Licensure Overview
“Physiotherapy”, also known as “physical therapy” is a regulated profession in Canada. That means by law, you are required to be licensed to practise. The responsibility for licensing physiotherapists is held by provincial and territorial Regulatory Colleges.
Once you have successfully completed both the Written and Clinical Components of the Physiotherapy Competency Examination (PCE), you may apply to a provincial Regulatory College for an independent (full) licence to practise. While Regulatory Colleges have many similar requirements, each jurisdiction may have variations or unique conditions for licensure. Additional licensing and registration fees will also apply. For more information, contact the Regulatory Colleges in the province or territory you plan on practising in.
Provincial and Territorial Regulators
For more information, contact the Regulatory College in the province or territory you plan on practising in:
Licensure in Quebec
For Quebec Candidates
The Regulatory College in Quebec is called Ordre professionnel de la physiothérapie du Québec or OPPQ. The OPPQ has its own process of credentialling and examining candidates who wish to practise physiotherapy in that province. It also has its own language proficiency requirements. If you would like to practise in Quebec please review the requirements detailed in the OPPQ website carefully.
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Cross-Border Physiotherapy within Canada
A Memorandum of Understanding has been created to support access to physiotherapy treatment where there may be physical barriers to care or a scarcity of qualified physiotherapists. This will allow physiotherapists who practise in one province, but wish to provide care to patients in another, to do so through tele-rehabilitation or in person for the purposes of continuing care or accessing physiotherapy services that are not otherwise available.
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