For general information and guidance on how to apply, please visit How to Apply.

Eligibility Criteria

To apply via the online portal, you must meet the following criteria:

• You are a graduate of an accredited optometry school, internationally trained, or labour mobility applicant, and planning to apply for the General Certificate of Registration or an Academic Certificate of Registration
• You are able to make online payments

Getting Started

*If you are a returning registrant (i.e., previously registered with the College and reapplying), please contact Registration (contact information in the right sidebar) to begin your application process.

To get started on your online application, please submit your full legal name and personal email (not your educational email) using the form below:

Please check your junk folder if you do not see an email with the link in your inbox upon submission.

Returning to the Portal

You can always return to the portal by logging in via the Member Login page and clicking on “Continue Applications”. The Member Login button is also available in the header of the College’s website.

Assistance by the College

We are well-aware that you may encounter issues with the portal during your application process (although we do not expect this to be significant). Please be assured that the College staff are prepared to support you in every step of the way as you navigate through our new portal!

For any issues, please contact Registration (contact information in the right sidebar).

NOTE: Please note that the application requirements are outlined on page 6-11 within the info package. (A requirements checklist page will be accessible on the online application portal.) Access the information package in either English or French for those who have graduated from an optometry school accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) and FAQ’s are found here: https://collegeoptom.on.ca/resources/frequently-asked-questions/.

As part of the registration process, applicants must submit a Vulnerable Sector (VS) check to ensure they have not been found guilty of any criminal offence in any jurisdiction, or an offence under the Criminal Code, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, and the Food and Drugs Act. A police record check with VS screening is required as registered optometrists may work with vulnerable person(s) such as minors or elderly patients (i.e., those who are dependent on others, or may be at greater risk than the general population of being harmed by a person in a position of authority.)

Applicants must provide a VS check from:

• their current jurisdiction
• any past jurisdiction(s) where they have practised.

Applicants who live in Toronto:

During COVID-19, the College is providing the consent form for Toronto Police Services Vulnerable Sector Screening by email. This is only applicable to applicants who live in Toronto. Applicants who live in other Ontario jurisdictions must contact their local police service to obtain a VS check.

Toronto applicants: contact registration@collegeoptom.on.ca to receive the consent form by email. Visit the Toronto Police Services website for more information about submitting the consent form and applicable fees.

Learn more about VS checks in this FAQ.

Online Seminar 

The College provides an online Jurisprudence seminar that allows registered candidates to participate remotely throughout the year. Please note that all applicants must complete the online seminar prior to participating in the jurisprudence exam. Completing the online seminar is mandatory for all registered applicants. If you have not completed the online seminar by the completion deadline date, you will not be permitted to participate in the remote Jurisprudence Exam.

How to Access the Seminar

• Log in to the seminar through your online application portal, or
• Use the seminar username and password that were issued to you by the College.

Jurisprudence Exam

The Jurisprudence Exam is only being offered online.

Those registered to write the Jurisprudence Exam have three days to complete the exam, which must be written in a single sitting.

Further information will be provided to you individually via email within 2-3 weeks prior to the Online Jurisprudence Practice Exam.

2025 Exam Dates
February Exam: February 12, 13, 14 – Deadline to Register: Monday, January 20, 2025 FULL – ENROLMENT CLOSED.
April Exam: April 9, 10, 11 – Deadline to Register: Monday, March 17, 2025 FULL – ENROLMENT CLOSED.
May Exam: May 14, 15, 16 – Deadline to Register: Monday, April 21, 2025 FULL – ENROLMENT CLOSED.
July Exam: July 16, 17, 18 – Deadline to Register: Monday, June 23, 2025
August Exam: August 20, 21, 22 – Deadline to Register: Monday, July 28, 2025
October Exam: October 8, 9, 10 – Deadline to Register: Monday, September 15, 2025

Jurisprudence key dates are located here in the Event Calendar.

ONTARIO OPTOMETRIC JURISPRUDENCE BINDER

• The Ontario Optometric Jurisprudence Resource Binder will be accessible throughout the seminar and exam.
• Applicants may wish to use the study questions to assist them in preparing for the Jurisprudence Exam. 
• Please note that applicants are also expected to be familiar with the Policies and Guidelines in Section 4 of the Ontario Optometric Jurisprudence Resource Binder, as well as the documents in the Optometric Practice Reference
• The PDF resource material binder is available for download here: 

Changes to Contact Information

If you have legally changed your name while you are an applicant, you must notify the College immediately via email and submit proof of a notarized document of your name change or marriage license. If your contact information (email address, telephone number, home address, etc.) has changed, you must also notify the College. The College communicates information on the exam via email. Please report these changes by sending an email to Registration.

