Alert:OCTs must pay their annual membership fee by April 15, 2026 to maintain good standing status. Pay your AMF.
The Ontario College of Teachers licenses, governs and regulates the province’s teaching profession in the public interest and to protect students. All publicly funded school teachers and administrators in Ontario must be licensed by us and be Ontario Certified Teachers (OCT).
The College regulates the teaching profession to protect students. Teachers in Ontario’s publicly funded elementary and secondary schools must be certified by the College, keep their membership in good standing, and follow the profession’s ethical and practice standards.
Explore everything related to your Ontario College of Teachers certification, including how to pay your annual fees, keep up to date with the College, and stay informed about ongoing professional learning.
You must apply to be certified by the Ontario College of Teachers and remain in good standing to teach in Ontario’s publicly funded elementary and secondary schools.
The College provides information and resources to support Ontario Certified Teachers (OCTs), applicants and education system partners to strengthen the teaching profession and promote student safety.
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The College welcomes applications from teachers educated outside Canada. You can apply to the College even if you currently live outside Canada. However, you are strongly encouraged to apply only when you are ready to provide all required documents and pay any applicable fees. Your application is valid for one year after you submit it. If we don’t receive all required documents by your one-year deadline, you will need to re-apply, pay a new application fee, and meet all requirements that are in place at the time you re-apply.
You can find out more about the specific requirements for your teaching category in the appropriate registration guide:
Each country has its own policies related to educational documents. Select your country from the alphabetical list to learn how to obtain your academic records, statements of professional standing, teaching certificates and other information.
All applicants are required to successfully complete the Sexual Abuse Prevention Program before they can be certified. Labour mobility applicants under the Ontario Labour Mobility Act (OLMA) are required to complete the Sexual Abuse Prevention Program within one year of their Ontario certification date.
For teachers educated outside Canada, you may consider attending an upcoming information session for internationally educated teachers.
