credit.

Please note, if you are a professional corporation shareholder and resign from the College, your professional corporation will no longer exist.

When/if you want to return, you will need to re-apply to the College. It could take up to 15 days for your application to be reviewed and processed.

You will also need to meet the requirements for registration in place at that time. For example, there may be exam requirements or expectations regarding how you can demonstrate your professional knowledge, skills, abilities and judgement.

If you are unable to meet these requirements, your application will be referred to the Registration Committee for review. The committee will decide if you should be granted a Certificate of Registration and if so, if there are any conditions necessary to ensure you have sufficient current practice knowledge to safely deliver physiotherapy care.

Professional Liability Insurance

Physiotherapists are responsible for ensuring they have professional liability insurance coverage for claims that are made even after they have stopped providing patient care. This type of coverage is called tail insurance. These claims can be made months, or in some cases years, after the care was provided.

The College’s by-laws require all physiotherapists to have tail insurance for a minimum of 10 years after they stop practicing.

Retiring physiotherapists are encouraged to check with their insurer to be certain appropriate ongoing coverage is in place.

Learn More About Liability Insurance Requirements

Practice Hours

The College is responsible for ensuring physiotherapists maintain current knowledge and skills to practice safely and competently. Part of the way we do this is by making sure anyone with an Independent Practice Certificate of Registration has worked at least 1,200 practice hours over the previous five-year period.

Each year at annual renewal, you must declare the number of hours you practiced during the previous year. Following each renewal period, the College determines who has not met the 1,200 practice-hour requirement and follows up with each physiotherapist personally to discuss next steps.

Please note, practice hours can include more than just work you did with the specific job title of physiotherapist. Practice hours can be claimed from anywhere in the world.

Practice hours cannot be claimed for any time when you were on vacation, sick leave or on other leaves of absence.

Practice hours can include things like:

Hours worked that you have been paid for (clinical settings, consultation, research, administration, academia or sales)
Up to 30 hours of professional activity/development per year. Professional activity hours include volunteer activity that requires the use of physiotherapy theory and knowledge, continuing education and/or participation in the physiotherapy professional/regulatory organizations (College of Physiotherapists of Ontario, Ontario Physiotherapy Association, Canadian Physiotherapy Association, Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators)

Definitions

Direct Professional Services

Proportion of the average practice hours spent per week on direct health professional services across all practice sites (e.g., conducting tests, patient care, health promotion, dispensing/building/repairing health apparatuses). This excludes clinical education hours (providing professional services while teaching).

Administration

Proportion of the average practice hours spent per week across all practice sites on administration in profession.

Teaching

Proportion of the average practice hours spent per week across all practice sites on teaching to prepare students for a health profession (e.g. post-secondary) excluding clinical education (providing professional services while teaching).

Research

Proportion of the average practice hours spent per week across all practice sites conducting research in profession.

Clinical Education

Proportion of the average practice hours spent per week on clinical education only (e.g., providing direct professional services while teaching) across all practice sites.

All Other Areas

Proportion of the average practice hours spent per week across all practice sites on all other areas in profession excluding direct professional services, teaching, research and administration.

Number of Practice Weeks in the Past 12 Months

Number of practice weeks in the past 12 months across all practice settings excluding vacation, on-call time, and sick and leave time greater than one week. Note, at least one practice day in a week constitutes a week of practice.

Average Number of Weekly Practice Hours in the Past 12 Months

Average number of practice hours per week across all practice sites. Hours indicated are inclusive of all practice hours (e.g., travel time to various settings, preparation and service provision, time spent working during on-call hours).

Hours should exclude any volunteer, extra-curricular time outside of the profession or any on-call hours where the individual was not working.

Professional Corporations

All regulated health professionals, including physiotherapists, have the option of incorporating their practice as a professional corporation.

If you require legal or financial advice about incorporation, contact a lawyer or accountant. The College cannot give legal or business advice to registrants.

Important features of professional corporations:

The name of the professional corporation must include the words “Professional Corporation” or “Société Professionelle” and “Physiotherapy” or “Physiothérapie.”
All officers, directors and shareholders of the professional corporations must be physiotherapists and must be registered with the College.
The professional corporation may not carry on a business other than the practice of physiotherapy.
Professional liability is not limited by incorporation.

