Permit to practice – Medical graduate Quebec, Canada, United States

In Quebec, under section 33 of the Medical Act, the issuance of a permit to practice gives the applicant the right to practice medicine in the discipline concerned. The Regulation respecting the terms and conditions for the issuance of the permit and specialist’s certificates by the Collège des médecins du Québec sets out the requirements for the issuuance of permits and the rules governing access to the medical profession.

If you have a regular permit to practice in Canada without any restrictions or limitations, please see the page Holder of a regular permit to practice in Canada – Accelerated application.

Section 35 of the Charter of the French language stipulates that professional orders shall not issue permits except to persons whose knowledge of the official language is appropriate to the practice of their profession.

Note that under section 37 of the Charter, a “temporary” permit may be issued.
See Step 4.

Note that the CMQ does not intervene at all steps of the process.
The deadlines indicated at certain steps are given as an indication. They can vary significantly depending on the individual background of the candidates.

Step 1 – Hold a Doctor of Medicine degree

You must hold a Doctor of Medicine degree that was issued in Quebec, Canada or the United States:

• by a medical school accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME);

OR

• by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) – Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree, leading to a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree. 

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Step 2 – Complete a postgraduate training program

You must have completed:

• a postgraduate training program in family medicine (24 months) or in one of the 59 other specialties (48 to 96 months) in Quebec and meet all the requirements;

OR

• a postgraduate training program in Canada that is accredited by the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC), the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (Royal College) or the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) and meet all the requirements; 

OR

• a postgraduate training program in the United States that is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and meet all the requirements.

You will be granted full equivalence of training if you have passed the Royal College or CFPC certification examinations in a specialty that is recognized in Quebec. You may go on to Step 4 to continue.

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Step 3 – Pass the certification examinations

If you completed your postgraduate training program to the satisfaction of the faculty of medicine and the Collège, you must pass the certification examinations of the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) or the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM). For the other specialties, you must pass the examinations of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (Royal College).

If you passed a Royal College subspecialty examination, you must also pass the basic specialty (primary specialty) examination to be certified by the Collège des médecins du Québec.

• Specialties recognized in Quebec
• Examinations 

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Step 4 – Meet the other requirements – LMCC, ALDO-Quebec, French language proficiency

LMCC – Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada

You must provide proof of your status as a Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC).

This requirement does not apply to residents registered in Quebec, before July 1, 2009, in a postgraduate university program other than family medicine.

Please note 

Candidates are exempt from providing proof of their status as a LMCC if they:

1. hold a Doctor of Medicine degree from a faculty of medicine located outside Quebec and accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME); 
2. have completed postgraduate training in a postgraduate university program that is accredited in medicine by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME);
3. have passed all three components of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE).
   Section 23 of the Regulation.

ALDO-Quebec educational activity

You must have participated in the ALDO-Quebec educational activity on the legal, ethical and organizational aspects of medical practice in Quebec.

French language proficiency

You must provide proof of French language proficiency (this link provides information about the examination, French courses and exemption criteria) or pass the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) examination.

In addition, under section 37 of the Charter of the French language, a professional order may issue a temporary permit that is valid for one year to people from outside Quebec (M.D. from outside Quebec) who meet the requirements for the issuance of a regular permit to practice, but who do not have a working knowledge of French. This type of permit can be renewed subject to certain conditions.

Please note 

As of the end of 1980, as stipulated in section 39 of the Charter, a temporary permit may not be issued to Quebec graduates.

Conditions for renewal of a temporary permit:

• Information for applicants who have a temporary permit

A temporary permit (s. 37 of the Charter) may be renewed three times with the OQLF’s authorization. Applicants may not apply for renewal unless they have taken the OQLF examination before their permit expires. In addition, the OQLF will give its authorization only if it considers it warranted by the public interest (letter of support from an employer in Quebec).

Once you have passed the French examination, you may apply to have the temporary permit converted to a regular permit by completing the online form Application to convert a temporary permit through the Collège’s transactional site and paying the required fee: please see the List of fees.  

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Step 5 – Complete an application for medical registration

To submit an application for a regular permit to practice, from your personal account on the MCC’s physiciansapply.ca site, please select:

1. Application for medical registration 
2. QC Collège des médecins du Québec
3. Regular permit – Ready to practice

To find out the application fees, please see the physicansapply.ca services section on the List of fees.

Please complete your application at least one month before the scheduled practice start date.

If you wish to receive your permit between June 1 and August 31, you must submit your application no later than May 1.

 For information, write to: demandepermis@cmq.org.

Acknowledgment of receipt of the application: 24 to 48 hours Issuance of the permit within 24 to 48 hours when the file is complete (all the required conditions are met)

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Step 6 – Register on the Roll of the Order: First registration

Once you have received your permit to practice and your specialist's certificate (if applicable), you must take out professional liability insurance (in French only) and complete your first registration on the Roll of the Order. To do so, you must complete the online form First registration on the Roll of the Order on the Collège's secure site.

The Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) will be informed that you have registered on the Roll of the Order and your practice start date will be the date that you registered on the Roll. 

To contact the Roll of the Order, write to: tableau@cmq.org.

Processing of the first registration on the Roll of the Order and transmission to the RAMQ on the business day following receipt of the completed form

For information about your file at the RAMQ, please call: 1 800 463-4776.

• Documents required
• List of fees

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Telemedicine is important for you as well. Learn more in the Telemedicine section.

Also available on this topic

• Practising medicine during training as a resident in Quebec: Avoiding role confusion
• Permit number system

• Permit to practice – Medical graduate Qc, Can. or U.S.
• Holder of a regular permit to practice in Canada – Accelerated application
• Special authorization – Telemedicine and other activities
• Permit number system
• Refresher training – Holder of a permit to practice in Quebec
• Additional specialist’s certificate
• Issuance of a restrictive permit for graduating resident