Practice Permit Renewal

1.Complete your competence program activities

Each year, physiotherapists on the General Register complete two competence program activities before renewing their practice permit. One activity is a Self-Selected Activity and the other is a College-Selected Activity. 

Reporting on activities during the renewal process involves:

• Self-Selected Activity. Describe on the Practice Improvement Record what happened when you applied the new information or skill you learned making sure you include a reasonable response or description that covers each of the points on the form. The Practice Improvement Record is available in the Member Portal.
• College-Selected Activity. The topic of the 2026 College-Selected Activity is the Health Information Act (HIA). When you renew your practice permit you must declare that you have completed the HIA online learning module, reviewed the resources to further understand the HIA requirements, and defined the role that you hold within your practice setting under the HIA.

2.Complete the mandatory education module

You must complete CPTA’s Protecting Patients from Sexual Abuse and Sexual Misconduct eLearning modules and quiz between October 1, 2025, and the date of your renewal application. This is an annual renewal requirement which must be completed each registration year.

3.Calculate your practice hours

Calculate the hours you will work from October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026 for each practice location. You may estimate hours until September 30, 2026 so you can renew early. Contact the College in October if the estimated hours need to be changed.

Practice hours can include physiotherapy services provided (assessment, diagnosis, treatment), hours engaged in research, delivering education or administration with respect to health services delivery and the science, techniques and practice of physiotherapy. 

You must have either worked 1,200 hours as a physiotherapist since October 1, 2021, or completed an approved clinical competency examination within the previous three registration years to meet the currency requirement.

4.Renew your liability insurance policy

Before you apply to renew your practice permit, you must have liability insurance in place for after October 1, 2026.

Physiotherapists are autonomous health professionals accountable for their conduct and practice. As such, you are required to personally hold professional liability insurance in the amount of $5 million for the annual policy period, and a minimum liability limit of $5 million per occurrence.

All regulated members of the College must carry professional liability insurance as a condition of registration. This means you must have an active, continuous insurance policy at all times, regardless of your role, employment environment, or employment status.

Liability insurance is offered through a variety of vendors. We've included a link to vendors who provide coverage to most Alberta physiotherapists. Not all policies offer the same coverage. You are responsible for reviewing each policy and making an informed decision. The College does not endorse a specific product or validate the information contained within each vendor’s website.

• BMS from CPA
• TRISURA from Hub International (Physiosure)

5.Ensure My Profile is up-to-date

• Ensure your contact details, employment, education, and registration in another jurisdiction are accurate in My Profile. 
• Ensure your employment details are complete. You will need to report practice hours for each location where you worked since October 1, 2025. If the location is not in your My Profile, then reporting is a two-step process. Sometimes adding a new practice location requires College staff assistance, which can delay the renewal process. 

Renewal applications are not always automatically approved; they can be blocked and require staff review for various reasons, and at any of the following steps. Please allow sufficient time for staff to review your application if you want to avoid the late fee being assessed or a gap in authorization.

Step 1: My Profile

• You will report practice hours for all locations where you worked since October 1, 2025.
• You will provide the insurance provider name and policy number for your insurance coverage in place for after October 1, 2026.
• Assuming you've kept your Profile updated throughout the year, you can move to the next step. Otherwise, report any necessary changes.

Step 2: Practice Improvement Record

• Submit your completed 2025/2026 Practice Improvement Record.

Step 3: Renewal

• You will complete a series of competence program, character, and professional obligation declarations.
  • 2026 College-Selected Activity: You must attest to having completed the required activities.
  • CPTA's Protecting Patients from Sexual Abuse and Sexual Misconduct eLearning modules and quiz. You must attest to having completed the eLearning modules and quiz between October 1, 2025, and the date of your renewal application.

