Opticians from Out of Province

Mutual Recognition

Opticianry regulators across Canada have worked together to establish a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) in order to allow opticians who meet specific criteria to move more easily across the country.

Thanks to this cooperation, we know that all opticians from the participating provinces meet the same standards.

Nine of the ten provincial authorities have now signed the MRA: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Registration Requirements

If you meet the general registration requirements for practice in Alberta and you have a license to dispense either contact lenses or eyeglasses, you can transfer your registration to Alberta. The COA accepts Registered Opticians from Quebec and Ontario as registrants in both eyeglasses and contact lenses.

1. Create an account and complete the online Application Form. Applications may take up to 3 weeks to be processed.

2. Submit a letter of good standing from the regulatory college in the province where you are currently registered.

3. Once you are approved, you must pay your registration fees to finalize the transfer process.