Short answer
Nurses educated outside Canada seeking RN or RPN registration in Ontario use a CNO-approved education credential assessment provider to authenticate nursing education before CNO assesses registration requirements.
Sources: College of Nurses of Ontario
Who decides
The College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) determines nursing education equivalence and registration requirements. Its approved ECA provider validates and sends evidence, but does not grant a nursing licence.
Sources: College of Nurses of Ontario
Check this before paying
Read CNO's Outside Canada registration guide and its list of approved educational credential assessment services for the correct Ontario nursing category.
Open the primary source ↗Sources: College of Nurses of Ontario
When this applies
This CNO route is for applicants whose nursing programme was outside Canada and who are not currently registered in the same RN or RPN category elsewhere in Canada. Nurse practitioners and Canadian-educated or already-registered applicants use different guides.
Sources: College of Nurses of Ontario
Which document
Nursing education records authenticated by the CNO-approved ECA service and forwarded directly to CNO, followed by category-specific examination, practice, transition, identity and other records requested by CNO.
Sources: College of Nurses of Ontario
Avoid the wrong purchase
Do not assume a generic Canadian immigration ECA or a different province's registration certificate substitutes for the particular CNO provider submission. Check CNO's approved list and the current refund policy before ordering.
Sources: College of Nurses of Ontario
What this does not do
Ontario only; not a nationwide nursing licence, eligibility decision, nurse practitioner pathway, immigration approval or guarantee that a validated award meets CNO's education requirement.
Sources: College of Nurses of Ontario
Your next official step
Choose the exact RN or RPN category in the CNO Outside Canada guide and follow its approved ECA validation instructions before creating the CNO registration application.
Continue to the official guidance ↗Sources: College of Nurses of Ontario
Education validation is not a nursing licence
CNO's current international nurse route has an approved ECA provider authenticate the nursing programme documents and send the records to CNO. CNO then reviews its own nursing education and registration requirements; an ECA transmission is only one stage of registration.
Sources: Ontario registration for nurses educated outside Canada
RN, RPN, NP and existing Canadian registrants differ
CNO distinguishes Registered Nurses from Registered Practical Nurses, directs Nurse Practitioner applicants to their own route, and excludes applicants already registered in the same category elsewhere in Canada from this particular Outside Canada guide. This page cannot be generalized to other provinces.
Sources: Ontario registration for nurses educated outside Canada
DiploWay Ontario registration preparation sheet
Identify whether you intend the RN or RPN title and whether you already hold registration in that category elsewhere in Canada.
Find the current CNO-approved ECA list, write down the exact name of the accepted verification service, and confirm how your education institution must supply transcripts.
Keep immigration authorization, verification, education equivalence, registration exams and the final licence in separate columns.
Explore another use for the same qualification
Sources and scope
- Ontario registration for nurses educated outside Canada
College of Nurses of Ontario · checked 2026-10-14 (UTC date)