Approved Entry-to-Practice Exams

The College accepts the following entry-to-practice exams:

1. the Optometry Examining Board of Canada (OEBC) written exam and OSCE; or
2. National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) Exam. In order to be accepted for registration in Ontario, all three parts of the NBEO examination (Part I ABS, Part II PAM, TMOD, and Part III CSE or PEPS) must have been successfully challenged after January 18, 2019, and at least one part has been registered for by March 7, 2025.  Passing the TMOD component in Part II is required for registration in Ontario.

The College will also accept the Canadian Assessment of Competence in Optometry (CACO) from applicants who challenged the exam in the past.

Entry-to-Practice Exams and Practice Assessments

An applicant for registration is referred for a practice assessment or practice evaluation if it has been more than three years since they successfully completed the entry-to-practice examination (please refer to paragraph 7 of s. 2. (1) in the Registration Regulation as amended (837/93) under the Optometry Act, 1991). In some cases, an applicant may have to undergo both processes to ensure they are competent to practise optometry in Ontario in accordance with the standards of practice.

The Registration Committee is often unable to determine an applicant’s competence using the results of a practice assessment alone. Therefore, to avoid having an applicant incur the costs and additional time associated with two processes, it is recommended that the applicant undergo a practice evaluation at the onset.

If the applicant is found to have deficiencies, the Registration Committee may make recommendations for the applicant to meet the standards of practice set in Ontario.

Learn more about applying to write these exams in our information package.

Optometrists in good standing who are licensed to practise in other Canadian provinces/territories can apply for registration in Ontario under the Ontario Labour Mobility Act or the Agreement on Internal Trade.

To register in Ontario, optometrists from other Canadian jurisdictions are required to:

1. Provide a notarized copy of their Doctor of Optometry degree certificate.
2. Successfully complete the Ontario Optometric Jurisprudence Exam.
3. Meet all requirements for registration (see below)

Applicants must have practised optometry (as permitted by a general certificate of registration) at any time in the three years immediately before the date of their Ontario application. If unable to do so, the applicant must complete any further requirements to obtain or undergo additional training, experience, examinations, or assessments that may be specified by the College.

Meeting requirements for registration

Optometrists and eye care professionals with training from outside of North America (i.e., not accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE)) must complete an assessment from the Federation of Optometric Regulatory Authorities of Canada prior to registering in any jurisdiction except Quebec. For registration in Quebec, contact the Ordre des Optométristes du Québec.

Pre-Registration Process

Before applying for registration with the College of Optometrists of Ontario, internationally educated professionals who wish to practise optometry in Ontario must complete the following pre-registration process:

1. Undergo a credential assessment (assessment of your education) by FORAC.
2. Successfully challenge the Internationally Graduated Optometrist Evaluating Examination (IGOEE) offered by Touchstone Institute. 
3. Contact FORAC directly to begin the pre-registration process. The FORAC credentialing office is only staffed on a part-time basis and best reached by email. They can also be reached by phone at 647-746-2050 or mail:

FORAC Credentialing Service
Sheppard Centre Post Office
4841 Yonge Street – Unit 242
PO Box 43215
Toronto, Ontario M2N 5W0

Additional Registration Details 

Entry-to-Practice Exam

Once you have successfully completed the pre-registration process, you must challenge the Optometry Examining Board of Canada (OEBC) exam to register with the College of Optometrists of Ontario.

International Graduates who have registered for the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) Exam by March 7, 2025, will be permitted to continue registering for the other parts of the NBEO exam and their NBEO exam scores will be recognized by the College.

Please see the Entry-to-Practice exam page for more information.

Internationally Graduated Optometrist Evaluating Examination (IGOEE)

You must be referred by FORAC to challenge the IGOEE and cannot apply directly to the IGOEE. The College contracted with Touchstone Institute to develop the IGOEE, which was launched in 2015, to enable international students to bypass the International Optometric Bridging Program. In 2018, a separate Therapeutics Assessment was developed to complement the existing exam. Learn more about becoming eligible to challenge the IGOEE from FORAC and from Touchstone Institute.

Advanced Standing Optometry Preparatory Program (ASOPP)

The Advanced Standing Optometry Preparatory Program (ASOPP) has replaced the International Optometric Bridging Program (IOBP) at the University of Waterloo, School of Optometry & Vision Science.  ASOPP provides an education pathway for individuals who have completed optometry training outside of North America and who wish to obtain a license to practice in Canada. This newly redesigned bridging program is scheduled to begin in April 2022. Learn more about the ASOPP by visiting the University of Waterloo website. 