How to Incorporate a Physiotherapy Professional Corporation

Consult a lawyer and/or accountant to see if incorporating is a good option for you.
Contact Service Ontario to set up your business.
After you receive your copies of the Articles of Incorporation, Certificate of Incorporation and Corporation Profile Report, you should review the Professional Corporation Guide and Frequently Asked Questions.
Sign in to the PT Portal and select “Apply for a Certificate of Authorization for Professional Corporation” from the top menu. Please note, the College no longer accepts application forms by mail, fax or email. There is a $774 application fee with a $277 annual renewal fee.
Ensure the following documents are uploaded with your application form:
1. Corporation Profile Report
2. Signed shareholder undertaking for each shareholder of the corporation
3. Certificate and Articles of Incorporation
It may take up to 15 business days to review your application. If your application is missing information, the Registration Team will contact you. Once an application is considered complete, it can take an additional five business days to process.
Once your application is approved, you will receive an email from the College’s Registration Team that includes your Certificate of Authorization Number. If you have requested a hard copy of your Certificate of Authorization, you will be asked to pay the $29 fee. When this fee is paid, you will be mailed a certificate within 10 business days.
Renew your Certificate of Authorization for your professional corporation annually in the PT Portal. The renewal fee is $277. You will receive an email from the College reminding you to review. You must submit a Corporation Report that you will get from Service Canada each year in order to renew. To check that your Certificate of Authorization is updated, please check the Public Register and review your expiry date.
If you do not complete your renewal by the specified date, you will receive an email from the College indicating you have an extra 60 days to do so. If your renewal is not complete after 60 days, the College will revoke your Certificate of Authorization. This revocation will appear permanently on the College’s Public Register.

How to Roster for Controlled Acts

Rostering for a controlled act is a process where physiotherapists add their names to a list indicating they have the required training, education and experience to safely perform a higher-risk activity.

Physiotherapists must roster online for each controlled act they perform in their practice, including:

Tracheal suctioning
Spinal manipulation
Acupuncture (including dry needling)
Treating a wound below the dermis
Pelvic internal exams (this includes putting an instrument, hand or finger, beyond the labia majora, or beyond the anal verge)
Administering a substance by inhalation

Rostering information appears on a physiotherapist’s profile on the Public Register.

It is not necessary to roster for communicating a diagnosis as this is considered an essential competency for physiotherapists.

How to Roster Online

Log in to the PT Portal.
Select Rostered Activities from the menu on the left of the page. Click Create button to roster for a new activity. Activities must be rostered for individually by repeating this process.
Select the controlled act you wish to roster for.

Indicate the year you completed training and how you received your training (i.e., formal or informal training program).

Describe the theory and practical portions of your education and how you were assessed.

Indicate the country where you received your training.

Indicate whether you have performed the activity in the last two years or completed education or training over the last two years.

Important: The End Date should be left blank. Providing an end date indicates that you no longer perform this controlled act.

Complete a declaration indicating:
- The information provided is factual.
- You have the knowledge, skills and judgement necessary to perform the activity.
- You have reviewed and understand the related Controlled Acts and Restricted Standard.

Click Submit. Your information is submitted, and you are automatically added to that online roster.
Review your current roster status by clicking on Rostered Activities in the PT Portal or reviewing your profile on the Public Register.

Resources

Physiotherapy Act

View

Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA)

View

Updating Your Employment/Practice Information

Physiotherapists must notify the College of any changes to their employment information, including address or phone number, within 30 days. The easiest way to do this is through the PT Portal.

If you have questions or need help, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Registration Team by calling 1-800-583-5885 ext. 222 or emailing registration@collegept.org. Phones are answered between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Quick Tips

Here’s what to do if:

For the Name of Work Site,search other – it’s on the second page of results – and select it. You will then be able to provide your missing work site’s name, location and phone number.

Please note, this information will not appear on the Public Register until the Registration Team has verified it. Once it has been verified, you will receive an email letting you know it now appears publicly.

To update the address and contact details for your workplace, you need to add an End Date (the day your location changed), as well as any other missing information, and click Save at the bottom of the page.

Then click Create to add an employment record for your new location. Your Start Date should be the day your location changed.

Select your new location for your work site, or otherif your new location does not appear in the drop-down list.

Send the updated phone number to registration@collegept.org. Ensure the phone number is a general number for the clinic and not your personal extension.

If your employer (the company that pays you) is different from your practice location (the physical location where you work), you must check this box and provide your employer’s information.

