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Annual Membership Renewal
All nurses must renew their membership with CNO for 2023.
Completing AMR involves:
- completing the Annual Membership Renewal (AMR) form, which includes questions about your employment status, areas of practice and education
- paying an annual fee.
Thank you in advance for completing AMR, for the important role you play in the health care system at a challenging time, and your ongoing efforts to protect the public through safe nursing practice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the renewal deadline?
The deadline to renew without additional late fees is Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022.
Why do I have to renew my membership every year?
All nurses are required by provincial legislation to register with CNO and to renew their registration annually. Paying your fees to be registered with CNO renews your ability to practice nursing in Ontario.
What does CNO do?
Our purpose is to protect the public by promoting safe nursing practice. CNO is a regulator — not an advocacy or labour organization. We uphold nursing standards, register nurses to practice, administer a Quality Assurance Program and ensure that each person calling themselves a nurse in Ontario has the knowledge, skill, and judgment to practice safely.
CNO works closely with several partners in safety, including employers, educators and government. We each have a role to play and together we support safe nursing practice in Ontario.
What is the renewal fee?
The 2023 renewal fee for members in the General and Extended classes is $270. (With HST, the total is $305.10.) The renewal fee for members in the Non-Practising class is $50. (With HST, the total is $56.50.) The 2023 renewal fee is the same as last year.
How can I pay my fee?
You pay your fee online. We accept credit card, debit, INTERAC Online or a prepaid credit or debit card. Other payment methods such as cheques, money orders, cash and e-transfers are not accepted.
Is it safe to pay my fee online?
Yes, it is safe. We don’t process or store your financial information within our own systems. When you pay your membership fee, the transaction is securely handled by a third-party vendor. We do not have access to, retain or share your credit card or banking information or social insurance number.
What happens if i don’t pay the fee before the Dec. 31 deadline?
You will be charged a late fee of $100 ($113 with HST)
Other key dates:
Friday, Jan. 13, 2023: We mail Notice of Intent to Suspend letters to those who haven’t renewed by Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022 Once you receive this letter, you have 30 days to complete your renewal and pay the required fees, including the late fee of $100 ($113 with HST).
Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023: We suspend people who haven’t paid the fees and completed the form by now. At this point, you will have another 30 days to provide all outstanding fees and information. However, since your membership is suspended, you can’t practice as a nurse in Ontario until you have renewed.
Monday, March 20, 2023: We expire memberships for those who have not completed renewal by Monday, March 20, 2023.
Why are nurses required to pay fees to CNO?
In Ontario, legislation identifies the professions that are regulated to ensure public safety. These professions are self-regulated, which means that members collectively pay a regulatory body to set and enforce standards and entry requirements. Nursing is one of these self-regulated professions, along with 25 other health care professions in Ontario.
Having one set of standards and entry requirements and providing oversight and accountability for all nurses helps ensure public confidence in the quality of nurses in the province.
One of these accountabilities to the public is that nurses must renew their professional commitment to standards and public safety annually.
Why do nurses, and not members of the public, pay CNO for registration?
In Ontario, nursing is self-regulated. CNO fulfills this function and is entirely funded by members’ fees. It’s through your fees that the nursing profession is regulated in Ontario.
Renewing your membership and paying a fee makes you a part of the regulation of your profession. All nurses have the opportunity to actively participate in the regulation of their profession. You can provide feedback about changes to by-laws, regulations and standards of practices. You can join CNO’s Council (which is the board of directors), sit on our committees (be involved in the day-to-day work of CNO) or join one of our reference groups to provide regular feedback about important work.
How does my renewal fee help keep patients safe?
Your renewal fee funds CNO and our regulatory processes. So, paying your fees to be registered with CNO not only renews your ability to practice nursing in Ontario, but it also makes you a contributor in nursing regulation and public protection. It allows nurses to collectively fulfill the profession’s regulatory mandate to protect the public and ensures the public continues to trust nurses.
And, as a member of CNO, you can actively participate in these regulatory processes. You can joinCNO Council, committees and reference groups. Or provide feedback about changes to by-laws, regulations and standards of practices.
In addition to the many ways you as a nurse contribute directly to the health care of Ontarians, we are grateful for the way you provide the support needed to uphold the standards of the profession.
By working together, we protect the public.
Do you share information from my AMR form?
Yes, CNO shares renewal information in the following ways:
- We are required under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 to collect information about our members, including basic demographic, geographic, education and employment information. The anonymous data helps the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care develop policies and programs that address nursing supply and distribution, education, recruitment and retention.
- Like other Canadian nursing regulators, we share the anonymous data with the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). This data is used to make improvements in health care, health system performance and population health across Canada.
- We also share the anonymous data with other stakeholders, including researchers, the media and the public.
How do I log on to AMR?
Go to Maintain Your Membership and log in with your email address and password.
Unless you have changed it, your password is the same one you used last year.
For more information about how CNO uses your email address and why it is required, visit www.cno.org/emailfaq.
Which browser should I use to renew?
If you are using an older version of a Web browser, you may have difficulty accessing Maintain Your Membership. Check here to make sure your browser will work properly.
Am I required to submit my learning plan prior to renewing my membership?