Step 4: Fees

• An invoice for the renewal fee(s) will be generated once Step 3 is approved.
  • $805.00 practice permit fee.
  • A $130.00 late renewal fee is applied, in addition to the practice permit fee, for renewal applications completed (including full payment) after midnight September 15, 2026, regardless of when received.
• Fees are non-refundable and must be paid in full, whether you intend to practice for the entire registration year or only a portion.  
• You may pay fees by MasterCard or Visa.
• Your tax receipt is available in your Member Portal immediately upon payment in full.

Step 5: Practice Permit

• Your renewal application is complete once all the required steps listed above are approved.
• A 2026/2027 practice permit is issued and appears in your Member Portal.
• You may download and print your practice permit as proof of registration.
• Employers may use the College's Public Registry to verify registration.

Under the Health Professions Act, an individual practicing as a physiotherapist in Alberta and using the title physiotherapist or physical therapist must be registered and have a valid practice permit. If you are no longer practicing as a physiotherapist in Alberta, due to maternity leave, retirement, sabbatical, or any other reason, you have two options:

Renew your practice permit

If your absence from physiotherapy is for a short period, you can renew and receive a practice permit until September 30, 2027. This allows you the flexibility to return to work at any time before September 30, 2027 without submitting further information or documentation to the College. You continue with your competence program activities, keep your My Profile current, and continue to hold professional liability insurance as a practicing physiotherapist.

Cancel your registration 

You may cancel your registration effective October 1, 2026 and then apply to reinstate your registration before returning to work. The reinstatement process is different from the renewal process, which has different registration requirements and timelines.

Before you cancel your registration, you must complete the competence activities required for the 2025/2026 registration year.

• Competence program. When you apply to reinstate your registration, you must demonstrate that you completed the competence program activities for the last year registered, during the last year registered, whether you were working or not. This means you must have completed a 2026 Self-Selected Activity, which includes describing on the Practice Improvement Record in the Member Portal what happened when you applied the new knowledge or skill. Ensure you complete the Practice Improvement Record before you apply to cancel your registration if you have any plans to return to practice in Alberta, as it will be required when you apply to reinstate your registration. You must also complete the 2026 College-Selected Activity before canceling your registration.
• Insurance. From a registration perspective, the requirement to hold insurance does not apply when you are not a regulated member. However, patients can file a malpractice claim against you up to ten years after an incident. You need to check the terms of your insurance policy. Ensure that your insurance will cover you for a claim filed later related to an event that occurred while you were practicing and insured. Some policies provide coverage against this type of claim, sometimes called “tail coverage” or “extended reporting period coverage.” In contrast, other policies may require that you purchase additional coverage when leaving/retiring from practice. Watch this 1:42 minute video on Tail Coverage Insurance.
• Currency requirement. The currency requirement is 1,200 of physiotherapy practice hours during the previous five registration years or completion of an approved clinical examination within the last three registration years. If you do not meet the currency requirement, the Registration Committee will review your reinstatement application to determine your options. To receive a decision takes several weeks.
• Good character and reputation. A criminal record check from every country where you have lived for 90+ days for the last five years is a relatively new requirement. A criminal record check is only valid for 90 days, so even if you provided a report previously, you will need to do so again. Criminal record checks completed within Canada can be done within a few days if there are no issues; this is not the case for international checks, which can take several weeks. You will also need to provide information on your regulatory history from every jurisdiction where you have worked as a physiotherapist or another regulated professional since cancelling your registration in Alberta (limited to the last ten years).
• Fees. The application fee is waived if your registration is reinstated before September 30, 2027. You only need to pay the practice permit fee. After September 30, 2027 you must pay both the application and practice permit fee. 

A reinstatement fee is levied at the time of reinstatement for individuals who do not renew or fail to voluntarily cancel their registration.

• The email address to login to the Member Portal is the email address on your registration record. If you have access to that email account, you are required to use the original email address to login to the Member Portal and then change your email address on the My Profile form. If you no longer have access to the email address then contact the College. You can expect that we will ask verifying questions before making the change.
• College staff are here to help. Call between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday to Friday (except statutory holidays). Registration direct at 587.442.1088 or email registration@cpta.ab.ca