While you may have more than one area of practice at a specific worksite, we only require and accept one. Choose the one you think is best.

Frequently Asked Questions

No, you cannot. Because the Public Register is updated in real time, your employment’s start and end dates cannot appear to be later than today’s date. If you know you are starting a new job, or leaving a current one, please update your employment on the day that happens or shortly after. Don’t forget, you have an obligation to update your information within 30 days of a change at the latest.

If you are on leave from your employment, you must update your employment information by adding an End Date (this would be the date you went on leave).

When you return from your leave, you should then add a new employment entry, with the Start Date being the day you returned to work.

Please also update the Current Employment Status on your profile page if your new employment information has caused it to change (i.e., you were working in physiotherapy, but are now on leave).

Get more information on going on leave here.

Any employment information from before April 1, 2018 no longer appears on the Public Register, or in the PT Portal.

Please be assured we still have those records in our files. Please do not try to add any past employment that ended on or before March 31, 2018.

If you only deliver care at a patient’s home, you would answer No to this question.

If you see patients privately, no matter the location, you are operating a private practice, and you’ll need to update your information on the PT Portal.

You will also require a business address for the purposes of providing contact information to patients and third-party payers. If you don’t have a physical clinic, you can use your home address as the business address.

If you prefer not to have your home address listed on the Public Register, you can use a P.O. box, which you can rent from a post office or other facility.

No, the College cannot remove any employment information from your file. In addition to the information referred to in subsection 23 (2) of the Code, the name, business address, and business telephone number of each current and previous Place of Practice of the Member on or after April 1, 2018 are also required to remain on the Public Register and on file.

Glossary

Manager: Major role is in the management of a particular team/group that delivers services.
Owner/Operator: An individual who is the owner of a practice site and who may or may not manage or supervise the operation at that site.
Service Provider (Physiotherapist): Major role is in the delivery of professional services specific to the profession.
Consultant: Major role is the provision of expert guidance and consultation, without direct patient care, to a third-party.
Administrator: A person whose primary role is involved in administration, planning, organizing and managing.
Instructor/Educator: Major role is as an educator for a particular target group.
Researcher: Major role is in knowledge development and dissemination of research.
Quality Manager: Major role is the assurance and control of the quality of procedures and/or equipment.
Salesperson: Major role is in the sales of health-related services and products.
Other: Position/title that is none of the above.

Permanent: Status with employer is permanent with an indeterminate duration (no specified end date) of employment and guaranteed or fixed practice hours per week.
Temporary: Status with employer is temporary with fixed duration of employment, based on a defined start and end date, and guaranteed or fixed practice hours per week.
Casual: Status with employer is on an as-needed basis, with employment that is not characterized by a guaranteed or fixed number of hours per week. There is no arrangement between employer and employee that the employee will be called to work on a regular basis.
Self-Employed: A person who operates their own economic enterprise in the profession. The individual may be the owner of a business or professional practice, or an individual in a business relationship in which they agree to perform specific work for a payer in return for payment.
Other: Employment category that is none of the above.

Full-Time: Official status with employer is full-time or equivalent, or usual hours of practice are equal to or greater than 30 hours per week.
Part-Time: Official status with employer is part-time, or usual hours of practice are less than 30 hours per week.
Casual: Status with employer is on an as-needed basis, with employment that is not characterized by a guaranteed or fixed number of hours per week. There is no arrangement between employer and employee that the employee will be called to work on a regular basis.