As part of annual Quality Assurance requirements you must develop and maintain a Learning Plan, and as part of completing AMR, you must confirm that you have done so. We do not require that you submit the Learning Plan to CNO.
How do I move between pages in AMR?
Always use the Previous or Next buttons when using the AMR application. Do not click Back or Forward in your browser.
What do I do if my page seems stuck?
Please be patient, as many nurses are renewing at the same time. If you see a Please Wait message, do not refresh or reload your page.
Why is it taking so long to get to the next page?
During busy times, it may take longer for pages to load. Please be patient, and do not refresh or reload your page. All browsers except Safari should display a progress bar, to show you how the information is processing.
Can I stop and complete my form at a later date?
Yes, you can pause the renewal application at any time. Just scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Exit and Finish Later button. Also, remember to log out of Maintain Your Membership by clicking the logout button in the top right-hand corner of the page.
Why are you asking for so much info?
It may seem like we’re collecting a lot of information, but it’s required under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991. The renewal information also informs the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s policies and programs.
How long will it take me to renew?
Most nurses only need about 12 minutes to complete renewal, but it can take up to 30 minutes. Before starting, we suggest you have your work experience information and other practice details handy, so you can move quickly and smoothly through the process.
How do I renew in French?
Log in to Maintain Your Membership using your email and password. Then, click on Renew Your Membership Now, and simply choose French in the top right-hand corner.
How do I know if I’ve paid?
Once you submit your payment, you will receive a confirmation that the transaction was successful. Please wait for this confirmation before closing your browser. At peak times, there may be a short delay before you see the confirmation while payment is processing.
Where do I find the payment receipt?
After renewing and paying the fee, you’ll find the View/Print Receipt button at the bottom of the page. If you have already logged out of AMR, log back in to Maintain My Membership, click Renew Your Membership Now and choose View/Print Receipt.
How do I know if I am logged out?
There is a Logout button in the top right-hand corner of every AMR page. Click on it to make sure you’re logged out of Maintain Your Membership. This is especially important if you share a computer at home or work.
How do I check my registration status after I’ve renewed my membership?
Once you have completed the renewal form and paid the fees, you can log in to Maintain Your Membership, click on renewal and check your current status.
What if I do not complete my online renewal form?
Notice of Intent to Suspend
If you do not complete the form and pay the fees by 11:59 p.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, you will receive a Notice of Intent to Suspend. This year, notices will be mailed no later than Friday, Jan. 13, 2023. Once you receive the Notice of Intent to Suspend, you have 30 days to complete your renewal and pay the required fees, including the late fee of $100 ($113 with HST).
Suspension
If you do not pay the fees and complete the form within 30 days, the College will suspend your registration on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023. At this point, you will have another 30 days to provide all outstanding fees and information.
However, since your membership is suspended, you can’t practice as a nurse in Ontario until you have renewed. You also can’t use the titles “Registered Nurse,” “Registered Practical Nurse,” “Nurse Practitioner” or “nurse.”
Practicing nursing in Ontario while your membership is suspended is a serious offence. If you have been suspended, speak to your employer(s) and stop practicing immediately.
Expiry
If, after the next 30 days, you still haven’t provided the outstanding fees and information, your CNO membership will expire on Monday, March 20, 2023. To resume practicing in Ontario as a nurse, you will need to meet the requirements for reinstatement and pay additional fees.
Since your membership is expired, you can’t practice as a nurse in Ontario. You also can’t use the titles “Registered Nurse,” “Registered Practical Nurse,” “Nurse Practitioner” or “nurse.”
Practicing nursing in Ontario while your membership is expired is a serious offence. If your membership has been expired, speak to your employer(s) and stop practicing immediately.
I’m a nurse starting my year-long parental leave at the end of December 2022. Do I still have to renew my membership for 2023?
Yes, if you want to remain registered in the General Class in 2023, you need to renew by Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022. This includes paying the annual fee, confirming the Declaration of Practice and holding professional liability protection (PLP). Nurses in the General and Extended classes are required to hold PLP, regardless of whether they are currently practicing nursing.
If you don’t want to renew, you have the option of resigning your membership or moving to the Non-Practising class. If you move to the Non-Practising Class, your renewal fee will be lower, and you don’t need to hold PLP. However, if you want to return to practicing nursing after your maternity leave, you will need to return to the General Class. This includes:
- applying for reinstatement
- paying the reinstatement fees
- meeting the requirements (which can include providing evidence of practice, language proficiency and possibly writing the Jurisprudence exam).
Why do RPNs and RNs pay the same membership renewal fee?
It costs CNO the same to regulate all nurses. Our processes, such as membership renewal, online practice support or developing practice standards, require the same resources regardless of whether it’s for RNs, RPNs or NPs.
Why does my fee not include professional liability protection or association fees?
Since CNO’s role is to protect the public, it would be a conflict of interest to provide professional liability protection. For example, it would be a conflict if we have to administer a discipline penalty against a nurse and then cover the nurse’s liability claim.
Unions and professional associations, such as ONA, CNPS, RNAO, RPNAO or NPAO, are organizations that exist to represent nurses’ interest. This includes providing you with access to professional liability protection.
And, while our roles are different, we partner with these organizations to ensure everyone in Ontario benefits from safe, quality nursing care.