Ocular Health and Therapeutics

Beginning January 1, 2021, the credential assessment process is being updated to better reflect the current Canadian optometry curriculum and scope of practice. This may affect applicants who attend institutions that reside in jurisdictions in which optometrists are not able to independently prescribe drugs without additional graduate education. If you are currently completing a program outside of Canada and the United States and plan on applying to FORAC in the future, please make sure to look into additional education/training in ocular health and therapeutics in your institution’s jurisdiction.

To learn more, access the information package for internationally educated applicants or graduates of a non-ACOE accredited optometry school.

Step 1

Click here for the information package if you are a graduate of an optometry school accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) or not (non-ACOE).

Please note (updated November 13, 2023):

1. For applicants who graduated from optometry programs accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE), the onus is on applicants for registration to check directly with ACOE about whether an ACOE program is accredited.
2. The information packages above address only registration requirements. Once you have completed these registration requirements, the College will update your status in writing and send various forms that you will need to complete.
3. To practise as an optometrist in Ontario, you need valid professional liability insurance. Applicants must follow up with the University of Waterloo School of Optometry and Vision Science (UWSO) regarding your professional liability insurance plan coverage.
4. The member may engage in the practice of optometry only at the School of Optometry of the University of Waterloo or at another university or optometric educational facility in Ontario approved by the Council, or a facility formally associated with the School of Optometry, university or optometric educational facility, as the case may be as per O. Reg. 837/93, s. 1.

Step 2

Once you have thoroughly read the above information package (and successfully completed the pre-registration process if you are an internationally educated applicant), click here for the application form for an Academic Certificate of Registration.

The following flow chart illustrates the process for application for: An Academic Certificate of Registration

Step 1

Access the information package in either English or French for those who have graduated from an optometry school accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) .

or

Access the information package for internationally educated applicants or graduates of a non-ACOE accredited optometry school.

Please note (updated November 13, 2023):

1. For applicants who graduated from optometry programs accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE), the onus is on applicants for registration to check directly with ACOE about whether an ACOE program is accredited.
2. The information packages above address only registration requirements. Once you have completed these registration requirements, the College will update your status in writing and send various forms that you will need to complete. To practise as an optometrist in Ontario, you need valid professional liability insurance. A variety of insurance companies sell professional liability insurance. The OAO also offers a professional liability insurance plan to its members.

Step 2

Once you have thoroughly read one of the above information packages that applies to you (and successfully completed the pre-registration process if you are an internationally educated applicant), please visit Apply Online to start your application.

How to Apply for a Certificate of Registration

Optometrists who wish to practise in Ontario are required to register with the College. To register, you must meet the requirements set by the College. North American and internationally educated graduates can review this section for an overview of the application process. For full details on the registration process, required documents, timelines, and fees, review our registration information package.

How to Apply as Academic, Internationally Trained, or Labour Mobility Applicants

Academic, internationally trained, and labour mobility applicants can apply via the online portal. Please refer to the Apply Online page.

The Application Process

To register with the College you must:

1. Meet the academic requirement
2. Write the Entry-to-Practice exam
3. Submit an online application form (including application fee and supporting documents)
4. Write the Ontario Optometric Jurisprudence Exam
5. Pay the pro-rated, annual membership fee and complete required administrative forms. (It may take up to 10 business days to finalize registration following receipt of the pro-rated membership fee as well as all required administrative forms.)

Some steps in this process can happen simultaneously or may precede others depending on time of year and exam schedules. For example, you can submit an application form while writing or prior to writing the Entry-to-Practice exam.

You can also submit many of the required documents as they are available. The following flow charts illustrate the application process for:

Applications are open for a maximum of two years from the date the College receives them, though most are completed in less than a year. The College confirms with applicants when requirements are met and/or are still outstanding.

Registration Decision and Appeals

The Registrar considers each application and, if satisfied that the registration requirements have been met, issues a Certificate of Registration.

If the applicant does not meet the registration requirements; or if the Registrar refuses or attaches terms, conditions, or limitations to the Certificate of Registration, then the application is referred to the Registration Committee and can provide a written submission for the Committee’s consideration. If the applicant is not satisfied with the Committee’s decision, they may request an appeal before the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board as either a hearing or a document review. The Board’s decision may be further appealed to the Divisional Court.