Hospital: A healthcare facility that offers a range of in-patient and out-patient healthcare services (e.g., medical, surgical, psychiatry etc.) available to the target population. Includes specialty and complex continuing care hospitals not otherwise classified.
Rehabilitation Facility: A healthcare facility that has as its primary focus the post-acute, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation of individuals.
Mental Health and Addiction Facility: A healthcare facility that has as its primary focus the acute or post-acute, in-patient and/or out-patient care of individuals with mental health issues and illness and/or addictions.
Residential/Long-Term Care Facility: A long-term care facility designed for people who require the availability of 24-hour nursing care and supervision within a secure setting. In general, long-term care facilities offer high levels of personal care and support. These facilities include nursing homes, municipal homes and charitable homes.
Assisted Living Residence/Supportive Housing: A retirement home or supportive housing that provides varying degrees of care to assist individuals/couples to live independently. Services include home making, meal preparation, low to daily personal care and availability of a personal support worker or staff on a 24-hour basis. These facilities include group homes, retirement homes, community care homes, lodges, supportive housing and congregate living settings.
Community Health Centre (CHC): A CHC employs physicians and other interdisciplinary providers to serve high-risk communities and populations who may have trouble accessing health services because of barriers related to language, culture, physical disability, socioeconomic status or geographic isolation. CHCs emphasize health promotion, disease prevention and chronic disease management based on local population health needs. The organization must be recognized as a CHC. There are 74 CHCs throughout Ontario as of January, 2016.
Family Health Team (FHT): A Family Health Team is a group that includes physicians and other interdisciplinary providers. The FHT provides comprehensive primary health care (PHC) services. The FHT provides services on a 24/7 basis through a combination of regular office hours, after-hours services, and access to a registered nurse through the Telephone Health Advisory Service (THAS). The FHT emphasizes health promotion, disease prevention and chronic disease management based on local population health needs. The FHT must enroll patients. The group must be recognized as a FHT. There are 184 FHTs in Ontario as of January, 2016.
Home Care/Visiting Agency (Client’s Home or Place of Business): The professional travels to one or more sites that may be the client’s home, school and/or workplace environment to provide services (e.g., home care or CCAC contracts).
Community Care Access Centre (CCAC): A local organization that assists its clients to access government-funded home care services and long-term care homes. The organization helps people to navigate the array of community support and health agencies in their communities.
Group Health Centre (Sault Ste. Marie): An interdisciplinary practice in Sault Ste. Marie that includes physicians, nurse practitioners, dietitians, pharmacists, physiotherapists, and many other providers. The group provides comprehensive primary health care (PHC) services. The services are provided on a 24/7 basis through a combination of regular office hours, after-hours services, and access to a registered nurse through the Telephone Health Advisory Service (THAS). The group emphasizes health promotion, disease prevention and chronic disease management based on local population health needs. The group must enroll patients.
Nurse Practitioner Led Clinic: This clinic is led by a nurse practitioner and provides primary healthcare in collaboration with family physicians, and other interdisciplinary healthcare providers. The focus of the clinic is on comprehensive primary healthcare services in areas where access to family healthcare is limited.
Private Practice/Clinic (Group): A community-based group (not already noted), professional practice or clinic that is composed of two or more health professionals working together to deliver health services. Clients typically come to the professionals’ location to receive services. Other administrative support staff may also be involved, however the health professionals are the focus of service provision.
Private Practice/Clinic (Solo): A community-based professional practice/business composed of a single practitioner who delivers health services. Clients typically come to the professional’s location to receive services. Administrative support staff may also be involved, however the health professional is the focus of service provision.
Post-Secondary Educational Institution: A post-secondary institution, either a university or equivalent institution or a college or equivalent institution, with a primary focus on the delivery of education.
School or School Board: A preschool, elementary or secondary school (or equivalent institution), or the associated school board (or equivalent entity) that has responsibility for the governance and management of education funding issued by provincial governments.
Children Treatment Centres (CTC): This centre is a community-based organization that serves children with physical disabilities and multiple special needs. The centre provides physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy along with other additional services. There are 20 CTCs in Ontario.
Association/Government/Regulatory Organization/Non-Government Organization (e.g., Diabetes Association): An organization or government that deals with regulation, advocacy, policy development, program development, research and/or the protection of the public, at a national, provincial/territorial, regional or municipal level.
Health Related Business/Industry: A business or industry whose focus of activities is not in the direct delivery of healthcare services, but rather the health of workers, health-related product development or the selling of health-related products (e.g., medical device or pharmaceutical companies).
Industry, Manufacturing and Commercial: A business/industry whose focus of activities is not in the direct delivery of health care services, but rather the health of workers, health-related product development, or commercial activity outside of the healthcare system entirely.
Board of Health or Public Health Laboratory or Public Health Unit: A public health laboratory or official health unit that administers health promotion and disease prevention programs to inform the public about healthy lifestyles, communicable disease control including education in STDs/AIDS, immunization, food premises inspection, healthy growth and development including parenting education, health education for all age groups and selected screening services.
Cancer Centre: A facility that specializes in services related to the treatment, prevention and research of cancer.
Telephone Health Advisory Services: A program that provides free, confidential, 24/7 service that offers residents easy access to health information.
Spa: A facility that focuses on providing services related to health, fitness, beauty and relaxation.
Correctional Facility: A stand-alone organization/facility that has as its primary focus the treatment and rehabilitation of persons detained or on probation due to a criminal act.
Other Place of Work: Place of work that is none of the above.

