Resigning & Reinstating

Resigning from the Register

There are a few circumstances where you may wish to resign from the College Register. Examples include retirement, parental leave or if you are relocating outside the province.

If you resign from the Register:

You are not permitted to practice pharmacy in the province of Ontario
You are not permitted to use the protected title of “pharmacist” or “pharmacy technician”
You are not required to pay your annual renewal fee or to maintain personal professional liability insurance
You may apply for reinstatement of your registration within three years of the date of your resignation if you meet the required conditions
The College retains the ability to investigate allegations of professional misconduct and incompetence if the alleged conduct occurred while you were a registrant of the College. Any outstanding investigation matters will be noted for consideration if you apply for reinstatement or registration with the College in the future
The College has no jurisdiction to initiate inquiries into your health or to continue with ongoing inquiries into your health after you have resigned from the College. Any outstanding inquiry into your health once you have resigned will be noted for consideration if you apply for reinstatement or registration with the College in the future

If you are considering resigning, you are encouraged to do so before the March 10 annual renewal date.

Note: If you are a Part A registrant and wondering if you should resign from the Register or move to Part B (does not provide patient care), please see the FAQ below.

How to Resign

During the annual renewal period (late January to March 10), you may submit your resignation using the online annual renewal portal. Outside of this period, please send an email to [email protected] with your request to resign and the effective date.

Reinstatement of Registration

If you resign from the College, you can reinstate your registration under certain conditions.

Within Three Years of the Date of Resignation

If you are a former pharmacist or pharmacy technician registrant who was in good standing when you resigned, you may apply for reinstatement if you:

Submit your application within three years of the date of your resignation
Have no outstanding conduct, incompetence or incapacity matters with the College
Pay all outstanding fees or money owed to the College. Note fees are not prorated
Pay the required reinstatement fee. Note fees are not prorated
Have a valid police background check

You may reinstate directly into Part A of the Two-Part Register if you:

Were in Part A at the time of your resignation
Were not in the Quality Assurance Program process prior to resignation, including having been notified that you were selected for a Knowledge Assessment (typically advised by email in January) or a Practice Assessment
Have personal professional liability insurance
Complete the declaration of competence to provide patient care

If you do not meet the above criteria, you will be reinstated into Part B of the Register. To move into Part A, you will need to successfully complete the process for moving from Part B to Part A.

After Three Years from Date of Resignation

If you resigned as a pharmacist or pharmacy technician from the Register more than three years ago and wish to return to practice in Ontario, you may apply to re-register (not reinstate) as a pharmacist or pharmacy technician. You must meet the registration requirements for new applicants. Your pharmacy education, PEBC certificate of qualification and practice assessment of competence at entry to the profession requirements will be considered to have been met. However, you will be required to successfully complete the Jurisprudence, Ethics and Professionalism exam and demonstrate the currency of your practice as required by the Registration Committee.

After Revocation

If your registration with the College as a pharmacist or pharmacy technician was revoked, you may only be reinstated by order of a panel of the Discipline Committee.

Emeritus

Applications for the Emeritus designation were closed as of March 10, 2022.

FAQs

I will not be providing patient care as a pharmacist or pharmacy technician in the near future. What are my options to maintain or renew my registration with the College?

If you are a Part A registrant who will continue to work in the pharmacy profession but not provide patient care (as defined on the Part A & B Register page), and you wish to be able to use the protected title of “pharmacist” or “pharmacy technician”, you have the option to move to Part B of the Register. As a Part B registrant, you are required to complete the annual renewal but your renewal fee is lower and you do not need to have personal liability insurance. If you decide to return to providing patient care at a later date (no time limit), you will have to undergo the process to move from Part B to Part A. This option should be considered for a registrant who is changing to a non-patient care role.

If you are a pharmacist or pharmacy technician in good standing who will not be working in the profession in the near future but intend to return to practice within three years, you have the option to resign from the Register and then reinstate. While you are resigned from the Register, you will not be required to pay the annual renewal fee or maintain personal professional liability insurance. Please note that once resigned, you will not be able to use the protected title of “pharmacist” or “pharmacy technician” or provide patient care. This option is appropriate to consider for a practitioner who is taking a leave from practising as a pharmacist or pharmacy technician for less than three years (e.g., parental or personal leave, sabbatical, temporary relocation outside of Ontario, working outside the profession of pharmacy).

You are eligible to apply for reinstatement within three years of the date of your resignation. When seeking reinstatement, former registrants will be reinstated into Part B of the Register. Registrants may be reinstated to Part A of the Register if certain conditions are met.

After three years from the date of your resignation from the Register, you will not be eligible for reinstatement. If you wish to return to the profession, you will be required to re-apply as a new applicant. Please review the information about reinstatement after three years from the date of resignation on the Resigning & Reinstating web page. This option is appropriate for a practitioner who is relocating outside of Ontario for three years or longer, changing careers or retiring.