Practising/Not Practising in Ontario & Reinstatement

If you are a registrant considering not practising as an optometrist in Ontario for any length of time, please first review the policies below which are located under the Registrants/Policies & Guidelines tab:

• Registration Policy: Non-Practising Status
• Non-Practising Fee Administration Policy

The Inactive Class is for registrants who wish to temporarily terminate offering their professional services in Ontario for a period of time but still wish to maintain their membership with the College. Inactive Class registrants are not allowed to practise in Ontario but must complete their annual membership renewals, including payment of the applicable membership fee.  Inactive Class registrants pay a reduced membership fee and are not required to fulfill the same requirements to maintain their registration as practising registrants. For example, Inactive Class registrants do not have to complete continuing education and do not need to maintain Professional Liability Insurance coverage while they are in the Inactive Class.

Inactive Class registrants who wish to start practising as optometrists in Ontario again, must complete the College’s Return to Practise Form.  This Form contains the documentation and information required for optometrists to return to practice. Once you have completed this Form, please submit it to the College by email at info@collegeoptom.on.ca and pay an administrative fee. It may take some time before the College approves your return to practice pending the review of the completed Form by various College departments.

Practising while your registration is suspended is a serious offence. 

Registrants under suspension cannot practise optometry, and must not receive any benefit or income, either directly or indirectly, from their professional status while suspended. 

The effective date of suspension means you are no longer permitted to practice optometry in Ontario from this date onwards.

The College has the authority to suspend a registrant’s Certificate of Registration. This suspension may be the result of any of the following:

• By the result of an order by the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee or the Discipline Committee of the College.
• By the Registrar for non-compliance with conditions relating to registration requirements.
• Non-compliance with conditions associated with annual membership renewal requirements. Once your membership is suspended you will not be able to practise optometry in Ontario until you renew and pay all your outstanding fees. This includes a late fee and an additional re-instatement fee to remove the suspension. The Registrar has the authority to revoke a suspended certificate two years after the day it was suspended.

Please contact the College for more information on how to remove your suspension and be reinstated.

If you are currently suspended, you must have your certificate of registration reinstated before you can renew your annual membership. Please email the College for more information. 

Suspensions are reflected indefinitely on the College’s Public Register.

Once your certificate has been revoked, you are no longer a registrant of the College, and you are unauthorized to practise optometry in Ontario.

A certificate of registration may have been revoked for any of the following:

• By the result of an order by the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee or the Discipline Committee of the College.
• By the Registrar for non-compliance with conditions relating to registration requirements.
• The Registrar has the authority to revoke a suspended certificate two years after the day it was suspended for nonpayment of membership fees.

If you wish to practise optometry in Ontario after your certificate of registration was revoked, you will be required to submit a new application. In addition, you must meet the registration requirements in effect at the time of your new application.

To apply, you need to complete and submit an application form to the College.

You must formally notify the College by email or mail if you intend to resign or retire from your membership. Your retirement\resignation is not complete until you submit the Retirement\Resignation Form.

The effective date of retirement\resignation means you are no longer registered to practice optometry in Ontario, and you are no longer a registrant of the College from this date onwards.

Failing to formally advise the College of your intention to retire\resign, may result in your certificate of registration being suspended or revoked for failing to renew your annual membership and this is reflected on the College’s public register.

If you wish to practise optometry in Ontario after your retirement\resignation, you will be required to submit a new application.  In addition, you must meet the registration requirements in effect at the time of your new application. To apply, complete and submit an application form to the College.

For registrants who retire, there may be an option for Life Membership status with the College. There is no annual fee for this status but Life Members receive e-news information from the College.

A Life Member is a person who has retired their membership in good standing, who has held a general or academic certificate of registration with the College for at least 25 years. 

To find out if you are entitled to Life Membership after you retire, please review PART 19 – LIFE MEMBERS in the College By-Laws.