General Practice: Services provided primarily to clients across a range of service and/or consultation areas specific to the profession (e.g., general rehabilitation, laboratory work etc.).
Cancer Care: Services provided primarily to clients with a variety of cancer and cancer-related illnesses.
Geriatric Care: Services provided primarily to care for elderly persons and to treat diseases associated with aging through short-term, intermediate or long-term treatment/interventions.
Chronic Disease Prevention and Management: Services are provided primarily to address chronic diseases early in the disease cycle to prevent disease progression and reduce potential health complications. Diseases can include diabetes, hypertension, congestive heart failure, asthma, chronic lung disease, renal failure, liver disease, and rheumatoid and osteoarthritis.
Continuing Care/Long-Term Care: Services provided primarily to clients with continuing health conditions for extended periods of time (e.g., long-term care or home care).
Public Health: Services are provided primarily with the purpose of improving the health of populations through the functions of health promotion, health protection, health surveillance and population health assessment.
Critical Care/ICU: Services provided primarily to clients dealing with serious life-threatening and/or medically complex conditions who require constant care, observation and specialized monitoring and therapies.
Mental Health and Addiction: Services provided primarily to clients with a variety of mental health and addiction conditions.
Palliative Care: Services provided primarily to clients with the aim of relieving suffering and improving the quality of life for persons who are living with or dying from advanced illness or who are bereaved.
Emergency: Provided to patients who have immediate medical problems, frequently before complete clinical or diagnostic information is available, in a comprehensive emergency department or an urgent care centre.
Amputations: Physical health issues associated with reconstructive surgery.
Burns and Wound Management: Physical health issues associated with burns and wounds.
Cardiology/Cardiovascular: Physical health issues associated with cardiovascular-related health problems (other than critical care).
Ergonomics: Services provided with the purpose of optimizing human interactions with a system (e.g., tools, equipment, products, tasks, organization, technology, and environment) through the assessment of human anatomical, anthropometric, physiological and biomechanical characteristics as they relate to physical activity.
Infectious Disease Prevention and Control: Services are provided to primarily prevent and control healthcare associated infections and other epidemiological significant organisms. This includes providing services to reduce the risk, spread and incidence of infections in populations. This includes pandemic planning.
Neurology/Neuroscience: Physical health issues associated with neurological-related health problems (other than critical care).
Orthopedics: Care/services are provided to clients in order to prevent/correct injuries/disorders of the skeletal system, its articulations and associated structures.
Plastics: Physical health issues associated with reconstructive surgery.
Respirology/Cardio-respiratory: Physical health issues associated with respiratory-related health problems (other than critical care).
Return to Work Rehabilitation: Services provided with the purpose of enabling clients to return to work.
Rheumatology: Physical health issues associated with inflammatory or degenerative processes and metabolic derangement of connective tissue structures, such as arthritis.
Sports Medicine: Physical health issues associated with sports-related injuries.
Vestibular Rehabilitation: Physical health issues associated with vestibular-related conditions.
Women’s Health/Uro-genital: Provision of physiotherapy services focused on the physical aspects of genitourinary and reproductive health problems.
Other Area of Direct Service/Consultation: Other area of direct service/consultation not otherwise identified.

Consultation: Expert consultation is provided on the profession related to medical and/or legal matters.
Administration: Focus of activities is management or administration.
Teaching-Physiotherapy Education: Focus of activities is directed at providing post-secondary teaching to individuals registered in formal education programs.
Quality Management: Focus of activities is on the assurance of the operational integrity, based on compliance with staffing, technical and organizational requirements.
Research: Focus of activities is in knowledge development and dissemination of research including clinical and non-clinical.
Sales: Focus of activities is in the sales and/or service of health-related apparatuses or equipment.
Client Service Management/Case Management: Focus of activities is the management of client services across the healthcare continuum, specifically the coordination of multiple services as required for client care, e.g., case managers.
Health Promotion and Wellness: Services provided with the purpose of improving the health of clients through functions of health promotion, health protection, health surveillance and population health assessment.
Other Teaching: Area of education not otherwise identified.
Physiotherapy-Related Continuing Education Teaching: Focus of activities is directed at providing continuing education to physiotherapists.
Other Areas: Other area of employed activity not otherwise mentioned.

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