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Credentialling Overview

Important 

We are now accepting some documents digitally using the following established digital document services:

My eQuals (Australia, New Zealand)
Parchment (USA)
Center for Student Services and Development, Ministry of Education (CSSD in China)
Gujarat University (India)

Click here to see a list of documents we accept through these services.

Assessment of Educational Credential and Qualifications (Credentialling)

Credentialling is the process of evaluating documentary evidence that an applicant provides to determine if his or her qualifications are not substantially different from the established or published standard in the receiving country or jurisdiction.

Credentialling aims to prepare an objective outcome that determines whether an internationally-educated applicant’s education is substantially different from that of a Canadian-educated physiotherapist.

In Canada, physiotherapists are licensed or registered to practise by provincial/territorial regulatory colleges (regulators). All provincial regulators (with the exception of Quebec) and the regulators in Yukon Territory require internationally-educated applicants to complete the mandatory credentialling process before taking the Physiotherapy Competency Examination (PCE).

L’ordre professionnel de la physiothérapie du Québec conducts its own credentialling assessments for applicants seeking to work in Québec.

If you are a graduate of a Canadian physiotherapy program, you do not need to complete an Educational Credentials and Qualifications Assessment to take the PCE.

If you are currently enrolled in or have graduated from a university degree program in physiotherapy outside of Canada, you are an internationally-educated applicant. This includes Canadian citizens who have studied abroad. As an internationally-educated applicant, you must apply for credentialling and ask that we assess your credentials and qualifications to confirm if you are eligible to apply for the PCE.

The CAPR credentialling and examination processes do not give an individual the right to practise or register as a physiotherapist in Canada. Each regulator may have additional registration requirements. You can find full information on registration requirements in a province or territory by contacting the regulator in the province/territory you will be working in.

Applying for an Assessment

Follow these steps to apply for credentialling.

  1. Read the Credentialling Application Process Guide and Credentialling Policies. Make sure you are eligible to apply.
  2. Print the Educational Credential and Qualifications Assessment Forms and fill them in.
  3. Complete the credit card section of the Application Form, OR include a certified cheque, money order or a bank draft with your application.
  4. Read the important notes section and the Consent/Waiver included in the Application Form, then sign and date the form.
  5. The Application Checklist will guide you in collecting all the necessary documents to support your application. Refer to Appendix 1 for additional documentation requirements that may apply.
  6. Collect all necessary documents and put your complete application package and payment in the mail.

Incomplete assessment applications will not be accepted. They will be returned to you.

Submitting Your Application

Follow these steps to submit your credentialling application:

  1. Complete the first page of the Document Request Form (DRF) and send it to your physiotherapy school. Your physiotherapy school must complete the Document Request Form (DRF) and submit the completed form directly to our office along with the other required documents, as noted on the Document Request Form (DRF).
  2. Complete your Application Form, make a copy of your completed and signed application form, and keep the copy for your records.
  3. Bring the following to a Notary Public:
    • proof of legal name change (if applicable)
    • your original degree/diploma/certificate for your entry to practise physiotherapy education
    • your Clinical Internship Certificate (if applicable).
  4. Have your original documents (noted above) properly notarized, ensuring that the Notary Public includes their contact information, seal, and signature on all documents.
  5. Complete the Application Checklist.
  6. Send us your complete application package by mail. Your application package must include your completed Application Form, the required fees, a notarized copy of your proof of legal name change (if applicable), a notarized copy of your degree/diploma/certificate from your entry to practise physiotherapy education, and a notarized copy of your internship certificate (if applicable). Incomplete application packages will be returned to you.
  7. If you have already completed a language test, contact the testing centre and arrange for them to send a copy of your official test scores directly to CAPR.

For complete information on the credentialling process, please see our Credentialling Application Process Guide, and our Credentialling Policies.